The Bay Pines VA Healthcare System a level 1a, tertiary care facility headquartered in Bay Pines, Fla. Originally opened in 1933, the main medical center is located on 337 acres situated on the Gulf of Mexico approximately eight miles northwest of downtown Saint Petersburg, Fla. Co-located on the medical center campus are a VA Regional Office and a National Cemetery. This area is part of Tampa Bay, the second most populated metropolitan area in the state. The healthcare system operates nine facilities to include the main medical center in Bay Pines and outpatient clinics located in the Florida cities of Bradenton, Cape Coral, Naples, Palm Harbor, Port Charlotte, Sarasota, St. Petersburg, and Sebring. The medical center and its outpatient clinics serve Veterans residing in 10 counties in central southwest Florida to include Charlotte, Collier, Desoto, Hardee, Highlands, Hillsborough, Lee, Manatee, Pinellas and Sarasota. Every year, the Bay Pines VA Healthcare System serves more than 108,000 Veterans while providing a full range of high quality medical, psychiatric, and extended care services in outpatient, inpatient, residential, nursing home, and home care settings. The system is the 4th busiest VA healthcare system in the country in regards to patients treated or served.