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Explore the rich heritage of the VA Erie Healthcare System.
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Explore the rich heritage of the VA Erie Healthcare System.
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Erie VA Medical Center

The Erie VA Medical Center opened in 1951 as a general medicine and surgical hospital for combat Veterans. During its first year, it served more than 1,300 Veterans. In those early days, patients shared rooms with anywhere from 7 to 15 other Veterans, and each ward featured only 2 roll-about televisions and a pay phone on wheels.

As more Veterans started to seek VA services during the Korean and Vietnam wars, VA began to offer comprehensive health care services to all Veterans. At the Erie VA Medical Center, we expanded our services to include primary and specialty care. We also offer long-term care in medicine, surgery, behavioral health, physical medicine and rehabilitation, dentistry, geriatrics, and extended care.

In 1997, we opened our first 3 community-based outpatient clinics—in Ashtabula, Crawford, and McKean counties—to provide convenient, high-quality health care to Veterans in rural areas. In 2005, we opened 2 more clinics in Venango and Warren counties. 

Today, Erie health care provides world-class health care to more than 23,000 Veterans in a 9-county area in northwestern Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio, and southwestern New York. 

Learn more about the history of VA