Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System (SLVHCS) provides quality, compassionate, safe health care to Veteran patients throughout 23 parishes in southeast Louisiana. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the New Orleans VAMC was devastated. SLVHCS reorganized to meet the needs of Veterans and now consists of eight community-based clinics located in New Orleans, Slidell, Hammond, St. John Parish, Houma, Franklin, Bogalusa and Baton Rouge. Ninety percent of patients live within 30 minutes of primary and mental health services. Specialty care is available through the New Orleans and Baton Rouge clinics and inpatient services are coordinated through community facilities and other Veterans Affairs Medical Centers. Programs are available for special needs populations including those with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and spinal cord injury.

 SLVHCS has also expanded programs to provide additional services home-based community services. Home Based Primary Care, Respite Care, and Community Adult Day Care are just a few examples.  SLVHCS is also one of only two national Hospital at Home Program sites, providing care to Veteran patients in their homes, shortening hospital stays and increasing patient comfort.  To date, Hospital at Home admitted over 100 patients with a variety of conditions and offered them doctor-directed, nurse-provided care.  Another option SLVHCS uses to expand care availability is the Care Coordination Tele-health Program, which allows Veterans to transmit vital signs such blood pressure and diabetic sugar levels from the comfort of their home to on-call nurses, reducing the need to come to a clinic for services.

Mental Health Services now include specialized Mental Health Programs such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Homeless Services, Substance Abuse Treatment, home-based management of chronic mental illnesses (Mental Health Intensive Case Management, MHICM) and a compensated work therapy program. Specialized mental health programs are now available in New Orleans 3426, 3434 and 3500 Canal Street.

 The OEF/OIF program has greatly expanded, with enrollment increasing nearly eightfold since Hurricane Katrina. In Fiscal Year 2009, over 4300 OEF/OIF Veterans were enrolled for care in SLVHCS, and outreach activities increased by 43%.  Many Veterans of these wars are eligible for care up to five years after their discharge, and SLVHCS services will continue to grow to meet the need.

For clinic appointments call (800) 935-8387.