History | VA Shreveport Health Care | Veterans Affairs
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SHREVEPORT VA MEDICAL CENTER Abstract: The Shreveport VA Hospital was authorized by Congress on September 12, 1944. The site was donated by the City of Shreveport with concurrence of
Shreveport Chapter #237, United Daughters of the Confederacy, custodian of the area while used as a city park. The area was placed in the VA hospital construction budget for 1947, and
groundbreaking ceremonies were held December 10, 1947. Construction began early 1948 and was completed in the summer of 1950. The first patient, James Hill, a 29 year old amputee from
Summer Grove, Louisiana, was admitted to the hospital on October 16, 1950. The official dedication was held on November 27, 1950. Former 4th District Congressman Overton Brooks, a strong
proponent of the government providing health care for Veterans, led the successful movement to place a VA hospital in Northwest Louisiana. In 1988, Congress voted to change the name of the
hospital to the Overton Brooks VA Medical Center in memory of the late Congressman Brooks who died in1961. Originally employing 500 employees with a $5M annual budget, the Overton Brooks VA
Medical Center now employs nearly 1,700 employees with over $400M for its current annual operating budget.