About Us
The National Center for Ethics in Health Care was established in 1991 as a field-based National program office. In 1999, it was moved to VA Central Office in Washington, DC. Our multidisciplinary staff represents a wide variety of specialized fields, including medicine, nursing, philosophy, law, policymaking, education, theology, social work, psychology, and health care administration.
What We Do
NCEHC serves as VA's authoritative resource for addressing the complex ethical issues that arise in patient care, health care management, and research.
Our work is aimed at clarifying and promoting ethical health care practices in VA and beyond, including ethics-related decisions, actions, systems, processes, environment, and culture. We provide ethics analysis, information, education, advice and support, and lead nationwide quality improvement projects. We work collaboratively with VA senior leaders, field facilities, and program offices to accomplish these tasks.
Vision, Mission, and Values
The vision of NCEHC is that Veterans, their loved ones, and staff experience the Veterans Health Administration as a highly ethical organization.
The mission of NCEHC is to improve the health and well-being of Veterans by establishing, interpreting and communicating ethical standards in health care, fostering ethical culture, and promoting ethical practices within VA and beyond.
The values that govern NCEHC are the same as those that inform VA as a whole: integrity, commitment, advocacy, respect, and excellence (I CARE).
We uphold VA Core Characteristics by being trustworthy, accessible, innovative, agile, integrated, and by delivering quality.
Cornerstone Award Recipient
NCEHC was awarded the American Society for Bioethics and Humanities (ASBH) Cornerstone Award. The ASBH Cornerstone Award is the society's highest honor given to an institution for outstanding and enduring contributions that have deeply enriched and helped shape the direction of the fields of bioethics and the medical humanities.
