|
Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs Director Kelly Fitzpatrick has selected U.S. Army veteran Sean O’Day to serve as the new deputy director of ODVA.
 |
|
O’Day, who continues to serve as a judge advocate for the Army Reserve, is an accomplished attorney and government affairs specialist. He has been in public service for over two decades, most recently as the executive director of Mid-Willamette Valley Council of Governments.
He has also served as general counsel for the League of Oregon Cities and deputy city manager and deputy city attorney for the city of Salem.
"The Oregon Department of Veterans' Affairs is proud to welcome Sean O’Day to our team," said ODVA Director Kelly Fitzpatrick.
|
"Sean’s long, distinguished and dedicated service to our nation’s military clearly shows his commitment to serving all those who served. He will be a valuable addition as we continue our vision of ensuring all veterans and their families thrive in Oregon."
LTC O’Day began his military career in 2005 and now serves as command judge advocate for the 451st Expeditionary Sustainment Command in Wichita, Kan. He has served as a judge advocate for the Army, Army Reserve and Oregon Army National Guard, including a tour of duty in Afghanistan, and has gained a wealth of experience helping veterans and service members, something he believes will serve him well in his new role.
"As a judge advocate, your role is often that of a problem solver, and I enjoyed the work of serving those who are serving in various ways," O’Day said. "In my civilian career, I have always like the opportunities that those in leadership positions have to help their organizations grow and succeed, and I look forward to doing that here at ODVA."
The deputy director of the Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs oversees agency-wide operational and program responsibilities for ODVA, and assists the director in strategic, budget and policy implementation.
Deputy Director O’Day first reported for duty on Monday, Feb. 3.
Expanding Access to Behavioral Health Services for Veterans
During the 2018 Legislative Session, the Oregon Legislature invested $3.1 million over two biennia to understand and expand services for veterans' behavioral health. This dedicated funding partnered ODVA and Oregon Health Authority to drive priorities for future funding and state services for veterans.
To begin, a portion of the funding was used to commission a study to understand the behavioral health needs of the veteran community and then firmly identify challenges and opportunities for reforms and expansion.
The resulting study, written by the Rede Group (available on the OHA website) includes:
- Information about the availability of behavioral health services for Oregon veterans.
- Findings regarding barriers veterans face in accessing behavioral health services.
- Recommendations for policy and other changes that may improve the accessibility and quality of behavioral health services for Oregon veterans.
The recommendations proposed steps to strengthen services and outreach for veterans, including:
- Reduce stigma about behavioral health issues to help more veterans feel comfortable seeking care.
- Strengthen suicide prevention programs.
- Improve care coordination for veterans and tailor services to better address the experiences those who have served in the military have faced.
- Expand the number of peer specialists who have their own first-hand knowledge of veterans issues and can provide effective support.
- Recruit more treatment providers to serve veterans.
Following the needs assessment, which included participation from more that 4,000 Oregon veterans, OHA and ODVA conducted in-depth forums to further solicit feedback on the study's 16 recommendations from veterans, service providers and policy makers. The forums were held in 17 locations across the state and included two forums for the LGBTQ veteran community and one forum focused on women veterans.
OHA and ODVA are committed to improving behavioral health services and outcomes for veterans. The results of the study and forums will be used to develop a five-year strategic plan to better meet the behavioral health needs of Oregon veterans.
To learn more about the work ODVA and OHA are doing to improve and expand access to behavioral health services for veterans visit OHA's website or watch the information hearings presented to the Legislature during January Legislative Days.
Ending Veteran Homelessness in Oregon
With more than 1,400 homeless veterans in the state, and one of Gov. Kate Brown’s top priorities being to functionally end veteran homelessness in Oregon, the Oregon Legislature allocated $1.5 million in Lottery funding to Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) to develop dedicated resources to house veterans.
OHCS and ODVA partnered to better understand the specific challenges facing veterans in need of housing and dedicate funding immediately to improve existing services.
An early initiative to come out of that funding was "Operation Welcome Home,” a short-term, intensive campaign that invested technical assistance in 10 communities to develop collaborative infrastructure to serve veterans experiencing homelessness.
The initial goal of the campaign was to house 500 veterans by the completion of the project. ODVA and OHCS hosted a Veterans Convening and announced the successful completion of Operation Welcome Home with 529 veterans housed.
The effort continues across the state, including the development of a brand-new affordable housing complexes with dedicated housing for veterans.
Breaking New Ground, Oregon’s five-year Statewide Housing Plan, will continue to pave the way for more veterans to have access to housing opportunities and achieve housing stability and self-sufficiency through policy priorities, including ending unsheltered homelessness for Oregon’s veterans and children.
Creating a New Bridge to Services for Aging Veterans
The Oregon Department of Veterans' Affairs is expanding the Veteran Volunteer Program across the state after a successful pilot project aimed at recruiting and training volunteers to conduct outreach to aging veterans to help them access veteran benefits and resources.
With more than 50 percent of the state's veterans age 65 years or older, ODVA developed this program to ensure all veterans had the opportunity to learn about their earned benefits and other resources that assist with long-tern care needs.
A phased rollout of the program is planned over the next two to three years and the program is actively recruiting volunteers now. If you or your organization is interested in more information, please visit ODVA's Volunteer Program webpage.
 I Am Not Invisible - Oregon Women Veteran Program
ODVA's "I Am Not Invisible" campaign continues to increase awareness of women veterans across the nation. The campaign was launched in 2017 through a partnership between ODVA Women Veteran Program and Portland State University Veterans Resource Center who sought to bring to light the diversity and achievements of women veterans, who are often made to feel invisible despite their courageous service.
The campaign originally exhibited portraits and stories of 20 Oregon women veterans, touring throughout the state and was invited to exhibit in the nation's capital in Washington D.C.
Shortly after, the campaign gained popularity, and many other partners, cities and states began creating their own "I Am Not Invisible" displays. Today, the "I Am Not Invisible" campaign has been recreated by 35 states and 48 cities including a campaign by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.
The national initiative has now included more than 2,000 portraits of women veterans, bringing unprecedented visibility to women-identified veterans across the country.
For more information about ODVA's exhibit, visit iani.oregondva.com.
During January Legislative Days, ODVA provided informational presentations to legislative committees regarding partnership work around veteran behavioral health and other agency initiatives. Below are links to the informational hearing recorded videos.
Veteran Behavioral Health
January 13: House Interim Subcommittee On Behavioral Health
January 13: House Committee on Veterans and Emergency Preparedness
January 15: Senate Committee on Veterans
Update on Oregon Veterans Home - Roseburg
January 13: House Committee on Veterans and Emergency Preparedness
Update on ODVA Recruitment Efforts
January 13: House Committee on Veterans and Emergency Preparedness
Definition of a Veteran Informational Presentation (ORS 408.225)
January 13: House Committee on Veterans and Emergency Preparedness
|
