Brief Description

SVREF’s mission is to support and improve healthcare for our nation’s veterans and the general public by facilitating the research and education programs of the VA Sierra Nevada Health Care System.

The VA Sierra Nevada Health Care System (VASNHCS), in Reno, Nevada, provides primary and secondary care to a large geograph-ical area that includes 20 counties in northern Nevada and northeastern California. Approximately 120,000 Veterans reside in this region, with Reno representing the largest urban area. The Reno campus is the site of the Ioannis A. Lougaris VA Medical Center, which operates 64 hospital beds and 60 Community Living Center beds. VASNHCS provides a broad array of inpatient care and outpatient services in medicine, surgery, neurology, mental health, pharmacy, interventional radiology, alcohol/drug treatment, ophthalmology, audiology/speech pathology, dental care, and home care. The hospital offers a wide range of diagnostic services, including MRI, CT, ultrasound, nuclear medicine, as well as diagnostic cardiac catheterization services. Geriatrics and Extended Care includes rehabilitation, skilled care (post-acute), palliative care, respite care, geriatrics evaluation, transitional care, and long-term care. Tertiary and unique specialty care not available within VASNHCS is supported through a variety of means, including referrals to community hospitals and VA Medical Centers in San Francisco and Palo Alto, California. The major academic affiliations for VASNHCS are the University of Nevada School of Medicine, Reno, and the East Bay Surgical Program at the University of California, San Francisco. Approximately 30 medical, surgical, and psychiatry residents rotate annual-ly through VASNHCS, as well as approximately 12 pharmacy students through a partnership with the Idaho State University and University of Southern Nevada Schools of Pharmacy. Additionally, there are five pharmacy residents through the American Society of Health Systems Pharmacists (ASHP) residency program. A number of students, interns, and residents from ancillary services and other academic affiliations also receive training at VASNHCS. The VASNHCS Research program projects in neurology, oncolo-gy, surgery, cardiology, pulmonary medicine, and pharmacy.