The San Diego VA (Veterans Affairs) Medical Center has been in the business of helping veterans for 40 years now. To celebrate its years of service and all the advances it has made, the medical center held a special anniversary ceremony to commemorate the official opening date on March 15. The center was the second VA medical center in Southern California. Ground broke on what was then called the Veteran’s Administration Hospital on May 30, 1969 on 26 acres of the Marine Corps Rifle Range on Camp Calvin B. Matthews. When the hospital opened, with an official dedication ceremony on March 15, 1972, it had an annual operating budget of about $15 million, with an estimated 1,600 employees and 800 patients by the end of 1972. Today, the medical center operates on a budget of about $547 million, and had 2,544 employees and 72,419 patients in 2011. Russell Cain, supervisor of nuclear medicine at the center, began working at the hospital on Sept. 5, 1972 after finishing his residency at St. Mary’s Medical Center in Long Beach. He is one of eight employees who have been on staff since the center opened its doors. “You know, the doctors don’t stay here forever,” he said. The medical center recognized each of the eight employees during the ceremony. Retired employees and members of the Community Advisory Board were also invited to attend. Longtime staff members have noticed major changes in the hospital’s operations: in 1972, staff members wore medical uniforms — scrubs weren’t introduced to the medical field until the 1970s. Technology has also changed nearly every aspect of health care, from patient medical records to administrative tasks and from communications to surgery and research. Changes, Cain said, haven’t all been in the numbers, however. “When I came here — I mean, this is a brand new hospital — there didn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason as to what was going on,” he said. “I mean, I couldn’t believe that patients could be in a hospital walking around. We had ashtrays on the wall here about every 15 feet, and in the departments we passed out ashtrays — that went on for the longest time. The patients just walked around since they were here for 25 days or so.” The average stay of patients has been another notable change. In 1972, patients stayed in the hospital for an average of 21 days — now they average only five. The shorter stays, in large part, are due to advancing technology. “The technology that we have today certainly enhances the quality of healthcare we have,” said Cain. “It [means] faster results, the scans are better. Even in the last 10 years technology has improved.” Apart from the changes the center has seen over four decades, the anniversary celebration focused on other aspects of the hospital’s 40-year history. The center’s accomplishments in the medical field — specifically in research — were acknowledged. When the center first opened, its research budget was $300,000, while today it totals more than $55 million. “We’re proud to offer 40 years of quality care and innovative achievements at our healthcare system,” said Robert M. Smith, acting director for the hospital. “While technology and the methods may have changed since 1972, our drive to provide the highest quality service remains the same.” The medical center, Cain agreed, does indeed offer high quality service. More importantly, he said, patients take notice of it. “This place isn’t perfect — no place is perfect — but the patients are very grateful for the things that you do, or the that the hospital does for them,” he said. For more information visit the VASDHS website at www.sandiego.va.gov.