Department of Veterans Affairs, Charleston, SC

Located in the historic part of the city of Charleston, the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center is an authorized 145 bed primary, secondary and tertiary care medical center that provides acute medical, surgical and psychiatric inpatient care, and both primary and specialized outpatient services in southeastern South Carolina and Chatham County, Georgia. The medical center supports the Vet Centers in North Charleston, South Carolina and Savannah, Georgia, and operates the outpatient clinics in Savannah, Georgia and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Currently, the medical center is operating 98 beds and a 20-bed nursing home. The medical center is closely affiliated with the Medical University of South Carolina and supports 84 resident FTEE in medical and dental specialties, as well students from nursing, pharmacy, social work and allied health disciplines. Charleston VAMC is a partnership site for the VA Nursing Academy in collaboration with the MUSC School of Nursing. The Research Service has more than 100 research investigators involved in more than 300 research projects concerned with a broad range of health problems, most of which are prevalent in the Veteran patient population. Areas of research include cardiology, endocrinology, diabetes mellitus, hematology/oncology, rheumatology, nephrology and alcohol-related disorders, and clinical and health service research in mental health, PTSD, hypertension and aging.