Health Services

Care we provide at VA Long Beach health care

For after-hours assistance, please call the Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) 22 Telephone Advice Nurse Call Line at 877-252-4866 for an evaluation from a triage nurse and, when appropriate, referral to an urgent care center in the community.

We provide emergency medical care 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in our Emergency Department, located at the main campus in Long Beach, Bldg. 164. Our Emergency Department staff can assist Veterans with:  

• Life-threatening illnesses and injuries that require immediate attention
• Urgent medical issues that must be treated right away
• Psychiatric evaluations
• Mental health crisis care

We assess your situation and condition to decide which geriatric services are right for you or a senior Veteran in your care, and then we coordinate your care. Our team of specialists provides geriatric services that include:

• Outpatient Geriatric Services
• Inpatient Geriatric Services (Community Living Center)
• Medicine and nursing
• Psychology, psychiatry, and social work
• Physical and occupational therapy
• Contract Nursing Home (CNH) 
• Adult Day Health Care (ADHC)
• Homemaker Home Health Aide (H/HHA) 
• Home-Based Primary Care (HBPC)

Check our classes and support groups listed in The Bulldog

Learn more about VA long-term care

Our pharmacy provides you and other Veterans with convenient, efficient service to make it easy to get your medications and medical supplies. You can:

• Pick up new prescriptions in person
• Refill prescriptions online, by phone or mail
• Safely dispose of medicines

Learn more about our pharmacy

Your VA primary care provider will work closely with you to plan for all the care you need to stay healthy and well throughout your life, including immunizations and vaccinations. They will also work with family members or caregivers who support you.

A strong network of family and internal medicine specialists and services can offer you the best possible care. Internal medicine doctors (internists) prevent, diagnose, and treat adult diseases. Doctors who specialize in family medicine provide primary health care to the entire family. Your primary care team can coordinate the many services you receive such as:

• Labs and blood work
• Mental health care
• Women's health care
• Radiology
• Social services
• Telehealth

Check our classes and support groups listed in The Bulldog

Notice to Patients

Some of our medical doctors are licensed and regulated by the Medical Board of California. To check up on a license or to file a complaint involving medical doctors licensed in the State of California, go to www.mbc.ca.gov, email: licensecheck@mbc.ca.gov, or call 800-633-2322.

We offer women’s health services to meet your specific needs such as disease screenings, mental health treatment, recovery from military sexual trauma, maternity care and female-specific medical equipment.

Our women's health program offers complete health care for women Veterans of all ages. Our primary care providers specialize in women’s health. They work closely with specialists in gynecology, obstetrics, female urology, oncology, medicine, radiology, surgery, and breast illness. Our services for women Veterans include:

• Ultrasounds, mammograms, Pap and HPV tests
• Mental health care and counseling
• Lifestyle wellness services
• Menopause treatment, including hormonal therapy
• Family planning, contraceptive care, abortion care in certain situations, and infertility evaluation

Learn more and connect with a Women Veterans Program Manager

Check our classes and support groups listed in The Bulldog

Our medical center and clinics provide consultation, evaluation, and treatment for a range of issues that may impact your mental health or emotional well-being. Our confidential outpatient services include individual and group therapy for:

• Psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression
• Marriage and relationship problems
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Anxiety, addictive behaviors, and personality disorders
• Aggressive or self-harming behaviors

If you're a Veteran in crisis or concerned about one, please contact the 24/7 Veterans Crisis Line hotline (dail 988; press 1), text (838255) or chat online. Our Urgent Mental Health Care is located at Tibor Rubin VA Medical Center, Bldg. 2, Room N159 and operates Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. for established patients, and 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. for new patients. For after-hours emergencies, please go to the Emergency Department.

Learn more and connect with a care coordinator

Check our classes and support groups listed in The Bulldog

We offer care for military sexual trauma in our mental (behavioral) health clinics. Military sexual trauma refers to sexual assault, sexual harassment, or other threatening, offensive, or unwanted sexual advances, activities, or remarks that you experienced in the military. Our goal is to help you improve your quality of life with strategies to manage emotions and memories related to your military sexual trauma. Our services include:

• Counseling
• Psychiatric care
• Walk-in care

Learn more and connect with our Military Sexual Trauma Coordinator

We work with behavioral health providers and community organizations to help you and your family during times of crisis. We offer:

• Suicide prevention care coordinators
• Suicide prevention case managers
• Gun safety locks

If you're a Veteran in crisis or concerned about one, please contact the 24/7 Veterans Crisis Line hotline (1-800-273-8255; press 1), text (838255) or chat online. 

Learn more and connect with a care coordinator

⚫ Audiology

Available at these locations:

• Gardena VA Clinic
• Santa Ana VA Clinic
• Tibor Rubin VA Medical Center

Our Audiology Clinic provides diagnostic and rehabilitative services, VA compensation and pension examinations, and screening for employee hearing conservation. We offer a full range of audiology services like:

• Hearing evaluations including speech-in-noise testing, immittance measures, otoacoustic emissions, and electrophysiology evaluation
• Selection, fitting, and management of hearing aids, assistive listening devices, and recreational hearing protection
• Comprehensive balance evaluations, treatments, and rehabilitation
• Tinnitus management including maskers and interdepartmental Progressive Tinnitus Management classes
• Evaluation, fitting, and management of cochlear implants and bone-anchored implants
• Same day appointments for hearing aid repair

Learn more about VA hearing aids

⚫ Speech Pathology

Available at this locations:

• Tibor Rubin VA Medical Center

Our Speech Pathology Clinic provides early identification/screening, evaluation, and treatment for a wide range of communication and swallowing disorders. Services offered include:

• Evaluation and treatment of speech, language, voice, fluency, swallowing, and cognitive disorders
• Group therapy (stroke support group, college preparation/academic skills, voice therapy for Parkinson’s disease) 
• Evaluation, selection, and training for use of communication devices 

Our low vision outpatient clinic can assess your needs and provide a rehab plan tailored to your personal goals. Our team of specialists and social workers will work with you to find the right aids and services. Our clinic services include:

• Comprehensive eye exams
• Visual skills assessments
• Guidance on how to develop visual motor and perceptual skills
• Training to help you manage daily activities with your vision loss

Learn more about COVID-19 vaccines at VA

We perform noninvasive and minimally invasive tests and procedures that check, support, and improve your heart health. We’ll work with you to develop a personalized treatment plan and treat you with the most effective medications. Our services include:

• Evaluating you for coronary heart disease, heart-valve disease, and heart defects
• Determining how well blood flows through your heart vessels or find the cause of your heart failure
• Treating your heart vessels with nonsurgical or minimally invasive operations that open and support them through balloon angioplasty or stent placement
• Noninvasively monitoring you for changes in heart rhythm, using electrocardiograms (EKGs or ECGs), portable Holt monitors, or ultrasound
• Performing surgical treatments like pacemaker implants or cardiac catheterization (inserting a long, thin tube into an artery or vein)

If you’re eligible for VA dental care, we offer a full range of quality dental services like:

• Routine exams and teeth cleaning
• Restorative procedures, including fillings and crowns
• Comprehensive surgical care, including extractions (pulling teeth) and oral cancer screening
• Routine and advanced prosthodontic care, including bridges, dentures, and dental implants
• Routine and advanced periodontal care, including root canals, gum treatments, and supporting bone care
• Oral and facial reconstruction surgery to repair damage from traumatic injury or serious illness

Our laboratories provide a full range of clinical and diagnostic testing services. Our laboratory and pathology services include:

• Study of blood, urine, and other bodily fluids for illness management
• Testing for infectious diseases
• Cytopathology (study of unusual cells) and surgical pathology (study of tissue removed during surgery)
• Autopsy services

MOVE! is a weight management program designed to help you live a longer, healthier life. With the help of you MOVE! care team, you can eat a healthier diet, get more exercise, reduce your health risks, and improve your quality of life.  The MOVE! program offers:

• Weight-loss education and support groups to help you lose weight and keep it off
• Healthy Eating Tips
• Behavioral change strategies to help you live a healthier lifestyle.

Check our classes and support groups listed in The Bulldog

Our registered dietitians can help you maintain or improve your health with good nutrition tailored to your needs. Through group, individual, and telehealth sessions, we provide nutrition education and counseling in areas such as:

• Cardiovascular and heart health
• Chronic kidney disease
• Diabetes (including gestational diabetes)
• Eating disorders and digestive health
• Pregnancy and postpartum nutrition
• Weight management

Check our classes and support groups listed in The Bulldog

Care we provide at VA Long Beach health care

We offer comprehensive evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment for eye-related illnesses, injuries, and other issues. Our ophthalmology services include:

• Medical care for glaucoma, eye infections, and other conditions
• Surgery for cataracts, traumatic eye injuries, and other problems
• Treatment for eye conditions related to illnesses like diabetes or arthritis
• Plastic surgery to repair droopy eyelids, clear blocked tear ducts, and perform eyelid and facial reconstruction (oculoplastics)

Our optometrists provide many eye-related services and treatments like:

• Vision services and eye exams
• Treatment for diseases and injuries of the retina, cornea, and other parts of your eye
• Low-vision services for conditions like macular degeneration that can’t be corrected by glasses, surgery, or medication
• Special eye exams for diabetic patients

Physical therapy, occupational therapy and kinesiotherapy can help restore movement and function if you have been disabled by injury or disease.

If you’re living with or recovering from an injury, illness, or chronic condition that limits your mobility and independence, we can help. Our physical, occupational, and movement therapists combine therapeutic exercise, counseling, education, and training to help you improve your health and quality of life. Our services include:

• Pain relief and joint mobilization
• Movement and exercise therapies to improve your strength, endurance, balance, and coordination
• Mobility assessment and training with wheelchairs, scooters, and walking devices
• Life skills training and activities to help you maintain the highest level of independence and functionality
• Aquatic therapy to manage chronic pain
• Evaluation and treatment for a wide range of medical, orthopedic, psychosocial, and neurological conditions

Our podiatry specialists evaluate and treat a wide range of injuries, diseases and disorders that affect your feet and ankles—from ingrown toenails to inflammation to diabetic foot ulcers.

After years of walking, running, marching, jumping, rappelling, and parachuting, many Veterans experience trouble with their feet and ankles. We can help treat those problems so you can continue to enjoy an active lifestyle. Our podiatry services include:

• Arthritis care for inflamed, swollen, or damaged joints
• Foot and ankle fracture treatment, repair of cartilage, torn tendons and ligaments
• Injections to reduce pain and swelling
• Joint arthroplasty (surgical repair or reconstruction) and replacement
• Minimally invasive surgery and post-surgical rehabilitation
• Foot health maintenance procedures (bunion removal, resurfacing, and nail trimming)

We offer radiology and imaging services to diagnose and treat many medical conditions. Our services include:

• X-ray
• Ultrasound
• Mammography (mammograms)
• Computer tomography (CT)
• Positron emission tomography (PET)
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

If you have a spinal cord injury or disorder, our specialists provide coordinated care throughout your life. We work to help you achieve your goals for independence, productivity and quality of life.

VA has the nation’s largest system of care for spinal cord injuries and disorders. We provide a convenient, connected network of experts to care for you during each phase of your life. Our experienced primary care providers are trained to check for problems unique to spinal cord injuries.

• Pressure ulcers
• Pneumonia
• Blood clots
• Bladder issues
• Constipation and other gastrointestinal problems
• Sexual issues

Learn more about the spinal cord injuries and disorders care

Get your toxic exposure screening 

All Veterans enrolled in VA health care can receive a toxic exposure screening at an upcoming appointment or sooner by contacting a Toxic Exposure Screening Navigator. All enrolled Veterans should receive the screening at least once every five years.

It’s a quick 5-10 minute screening to identify any potential exposures to toxins during your military service.  Depending on your response, you may be connected to support and resources, including a review by your primary care team. 

Potential exposures could include:

• Open Burn Pits/Airborne Hazards. Learn more:  Air Pollutants - Public Health (va.gov)
• Gulf War-related exposures. Learn more: Gulf War Exposures - Public Health (va.gov)
• Agent Orange. Learn more:  Agent Orange - Public Health (va.gov)
• Camp Lejeune contaminated water exposure. Learn more: Camp Lejeune: Past Water Contamination - Public Health (va.gov) 
• Other exposures. Learn more: Military Exposures - Public Health (va.gov)
• Radiation. Learn more:   Radiation - Public Health (va.gov)

If you’re a caregiver for a Veteran, you can get support by contacting one of our caregiver support coordinators. If the Veteran you care for was injured post-9/11, you may be eligible for even more services, including a stipend to help with expenses, training, and medical coverage if you aren’t already covered. For all caregivers, we can:

• Help you get caregiver assistance available through VA
• Provide progressive needs planning to help you manage degenerative conditions
• Match you with services and benefits
• Connect you with local resources and programs
• Listen to you when you struggle

Learn more and connect with a support coordinator

We help Veterans who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless due to financial hardship, unemployment, addiction, depression, or transition from jail. Contact one of our care coordinators to get help with:

• Immediate food and shelter needs, including both transitional and permanent housing
• Job training, life skills development, and education
• Justice system navigation and community reentry from jail
• Financial support to prevent homelessness
• Addiction and depression treatment
• Health and dental care

Learn more and connect with a care coordinator

Our mission is to implement a comprehensive person-centered, recovery-oriented assistance program for Veterans, their families and Caregivers and VHA employees who use or experience Intimate Partner Violence. It includes: 

• Link to community-based support groups
• Link to community-based advocacy and legal services
• Referral to and coordination with other VA treatment providers
• Connection to domestic violence shelters
• Homeless services: housing assistance
• Interventions for Veterans who use violence

Learn more and connect with our Intimate Partner Violence Assistant Program Coordinator. 

We promote the health, welfare, and dignity of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ+) Veterans and their families. We focus on ensuring a safe, welcoming, and affirmative environment when providing you with sensitive and high-quality health care services like:

• Hormone therapy
• Substance use and alcohol treatment
• Testing and treatment for HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STI)
• Mental health care
• Psychosocial assessments for gender-confirming surgeries and hormone therapy

Learn more and connect with a care coordinator

If you’re a minority Veteran, we can help you get the services and benefits you need. Our Minority Veterans Program serves all Veterans who are Black American, Asian American, Hispanic American, and Native American (including American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Island Americans). We work to:

• Help the medical center address minority Veterans’ needs
• Meet minority Veterans’ needs in the local community
• Identify barriers and create a more accessible environment for minority Veterans
• Inform minority Veterans of VA benefits, services, and programs

Learn more and connect with a care coordinator

Our patient advocates work hard to make sure you receive the best possible care at our health care facilities. They can:

• Help you get answers or address concerns with your care team
• Advocate for patient and family rights
• Serve as advocates for minority Veterans, women Veterans, and Veterans with disabilities
• Offer specialized help to former prisoners of war and Veterans transitioning from Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), and Operation New Dawn (OND)

Learn more and connect with a patient advocate

If you’re returning from military service, we can help you readjust to civilian life and get started with VA health care. We can also help connect you with programs like mental health services and education and career counseling.

We can help you readjust to civilian life if you’re returning from military service, on active duty, or an activated National Guard or Reserve member. Talk to one of our care coordinators about how to best use your health care benefits.

• Polytrauma care (if you have multiple traumatic injuries)
• Counseling and rehabilitation
• Mental and behavioral health services
• Family benefits counseling and assistance
• Referral assistance

Learn more and connect with a coordinator

Social work is integral to health care. We can help you and your family manage stress-related problems due to injury or illness, and find VA community resources to meet your needs like:

• Case management and care coordination
• Crisis intervention
• Housing resources
• Substance abuse and mental health care
• Caregiver support
• Advanced directives

Check our classes and support groups listed in The Bulldog

My HealtheVet is a web-based tool you can use to manage your care and improve your health from your computer or mobile device. You can access your personal health records and use tools to manage your care through our My HealtheVet online system. You can also use My HealtheVet to refill your prescriptions, track appointments, and read informative health articles. If you need help using My HealtheVet, you can contact our coordinator by phone or in person. With My HealtheVet, you can:

• Ask questions and exchange secure online messages with your VA health care team
• Check your lab and test results
• Refill your prescriptions, track delivery, and view a list of your medications
• Keep track of your VA medical appointments and get email reminders
• View, download, or print a copy of your VA medical records
• Enter or update your personal information

Learn more and register for My HealtheVet

We use the latest in secure digital technology to set up remote visits with our health care providers. We offer video conferencing, home telehealth services, and store-and-forward telehealth that lets you securely send your health information to experts at VA facilities. We offer telehealth visits with providers in:

• Mental health
• Retinal care (eye)
• Bariatric surgery (visit remotely with your weight-loss surgery team before and after your operation)
• Dermatology
• Rehabilitation
• Primary care

Learn more about telehealth

Whole Health centers around what matters to you, not what is the matter with you. This means working with you to develop a personalized health plan based on your values, needs, and goals. A plan that you and your health care team will use to guide and plan your care throughout your VA experience. Whole health integrates not only traditional clinical care, but helps to activate you on self-care skills and tools to keep you healthy and doing the things that work for you. In addition, whole health is helping to make more complementary and integrative health offerings available.

Take charge of your health plan by calling or secure messaging your Primary Care provider to request a consult for the Whole Health Program.

Learn more about Whole Health