VA Portland Health Care System

In addition to our main facility in Portland and our Vancouver Division, we offer services in ten Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOC's) and other clinics. These clinics are located in (details are in the tab to the left of this web page) —

• Bend Robert D. Maxwell Department of Veterans Affairs Clinic
• Community Resource and Referral Center clinic (CRRC) in downtown Portland (Also known as "Portland VA Clinic")
• Fairview Clinic
• Hillsboro CBOC
• North Coast CBOC (Camp Rilea)
• Newport CBOC
• Lincoln City CBOC
• Salem CBOC
• The Dalles Loren R. Kaufman VA Clinic 
• West Linn CBOC

VA Portland History

1920’s United States Public Health Service Hospital for Veterans - Portland

Photo caption: Photo of the original U.S. Veterans Hospital in Portland, Oregon in 1926.

1920’s United States Public Health Service Hospital for Veterans - Portland

In November 1921, a hospital for Veterans was opened in Portland by the United States Public Health Service. On May 1, 1922, it was transferred from the Public Health Service to the United States Veterans Bureau, the preceding organizational name of the Veterans Administration that was later established in 1930.  In 1988, President Reagan signed legislation to elevate VA to Cabinet status and, on March 15, 1989, the Veterans Administration became the Department of Veterans Affairs.  The Department included three main elements: the Veterans Health Services and Research Administration, which was renamed the Veterans Health Administration; the Veterans Benefits Administration; and the National Cemetery System (Administration). This organization remains the same today.  VA Portland is part of the Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) 20 Northwest Network. 

Photo caption: Architectural rendering of Portland Veterans Hospital circa 1920s followed by actual photo circa 1940s/50s.

In January 1926, the Sam Jackson family of Portland and Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) deeded 25 acres on Marquam Hill in Portland to the United States Veterans Bureau for a Veteran hospital; the value of the property at that time was about $2,750 per acre. Initial site preparation was started on Feb. 3, 1927, with construction for the original hospital commencing one year later. The first 13 buildings were activated in December 1928 and formally dedicated later in 1929. In 1932, Portland VA Medical Center (PVAMC) Building #16 was built - this is the only remaining original building that is now occupied by Human Resources.

March 1928 construction of Building #1 of the new Veterans Hospital on Marquam Hill in Portland - the beginning of what is now Portland VA Medical Center.

The VA has been serving Veterans in Vancouver since May 1946 when President Truman authorized the transfer of the U.S. Army Barnes General Hospital to the Veterans Administration.  The Vancouver Division has grown steadily with extensive services and is the largest VA Portland facility second only to the main Portland medical center.

Photo caption: Photos of Portland VA Medical circa 1089 and present day.

The main hospital in Portland ("PVAMC") was completed and dedicated in 1987 and opened to patients in February 1988. 

VA Skybridge

Partners since 1948, OHSU and Portland VA collaborate in many areas of education, patient care and research. During the 1960s the affiliation grew more significant, as medical student clerks and residents undertook about half of their clinical training there under School of Medicine-appointed VA hospital staff. Federal funding supported residents and specialty fellows, including a shared internship in internal medicine established in 1966.

For many years, former OHSU School of Medicine Dean John Kendall dreamed of a bridge spanning the 150-foot-deep ravine that separated the two institutions. Kendall and former VA Portland Director Joe Ferry believed that the link would enhance efficiency and collaboration. Ferry authored the first request to Washington, D.C. for the building of such a bridge. In 1992, the two hospitals at last became physically joined with the completion of the 660-foot pedestrian sky bridge, a tangible symbol of the long-term partnership between Portland VA Medical Center and the medical school. Federal funding secured by Senator Mark Hatfield assured the completion of the bridge.

The dedication ceremony for the sky bridge was held on November 2, 1992. Speakers included OHSU President Peter Kohler, VA Portland Director Barry L. Bell, Senator Mark Hatfield, and School of Medicine Dean John Kendall. 

(Sources; Subject file: Skybridge OHSU-VAMC. Historical Collections & Archives, OHSU Library. Subject file: Veterans Affairs/Veterans Administration. Historical Collections & Archives, OHSU Library.)

In Oct., 2014, to better reflect the system-wide spectrum of care, "PVAMC" changed its name from "Portland VA Medical Center" to VA Portland Health Care System (VAPORHCS).

Not long before 9-11, VA Portland basically had two sites of care – Portland and Vancouver. Today we host 12 care facilities from Astoria to Newport to Bend and other sites in between directly serving more than 26 counties across the Pacific Northwest.