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Throughout June, experts in social isolation convened for the Social Connections Workshop Series, a series of four virtual meetings designed to celebrate contributions of those in attendance and identify new ways to collaboratively address social isolation among Veterans.
The workshop series was designed and led by Lori Murphy, Social Worker at VA Central Ohio Health Care System, 2024 VHA Innovation Ecosystem Fellow, and lead for VA’s Compassionate Contact Corps, a volunteer-powered social prescription program.
“Bringing together a diverse group of attendees was critical to the success of this event and will continue to be critical as VA invests more heavily in reducing social isolation among Veterans,” said Murphy.
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“Bringing together a diverse group of attendees was critical to the success of this event and will continue to be critical as VA invests more heavily in reducing social isolation among Veterans,” said Murphy.
Recreational therapists, psychologists, researchers, social workers, policy makers, and creators of programs related to address social isolation were among those from VA who joined the workshop series. External organizations represented include the Foundation for Social Connection, Social Prescribing USA, the Administration for Community Living, Unite Us, USAging, The Red Cross, the Centers for Disease Control, the George W. Bush Center, Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Travis Manion Foundation, the American Legion, the National Endowment for the Arts, Disabled American Veterans, The Mission Continues, Student Veterans of America, and various educational institutions.
The workshop series was designed to not only to allow attendees to discuss ways they can work together to multiply the positive impacts that existing social connection programs and services are providing Veterans, but also identify areas of opportunity and spark ideas for new innovative services. Murphy hopes that through community-powered collaboration, VA will be able to create more seamless experiences for Veterans trying to navigate the wealth of social connection resources offered to them, resulting in improved Veteran health outcomes.
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VHA Office of Healthcare Innovation and Learning is recognizing the outstanding contributions of VA employees through two national awards: the Dr. Robert L. Jesse Award for Excellence in Innovation and the new Garry J. Augustine Veteran Service Organizations (VSO) Collaboration Award.
Information sessions for both awards are being held this week - 7/10 at 1 PM ET and 7/11 at 1 PM ET. Learn more and register below!
The Garry J. Augustine VSO Collaboration Award, established this year, is designed to recognize collaborations between VHA and Veteran Service Organizations (VSOs) that harness innovation to impact the care, services, or experiences at a VA facility. This award honors Garry J. Augustine, a Vietnam Veteran, 50-year legendary VSO leader, and fierce Veteran advocate. The award will celebrate VA employees who have demonstrated a commitment to engaging VSOs as they work to deliver high-quality, world-class care for Veterans, their families, and caregivers. VA collaborating with VSOs to advance the future of Veterans health helps to foster Veteran trust and increases their engagement with VA care. VA employees may view the award overview video here, and view nomination requirements, information session details, FAQ, and submission instructions here.
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The Dr. Robert L. Jesse Award for Excellence in Innovation was established in 2019 in honor of the late Principal Deputy Under Secretary for Health and Acting Under Secretary for Health. The Dr. Robert L. Jesse Award celebrates VHA employees and teams who embrace the spirit of innovation and work to improve standards of care for all Veterans. Previous award recipients include Dr. Mark Holodniy, who won the clinical award in 2023 for developing robust predictive models which generate proactive responses VA can use when addressing emerging outbreaks or climate change-related health concerns faced by Veterans. Awardees are selected from three categories - clinical, non-clinical, and team. Dr. Robert L. Jesse Award nominees must be VHA employees that promote innovation at a VA facility, VISN, or VHA Program Office. VHA employees may view nomination requirements, information session details, FAQ, and submission instructions here.
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VHA Innovation Ecosystem’s Diffusion of Excellence is thrilled to announce two new communities on Diffusion Marketplace (Marketplace) that highlight up-and-coming innovations, resources, and opportunities for VA Suicide Prevention and VA’s Age-Friendly Health Systems Initiative.
The new Suicide Prevention Community, currently accessible to VA employees, showcases how innovation and collaboration unite to inspire hope and protect the lives of Veterans. Through the community pages, explore featured innovations related to VA Suicide Prevention and Mission Daybreak, as well as upcoming events and recent publications.
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To explore all Diffusion Marketplace Communities, visit the Diffusion Marketplace homepage and navigate to the “Communities” drop-down menu.
Learn more about VA Age-Friendly Health Systems Initiative
This month, the Office of Geriatrics and Extended Care (GEC) is hosting a State of Age-Friendly Health Systems in VA. Tune in on Tuesday, July 16 at 2:00 p.m. ET to learn how GEC is transforming VA into the largest integrated Age-Friendly Health System in the U.S. Click here to join the meeting as it starts.
You can also read more about VA Age-Friendly Health Systems Initiative and Veteran outcomes in a recent study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
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On June 19, 2024, Dr. Jay Gorman, Director of the Social Reintegration Research Program at VA Bedford Healthcare System and a 2024 VHA IE Entrepreneur in Residence, joined Wreaths Across America Radio Morning Show host Michael W. Hale to discuss Veterans Socials.
Hale and Dr. Gorman began their discussion about the impact of loneliness on health, especially among Veterans. Dr. Gorman emphasized how loneliness and social isolation can lead to an increased risk of suicidal ideation. “1/3 people report feeling lonely on a daily basis. This can increase early death by 32%,” Dr. Gorman noted. Assuring suicide prevention as VA’s top priority, Dr. Gorman explained how VA can address it through upstream suicide prevention.
Dr. Gorman explained to Hale that upstream suicide prevention aims to address the causes of increased risk of suicide such as economic instability, lack of access to health care, and social isolation. Veterans Socials act as a form of upstream suicide prevention by addressing loneliness in the Veteran community.
At its inception, Veterans Socials were active at 11 sites. Now, in 2024, there are 97 sites across 20 states.
The interview concluded with the sharing of resources for those in need of mental health support.
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Applications are now closing soon for the 2025 Catalyst Fellowship program, a collaborative opportunity offered by MIT linQ and VHA Innovation Ecosystem.
During the six-month program, a multi-talented cohort of engineers, clinicians, scientists, and designers will work together to identify and develop research projects with high potential for health care impact. As a part-time program, Catalyst offers a collaborative biomedical technology research experience that will enhance your innovation leadership skills.
Applications for the 2025 cohort are due August 5, 2024. Applications are open to VA employees from VHA Innovators Network sites, plus any employees of VISN 1 and VISN 8.
To learn more and get started with your application, visit Catalyst MIT linQ. Interested applicants can view a recording of the first information session here and register for the next information session being held on July 10 at 6PM ET here.
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