About The VA Police
The V.A. Police are armed Federal Law Enforcement Officers who have the authority to enforce the Federal laws, the Code of Federal Regulations (under 38 CFR) and the state laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. All V.A. Officers meet the U.S. Civil Service (O.P.M.) standards under the 0083 series (Federal Police Officers). The V.A. Police authority is derived from 38 United States Code, Sections 901-904.
About The VA Police Academy
All V.A. Police Officers are required to attend and complete the Basic Police Officers Training Course at the VA Law Enforcement Training Center in North Little Rock, Arkansas located at Ft. Root. This training is approved by the U.S. Department of Justice and is accredited by the University of Arkansas.
About the VAMC-Brockton Campus
The Brockton Campus offers veterans a wide range of health care options including long term care, which includes a chronic Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) unit, mental health services, and comprehensive primary care. A Center for Excellence in Health Care for Homeless Veterans this campus houses a 60 bed Domiciliary for Homeless Veterans. Also available in Brockton is an inpatient psychiatric unit for women, one of only 4 such units available in the entire VA system. This unit in conjunction with a recently opened outpatient Women's Health Center offers women veterans a complete spectrum of health care services. Both the Homeless Veterans program and the Women's Program are regional referral centers for veterans throughout New England. The Chronic Spinal Cord Injury Unit offers specialized programs and respite care for veterans with spinal cord injuries and disabilities. The Nursing Home Care Unit similarly offers respite care programs to veterans throughout New England. The Mental Health services offered at the Brockton Campus are extensive in both the inpatient and outpatient arenas. Offering both chronic and acute inpatient psychiatric programs, and programs in substance abuse, this service was recently named a Center for Excellence for Seriously Mentally Ill veterans.
About The Boston Healthcare System
The VA Boston Healthcare System, the largest consolidated facility in VISN 1, encompasses 9 campuses within a 40-mile radius of the greater Boston area. The consolidated facility consists of the Jamaica Plain campus, located in the heart of Boston's Longwood Medical Community; the West Roxbury campus, located on the Dedham line; and the Brockton campus, located 20 miles south of Boston in the City of Brockton. In addition to the 3 main medical centers, 6 Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs) located in Worcester, Framingham, Lowell, Quincy, Dorchester, and Causeway Street (Boston) make up the VA Boston Healthcare System (VA BHCS).
The VA Boston Healthcare System was officially united in March of 2000, with the consolidation of the former Boston VA Medical Center, and the Brockton/West Roxbury VA Medical Center. The leadership team is headed by Mr. Michael M. Lawson, Director and CEO; William J. Burney, Acting Associate Director; Dr. Craig N. Karson, Chief of Staff; and Ms. Cecilia McVey BSN, MHA, CNA, Associate Director for Nursing and Patient Care Services. There were 666,362 outpatient visits made and 13,659 inpatients treated in Fiscal Year 1999 with a total operating budget of $314,948,582 million dollars. Overall, more than 50,000 patients received medical services in FY 1999.