News, Events & Media Home
The Office of Public Affairs is the initial contact for reporters, producers, and other media representatives seeking information about South Texas Veterans Health Care System, its staff and patients. The main number to the office of Public Affairs is (210) 617-5274.
Support and assistance to members of the News Media and community organizations include:
- Responding to Media Queries
- Providing Subject Matter Experts
- Scheduling and coordinating interviews
- Fact sheets and statistical information
- Images/video of our facilities and official Logos
- Information about VA-related outreach and events
Note: Communicating with the public and other stakeholders about how we provide exceptional health care to Veterans is vital to the work we do. We make every attempt to assist News Media in their newsgathering, to provide access to our facilities, and to make expert resources available. Our top priority, however, is protecting the privacy and security of the patients we serve. To comply with patient privacy, the following forms must be completed by any patient interviewed, photographed or videotaped.
VA Form 10-5345 Privacy Release Form (dependent on the information gathered)
VA Form 10-3203 VA Consent Form
Setting Up Media Interviews
- Please contact the hospital Public Affairs Officer for media interviews at (210) 978-2002 or email STXMedia@va.gov. Patients, in particular, must agree to be interviewed and photographed and must sign a consent form.
- Advance notice of on-site interviews is necessary so public affairs staff may coordinate with appropriate staff member, location of media interview or photo shoot.
- Media personnel should check-in with the Office of Public Affairs located on the 1st floor or VA Police upon arrival on VA grounds.
Visiting Our Facilities
We strictly adhere to federal guidelines regarding patient privacy as outlined by the 1996 Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). To protect our patients' privacy, we require all reporters and photographers visiting our facilities to be escorted by a Public Affairs staff member. Media access may be limited or denied to any area of a facility at the discretion of the medical center director, the patients' health care team or individual physicians.
Congressional Inquiries
All Congressional Inquiries should be sent through email to: STVHCSCongressionals@va.gov along with a signed privacy release form.
Stakeholder Express Newsletter
To see the most up-to-date version of our South Texas Stakeholder Express Newsletter, please click here: Stakeholder Express
Annual Report
To see the Annual Report for Fiscal Year 2020, please click here: Annual Report FY20
Email Updates
