About us

About Lexington VA Health Care System 

Lexington VA Health Care System provides you with outstanding health care, trains America’s future health care providers, and conducts important medical research.

Health care and services

We provide you with health care services at 6 locations in Kentucky. Facilities include our two Lexington campuses and four community clinics in Berea, Hazard, Morehead, and Somerset. To learn more about the services each location offers, visit the  health services page.

Along with providing a wide range of primary care and specialty health services, our medical center is the designated polytrauma site for the VA Mid-South Healthcare Network, where a team of experts coordinates care and services for severely injured service members and Veterans throughout the region. We also operate a community living center, a residential rehabilitation program for Veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and a substance abuse residential rehabilitation program. 

The Lexington VA Health Care System is one of the leading health care systems serving Veterans in the VA Mid-South Health Care Network. We’re an innovative care center within the Veterans Integrated Service Network 9 (VISN 9), which includes medical centers and clinics in Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas, Indiana, Mississippi, and Virginia.

Learn more about VISN 9

Research and development

At Lexington VA Health Care System, we conduct research to discover knowledge, develop VA scientists and health care leaders, and create innovations that advance health care for Veterans and the nation. We offer Veterans the opportunity to participate in and benefit from our work. Our goal is to use research to promote better health and health care for all. 

We started our research and development program in 1973. We currently have more than 100 active research projects.

Teaching and learning

Our Lexington VA Health Care System is a teaching hospital that provides a full range of services, with state-of-the-art technology as well as education and research.  

Our primary affiliation is with the University of Kentucky hospital. We offer residency training in many major medical and surgical specialties and subspecialties. We also provide associated health training in psychology, pharmacy, and more.

We’re proud of our partnerships with top institutions and organizations that support the educational mission of the VA.

Fast facts

• Lexington VA Healthcare System was established has been serving Veterans since 1931. 
• Our health care services are available to about 83,000 Veterans in the Lexington area. 
• Our Lexington VA Health Care System has about 200 beds and more than 1,800 employees.
• We complete about 5,000 inpatient admissions and more than 400,000 outpatient visits every year. 
• One of our campuses was named for Troy Bowling, a Marine who was severely wounded during the Battle of Iwo Jima, in World War II. Bowling’s unit received the Presidential Unit Citation and he received the Purple Heart. After the war, Bowling worked for the U.S. Postal Service and had a long career as a VA volunteer, logging 78,000 hours during 66 years as a volunteer serving Veterans and their families. For his volunteer service, Bowling received the George H. Seal Award for outstanding volunteer and the Lifetime Service Achievement Award from the Department of Veteran Affairs. In 2017, one week before his death at age 90, Bowling was inducted into the Kentucky Veterans Hall of Fame.
• Our other campus was named in honor of Franklin R. Sousley, a Marine from Hill Top, Kentucky, who was killed in action during the Battle of Iwo Jima. Sousley was one of the six Marines seen raising the U.S. flag on Mount Suribachi in the famous photograph, “Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima.” The Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Virginia is modeled after that photograph. 

Accreditations and achievements

Our facilities and programs have received accreditation from:

• The Joint Commission 
• Accreditation Council on Optometry Education
• American Board of Certification in Orthotics, Prosthetics, and Pedorthics
• American Society of Health System Pharmacists
• American Psychological Association
• Association for Assessment of Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International
• Association for Clinical Pastoral Education
• College of American Pathologists
• Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities

Lexington VA Health Care System has received the following awards:

• Kentucky Hospital Association Quality Award
• Bronze Employee Wellness Award
• Gold Cornerstone Award for Patient Safety
• John M. Eisenberg Patient Safety Award

Building 29 Consolidation of Research Project

Lexington VA Health Care System plans on renovating building 29, 2nd floor on the Franklin R. Sousley Campus. This plan includes relocating the Research Department from the Troy Bowling Campus to this area. 

The second floor of building 29 is 15,650 sq ft. and is being renovated to meet VA’s research standards. In addition to interior, there will be exterior improvements. These external improvements include new windows, additional mechanical and electrical equipment as necessary for the new research area. 

Constructed in 1948, building 29 is a contributing building to the Franklin R. Sousley Campus as a historic property. Some of the improvements will create a modern appearance, including the mechanical equipment around the building, as well as the installation of exhaust fans at the center of the roof structure. These modifications are necessary for the Lexington VAHCS’ long-term goals and initiatives. The changes above will ensure Veterans are served by the Lexington VA for many more years to come.