Choose a category to explore healthcare providers, services and community resources in Howard County.
Community updates
No Health & Community News matches your filters. Try clearing or widening them.
Dedicated resources
More than 20,000 Veterans and active-duty military members call Howard County home, and improving access to convenient, timely health care for those who have served is a County priority.
For Veterans who receive health benefits through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, accessing care in the community is not always as simple as walking into a local provider. Most non-VA community care requires VA authorization or a referral. Urgent care is different. Eligible Veterans can receive care without a referral at an urgent care center that participates in the VA Community Care Network.
Recognizing this opportunity, Howard County worked directly with local urgent care providers to help ensure that every urgent care location in the County participates in the VA Community Care Network. As a result, eligible Veterans can now walk into any Howard County urgent care center without an appointment or VA referral and receive care close to home for qualifying urgent health needs.
This means fewer unnecessary trips to VA facilities outside the County, another appropriate alternative to the emergency department for non-emergency conditions, and most importantly, faster and more convenient access to care for the Veterans who have served our country.
The VA Community Care Network information on this page applies to urgent care. It is not presented as applying to primary care.
To be eligible for the VA urgent care benefit, a Veteran must:
Eligible Veterans do not need a referral before receiving urgent care. Veterans should confirm that the urgent care location participates in the VA network before receiving care.
Eligibility, coverage, and any applicable copays are determined by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. SmartER does not determine or guarantee eligibility or coverage.
Howard County’s Office of Veterans and Military Families provides guidance, information and access to resources for Howard County Veterans, military families, dependents and survivors.
Veterans and families can use this resource to find information about available programs and services, including Veterans benefits support and the County’s Veterans Resource Directory.
Veterans, service members, and their loved ones can:
If there is an immediate danger or life-threatening emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department.