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The Southern Arizona VA Health Care System (SAVAHCS), based in Tucson, Arizona is a highly affiliated tertiary-care referral system serving veterans in Arizona, surrounding states and Mexico. SAVAHCS provides subspecialty referral services to patients from the Phoenix, Tucson, Prescott and El Paso Primary Service Areas. The SAVAHCS is authorized 283 beds to support programs of medicine, surgery, neurology, mental health, geriatrics and advanced rehabilitation. SAVAHCS hosts the SouthWestern Blind Rehabilitation Center, which provides world class programs for visually impaired veterans from seven western states. It is also the home of the nationally recognized Geriatrics and Rehabilitation Center, which was designated in 1999, as a VHA national center of excellence for geriatrics evaluation and management. SAVAHCS is the principle affiliate of the University of Arizona Colleges of Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy. Additionally, it has affiliations with 70 academic institutions and trains over 700 physicians, nurses, pharmacists and allied health students annually.
The SAVAHCS’s Research Service attracts highly qualified scientists to the Tucson area. The research program supports 70 principal investigators involved in over 186 research projects in such areas as diabetes, colon cancer, valley fever, geriatric rehabilitation, treatment of bone cancer, the biochemistry of depression, treatment for heart failure and pulmonary diseases such as asthma and emphysema.
The SAVAHCS has increased access for veterans by activating Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs) in Sierra Vista and Yuma, Casa Grande, Safford, Green Valley and Northwest Tucson.
The SAVAHCS has sharing agreements with Ft. Huachuca and Davis-Monthan Air Force Base to provide healthcare services for active duty service members. SAVAHCS is also a TRICARE and CHAMPVA provider for retirees and eligible family members. Additional sharing agreements exist with the Indian Health Service, University Medical Center, and Tucson Medical Center. The SouthWestern Blind Rehabilitation Center (SWBRC), which is located at SAVAHCS, has a unique sharing agreement with the State of Arizona for the provision of outpatient blind rehabilitation training for state beneficiaries.
SAVAHCS was also designated as a Polytrauma II Center in January of 2006 serving veterans from OEF/OIF.
