The facility opened on March 5, 1950 — it then was the largest construction project done in the Upper Peninsula — as strictly an inpatient hospital with 264 beds, primarily for treating World War II veterans. The original boiler plant for heating it and the other buildings on the 37.5-acre campus is still on site, but much has otherwise changed in 75 years.

The medical center now serves about 22,000 veterans in the U.P.’s 15 counties, along with nine Wisconsin counties — more than 26,000 square miles, giving it the most rural patient base in the VA system. It has community-based outpatient clinics in Menominee, Gladstone, Sault Ste. Marie, Manistique, Ironwood, Hancock and Marquette, plus Rhinelander, Wis.

The main campus and clinics employ about 830 people. In addition, the center has 250 volunteers, 125 of them drivers who shuttle patients from across the region to Iron Mountain for treatment.

Staff on Wednesday led those who braved the weather on a guided tour of five of the hospital’s six floors to show what the medical center has to offer. Patients are treated on the first four floors, with the fifth being for administration and other offices, plus a conference room.

(Jim Paul/Daily News photo) The Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Center in Iron Mountain serves about 22,000 veterans in the U.P.’s 15 counties, along with nine Wisconsin counties.

The first floor has urgent and primary care, nutrition and diabetes education, pharmacy, cardiology, wound care, patient advocate offices and cardiac rehab clinic, which opened in June 2023, said Tim Ellison, public affairs officer.

It also has the community living center, which in 2020 added 11 rooms so all 40 residents now have a private room and bathroom. Its hospice area now has a semi-private patio that allows even a full bed to be taken outside so those in end-of-life care can still enjoy some fresh air, said Mary Oman, another tour guide.

The first floor has the chapel as well, with both a full- and part-time chaplain. It, too, was renovated but still retains much of its original look, including windows.

Second floor has surgery — mostly outpatient, minor procedures such as scopes, they explained. The VA partners with other facilities for more serious operations, such as knee replacements. They plan to have a permanent MRI in 2026.

Second floor also contains specialty care: the eye clinic, oncology/chemotherapy, neurology, telehealth and, now, the center’s first gynecologist on staff, Dr. Casey Sager. Female veterans are the fastest-growing segment for VA care nationwide, rising by 11% each of the past three years, Oman said.

(Betsy Bloom/Daily News photo) John Armitage, left, and Ron LaDuron work at the coffee station at the Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Center in Iron Mountain. They are among the center’s 250 active volunteers. Armitage said he has volunteered at the VA for 17 years.

Third floor provides audiology, dental — including a 3-D printer that can produce crowns on the same day so no return trip is needed — and medical support assistance. It has a whole health area that does acupuncture, tai chi, chair yoga and other holistic medicine.

But a major portion of the third floor is devoted to mental health services, including one-on-one counseling, peer groups, suicide prevention and treating veterans for homelessness, military sexual trauma and partner violence.

Fourth floor is inpatient care. While it has 17 beds, it is staffed for five patients and averages less than three, Oman said. It also has physical therapy, speech therapy, prosthetics and respiratory therapy, including CPAP machines, though sleep studies are done elsewhere, Oman said.

In the fifth-floor conference room, staff and visitors Wednesday munched on cookies and watched a slide show of old photos play across several screens. The room also had a table of awards the Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Center has received over the years, including being a Department of Veterans Affairs’ Best Experience Award winner since the designation was created in 2018 and the Best Overall Experience Award winner in 2020.

In a 2024 survey, 94.9% of veterans stated they trusted level of care received at the Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Center across a variety of categories.

(Betsy Bloom/Daily News photos) Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Center staff members — from left, Mary Oman, health professions; Tim Ellison, public affairs officer; and Katie Maxon, chief of public affairs — model the Spirit Week theme of the day, the ’50s, at the open house Wednesday marking the hospital’s 75th anniversary.

The VA appreciates that trust, after three-quarters of a century as a fixture in Iron Mountain, staff said Wednesday.

“It’s an honor to be a part of today’s celebrations. Today is 75 years to the day that we opened our doors to our first veteran,” said Oscar G. Johnson VAMC Director John P. Shealey. “Many of our staff have had family and friends who were here at the beginning. To hear the stories and see the pictures has been fantastic. It’s very uplifting, knowing the direct connection that so many people here have to our veterans and this facility.”

Betsy Bloom can be reached at 906-774-2772, ext. 240, or bbloom@ironmountaindailynews.com.