Lake City, FL Veterans Affairs Medical Center

The North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System consists of two medical centers, three large multi-specialty outpatient clinics and eight small community-based primary care outpatient clinics. Lake City VA Medical Center is a secondary care facility with general medical/surgical and extended care programs. The Lake City VA Nursing Home Care Unit has an extensive long-term care program that includes special units for the treatment of dementia. 

Affiliations

The North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System has a strong and meaningful affiliation with the University of Florida College of Medicine. The Malcom Randall VA Medical Center in Gainesville is connected both physically and functionally to the University. Over 180 University of Florida medical school residents, interns, and students are trained at the Gainesville and Lake City VA Medical Center each year. Programs are also in place with the University of Florida for dentistry, nursing, physical therapy, health services administration, and pharmacy. Other affiliations are in place with Florida State University, Valdosta State University, Santa Fe Community College, and Lake City Community College for programs in nursing, social work, physical therapy, medical technology, and health care administration. Through sharing agreements, there is collaboration in the areas of radiation therapy, professional radiology services, sleep lab, electron microscopy, and cardiac catheterization.

Authorized Beds

53 Authorized/47 Operating HOSPITAL
255 Authorized/230 Operating NHCU

Type of Facility

Secondary care facility with general medical/surgical programs and an extensive long-term care program that includes special units for the treatment of dementia.

Research

The North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System Research and Development Program has been an active and productive service throughout its 36-year history. The goal of this program is to facilitate funded research that will significantly advance our understanding of the mechanisms of disease and will contribute to improved clinical practice and delivery of care to our Veterans. With more than 300 active projects, our Research Program includes all of the major branches of VA research: Biomedical Laboratory Research and Development (BLR&D), Clinical Science Research and Development (CSR&D), Rehabilitation Research and Development (RR&D), and Health Services Research and Development (HSR&D).

The North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System is the home to four VA research centers: the Brain Rehabilitation Research Center of Excellence (BRRC) which seeks to improve current treatments or discover new forms of treatment to improve neurorehabilitation for impairments caused by stroke, incomplete spinal cord injury and other neurological problems; the Rehabilitation Outcomes Research Center (RORC) which conducts interdisciplinary research to improve the health, function and community reintegration of post-deployed veterans and veterans with neurological impairment; the Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center (GRECC) which finds ways to improve health care and enhance quality of life for older veterans and their caregivers; and the National Center for Occupational Health and Infection Control (COHIC) which seeks to solve important problems that arise at the intersection of occupational health, infection control, industrial hygiene and bio-safety.

Services Available

The Lake City VA Medical Center provides a broad range of general and specialized medical, dental, surgical, psychiatric, nursing and ancillary services to veterans who reside in Columbia County and other nearby counties. Procedures or specialty care not provided by this medical center are referred to the Malcom Randall VA Medical Center in Gainesville. For a complete list of available services, please visit the  Services page of our web site.