VA Connecticut Healthcare System, serving an area of more than 333,000 veterans in Connecticut and southern New England, is one of eight members of the VA New England Healthcare System (VISN 1). VA Connecticut is committed to providing veterans the highest quality health care. VA Connecticut offers specialized services for mentally ill veterans, geriatrics rehabilitation and extended care services, women's health care, primary care, hospice and respite care, pharmacy services, dental care, psychological/pastoral counseling, psycho-social support services, podiatry, prosthetics, same day surgery, alcohol and substance abuse treatment, dialysis and specialized services for diabetics. VA Connecticut is comprised of two campuses located in West Haven and Newington as well as six Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs) in Danbury, New London, Stamford, Waterbury, Winsted and Windham to serve veterans in all parts of the state. The West Haven facility is a tertiary care facility. It is a teaching hospital, providing a full range of patient care services, with state-of-the-art technology and a renowned research program. Comprehensive health care is provided through primary, acute, tertiary and long-term care in areas of medicine, surgery, psychiatry, physical medicine and rehabilitation, neurology, oncology, dentistry, geriatrics and extended care. Newington is an ambulatory care center that provides primary and specialty care. In fiscal year 2004, VA Connecticut provided care to 53,243 veterans.

Affiliations

Major affiliations with the Yale University School of Medicine and the University of Connecticut Schools of Medicine and Dentistry allows VA Connecticut to participate in the education and training of more than 600 physicians and dentists each year. VA Connecticut has 85 active affiliations that allow us to train more than 600 students in allied health disciplines such as nursing, radiography, pharmacy, physical/occupational therapy, social work, laboratory and nuclear medicine.

Authorized Beds

191
 

Accreditations

The Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) accredits the VA New England Healthcare System (VISN 1), which includes VA Connecticut. VA Connecticut is accredited in the Hospital Accreditation Program, Long Term Care, Behavioral Health, Home Care and Ambulatory Care.

Research and National Programs

VA Connecticut conducts research in psychiatry, medicine, surgery, neurology and related basic sciences. National Veterans Health Administration programs at VA Connecticut include the following:

• Eastern Blind Rehabilitation Center and Clinic
• Northeast Program Evaluation Center (NEPEC)
• Coordinating Center for Cooperative Studies Program
• National Virology Reference Laboratory
• National Laboratory for Tuberculosis and Other Mycobacterial Diseases
• Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC)
• National Center for PTSD
• National Center for Research in Alcoholism and Substance Abuse
• VA/Yale Center for Neuroscience and Nerve Regeneration
• Rehabilitation Research Center for Excellence
• Clinical Epidemiology Center

Specialized Program

VA Connecticut also has the following specialized program, which is recognized nationally and regionally as the best offered in the Department of Veterans Affairs:

• Single PhotoEmission Computerized Tomography SPECT, which provides state of the art imaging for medical care and research in biology, psychiatry, cardiology and oncology.

Additionally, the Clinical Center for Excellence for Dialysis is the only veteran's dialysis center in Connecticut. VA Connecticut is also designated a Clinical Program of Excellence for Seriously Mentally Ill veterans.