South Texas Veterans’ Healthcare System:
Audie L. Murphy Memorial Veterans’s Hospital

Founded in 1973, the Audie L. Murphy Memorial Veterans Hospital (ALMMVH) is one of two inpatient campuses of the South Texas Veterans Health Care System. Together with the Kerrville VA Hospital, they provide health care services to 80,000 unique Veterans. Operated by the Department of Veterans Affairs, the VA hospital honors America’s Veterans by providing exceptional healthcare that improves their health and well-being. As a comprehensive care facility, ALMMVH provides acute medical, surgical, mental health, physical medicine and rehabilitation, emergency and primary care services. Other services include open-heart surgery, positron emission tomography, magnetic resonance imaging and bone marrow transplantation. The hospital is also a Level II research facility with ongoing projects that include aging, cardiac surgery, cancer, diabetes and HIV. The facility’s Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center is a “Center of Excellence” dedicated to gaining new knowledge about age-related diseases to improve the lives of older Veterans.

ALMMVH is comprised of a Community Living Center, a Spinal Cord Injury Center, a Substance Abuse Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program, and a Domiciliary, which provides medical, psychiatric, and vocational care in a secure homelike environment. Other programs of the hospital provide treatment in urology, orthopedics, mental health, traumatic brain injuries, post-traumatic stress disorder, and services for women Veterans. Affiliated with UT Health San Antonio, ALMMVH is also a teaching hospital that trains physicians with the tools they need to perform complex, breakthrough medical and surgical procedures. The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the nation’s largest provider of graduate medical education.

To accommodate a diverse, ever-changing Veteran population, ALMMVH offers telemedicine, online access to health resources, and a Veterans Crisis Line through the VHA. The hospital’s medical professionals are dedicated to excellence in service to better the lives of America’s patriots through patient-centered and evidence-based healthcare. Their exemplary care is one reason why the South Texas Medical Center is known for our commitment to total patient well-being through innovative research, education and technology.

Source: “Audie L. Murphy Memorial VA Hospital.” South Texas Medical Center, 22 Oct. 2019, southtexasmed.com/hospital/audie-l-murphy-memorial-veterans-hospital.

Geriatric and Palliative Rotations at VA:

Inpatient Palliative Care Consults

Outpatient Palliative Specialty Care Clinics

Inpatient Hospice and Skilled Nursing Facility (Community Learning Center (CLC))

Geriatric Continuity Clinic

Geriatric Psychiatry

Specialty Geriatrics

Home Based Primary Care

Hospital in the Home

Rehabilitation

University Health System

University Health System is a nationally recognized academic medical center and network of more than two dozen outpatient primary care, specialty, preventive health and school-based health centers. Thanks to its partnership with UT Health San Antonio, it has positioned itself as a leader in advanced treatment options, new technologies and clinical research. U.S. News & World Report has ranked University Hospital as the best hospital in the San Antonio metro area each year since it began ranking regional hospitals in 2011. In addition, University Health System was the first health organization in South Texas to earn Magnet status from the American Nurses Credentialing Center, granted to only about six percent of U.S. hospitals. University Hospital is one of two Level I trauma center for adults, and the only Level I pediatric trauma center and burn center in South Texas. Centers of excellence include Organ Transplantation, Cardiovascular Disease and Neurosciences. Its Texas Diabetes Institute is an internationally recognized center of excellence for diabetes care, research and prevention. University Health System is committed to delivering patient-centered, culturally competent and high-quality healthcare for adults and children, based on a strong foundation of outcomes-based research and innovative teaching.

Source: “Audie L. Murphy Memorial VA Hospital.” South Texas Medical Center, 22 Oct. 2019, southtexasmed.com/hospital/audie-l-murphy-memorial-veterans-hospital.

Geriatric and Palliative Rotations at UHS:

Inpatient Palliative Care Consultations (Adult and Pediatric)

Outpatient Palliative Clinic (Pediatric)

Geriatric Trauma Co-Management Service

Specialty Geriatrics

Rehabilitation

Neurology

Research

South Texas Veterans’ Healthcare System:
Kerrville VA

The Kerrville Division (KD), located 65 miles Northwest of San Antonio, began operations in 1947.  Acute medical, intermediate medical, primary and long term care services are provided for an estimated 16,000 veterans residing in the Texas Hill Country.   Comprised of 226 authorized hospital beds and a 154 bed Nursing Home Care Unit, the KD provides such services and technology as an extended substance abuse treatment program, geriatric evaluation and management, hospice care and a computerized tomography scanner.   Kerrville enjoys successful affiliations with local institutions such as the Schreiner and Howard Colleges.  The KD has developed and extensive primary care delivery system and was the recipient of the VA Deputy Secretary’s Scissors Award for their accomplishments.

Source: Solutions, V. (2000, June 20). Veterans Affairs. Retrieved August 10, 2020, from https://www.va.gov/directory/guide/facility.asp?id=5308

Geriatric and Palliative Rotations at Kerrville:

Long-Term Care Continuity Experience (Longitudinal)

Rural Geriatrics