About
About Wilkes Barre VA Medical Center
The Wilkes Barre VA Medical Center anchors VA Healthcare for veterans across northeastern and central Pennsylvania, serving Luzerne County and surrounding rural counties from its main campus at 1111 East End Boulevard. Behavioral Health Services 116 houses the medical center’s substance use disorder programming, one of the more comprehensive veteran-focused continuums in the region.
Clinical services begin with medical detoxification on the medical center campus, allowing veterans to safely withdraw from alcohol, opioids, benzodiazepines, and other substances under continuous medical oversight. From detox, eligible veterans can enter the VA’s Substance Abuse Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program — known across the system as SARRTP — for structured residential rehabilitation alongside cognitive behavioral therapy, group work, and skills-building for relapse prevention. Veterans not requiring residential care, or stepping down from it, can access Intensive Outpatient and traditional outpatient programs at the medical center or through community-based outpatient clinics.
Because the substance use program is embedded inside a full VA medical center, veterans have direct, integrated access to primary care, psychiatric care, PTSD specialty treatment, pain management, and inpatient psychiatry. This integration matters in a population where chronic pain, traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress, and substance use frequently overlap. Medication-assisted treatment with methadone or buprenorphine is available for opioid use disorder, and peer support specialists — fellow veterans in recovery — are part of the team.
The medical center is accredited by both The Joint Commission and CARF, providing two independent layers of external clinical review. There is generally no out-of-pocket cost to enrolled veterans, and the VA additionally bills private insurance or TRICARE for veterans whose benefits situation calls for it. Veterans can begin by calling 570-824-3521 ext. 27738 to schedule a substance use screening, or by speaking with their primary care team about a referral.
- Specialized 10-bed medical detox unit exclusively for veterans requiring withdrawal management
- 24/7 medically supervised detox services with VA healthcare professionals experienced in military populations
- Joint Commission and CARF accredited facility ensuring clinical standards for detox programs
- Comprehensive veterans-only treatment including medical detox through residential and outpatient care
- Accepts TRICARE and major insurance with immediate access for eligible veterans in crisis