The John J. Pershing VA Medical Center, which recently moved its clinic to a newly built facility in West Plains, is celebrating 75 years of providing health care to veterans across southeast Missouri and northeast Arkansas.
The anniversary comes as the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs celebrates Freedom 250 and the Veterans Health Administration marks its 80th anniversary.
The medical center’s history dates back to 1944, when Joe Merva, executive secretary of the Poplar Bluff Chamber of Commerce, learned a VA hospital had been proposed for southeast Missouri. Merva contacted 10th District Congressman Orville Zimmerman and asked that Poplar Bluff be considered for the facility.
On Dec. 5, 1945, President Harry S. Truman approved Poplar Bluff as the site of the new veterans hospital. A 30-acre location along U.S. 67 was selected, and the land was purchased from local physician Dr. Fred Kneibert.
Ground was broken Feb. 18, 1948, for the $5.4 million medical center, and the facility was formally dedicated Nov. 25, 1950, by VA Administrator Gen. Carl Gray.
The 200-bed hospital opened in January 1951. Its first patient was Bernard Davis, a World War II veteran from Zalma.
The facility initially employed about 275 staff members and became a regional hub for veteran health care.
In November 1983, the Poplar Bluff Veterans Council suggested naming the facility after Gen. John J. Pershing, the Missourian who led the American Expeditionary Forces on the Western Front during World War I. Congressman Bill Emerson sponsored the renaming bill, which became law Oct. 30, 1984. The facility was rededicated June 6, 1985, as the John J. Pershing VA Medical Center.
The medical center has undergone several major changes over the years, including the addition of air conditioning in 1978, seismic reinforcement in 1984, primary electrical system replacement in 1986 and remodeling of primary care clinics in 1998. A new front entrance and education building were completed in January 2020.
The John J. Pershing VA Medical Center expanded regional access to care in 1997 by opening community clinics in Cape Girardeau, West Plains and Paragould, Ark. Additional clinics opened in Farmington in 2001, Sikeston in 2009 and Pocahontas, Ark, in 2014.
Most recently, a 45,000-square-foot Cape Girardeau VA Health Care Center opened in February 2022, and a new 19,140-square-foot clinic in West Plains opened in March.
Today, the John J. Pershing VA Medical Center employs about 1,050 people across seven facilities and serves more than 24,000 veterans in 29 counties. Services include primary care, mental health care, pharmacy, laboratory testing, urgent care in Poplar Bluff, a 38-bed community living center, inpatient acute care and specialties including physical therapy, audiology, urology, podiatry and cardiology.
“The John J. Pershing VA Medical Center has been here a long time, and that shows VA’s commitment to the veterans across southeast Missouri and northeast Arkansas,” said Medical Center Director Kevin Bass. “Even with such a long history, we’re not going to rest on our laurels. We continue to strive to offer the best health care possible to those who have served.”
For more information about services and programs offered through the John J. Pershing VA Medical Center, visit va.gov/poplar-bluff-health-care or call 573-686-4151.
