Robert J. Dole VA Medical Center (RJDVAMC)

The VA Wichita Healthcare System provides you with outstanding health care, trains America’s future health care providers, and conducts important medical research.

Facility History

The Wichita Veterans Administration Hospital was opened on November 16, 1933. The first patient, Diedrich FridedrichHenkensiefken, from Rose Hill Kansas, was one of 10 initial patients admitted to the facility that day. The state-of-the-art facility drew rave from the Wichita Morning Herald, which called it “the finest plant of its kind in America.” In 2002, it was renamed in honor of former U.S. Senator Robert Joseph Dole of Kansas. As an Army lieutenant, Dole was severely injured by gunfire in World War II. As a senator, he was a staunch advocate for Veterans and those with disabilities.

Health care and services

We provide you with health care services at 7 locations in Kansas. Facilities include our Robert J. Dole VA Medical Center in Wichita and 5 community-based outpatient clinics located in Dodge City, Hays, Hutchinson, Parsons, and Salina. We also operate a low-vision rehabilitation clinic in Wichita, and a mobile care unit for Veterans who can’t easily visit our facilities. To learn more about the services each location offers, visit the VA Wichita health services page.
We provide evidence-based services for low-vision rehabilitation, spinal cord dysfunction, traumatic brain injury (TBI), homelessness, mental health care, prosthetics, orthotics, and extended care.

1. VA Wichita health care serves Veterans in 59 counties in Kansas. We treated more than 30,000 Veterans in 2020 and completed more than 350,000 outpatient visits.
2. We expanded the emergency department at Robert J. Dole VA Medical Center in 2019. We now have 11 treatment beds and can serve 20,000 Veterans who need emergency care each year.
3. Our substance abuse residential rehabilitation facility will open in 2021. The unit has 12 beds, group counseling areas, and clinical treatment rooms.
4. Nearly 23% of our patients used our telehealth services in 2020 to speak to doctors from the comfort of their homes.

The VA Wichita Healthcare System is one of the leading health care systems serving Veterans in the VA Heartland Network. We’re an innovative care center within the Veterans Integrated Service Network 15 (VISN 15), which includes medical centers and clinics in Missouri, Kansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, and Arkansas.

Research and development

At Robert J. Dole VA Medical Center, we conduct research to discover knowledge, develop VA scientists and health care leaders, and create innovations that advance health care for Veterans and the nation. We offer Veterans the opportunity to participate in and benefit from our work. Our goal is to use research to promote better health and health care for all.

Major research areas of interest include:

• Lung Cancer Early Detection
• COPD
• PTSD
• Suicide Prevention
• Substance Use Disorders
• Inflammatory Bowel Disease
• Cardiac Devices
• Hypertension
• Coronary Artery Disease
• Atrial fibrillation
• Heart Failure

We maintain affiliations with:

• University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita
• Wichita State University