Today, February 9, 2026, the Baltimore VA Medical Center Emergency Department received its first patient by ambulance. This marks the first ambulance transport in the Center’s 73-year history.

The development was made possible through months of collaboration with Baltimore City Fire Department and The VA Capitol Health Care Network (VISN 5)—a network of VA medical centers that serves Veterans from areas within Maryland, the District of Columbia, and West Virginia, along with portions of Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Kentucky.

“It’s wonderful to be able to better serve our veterans in this way,” Professor Jon Mark Hirshon, MD, PhD, MPH Medical Director of the University of Maryland Baltimore VA Medical Center Emergency Department said. “This is where Veterans trust their care. Now Veterans experiencing emergencies can trust local ambulances to transport them here when they need it the most.”