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Announcements

October 18, 2016

Focus on Health Equity & Action Cyberseminar—Release of the Inaugural VHA National Veteran Health Equity Report

Join the VA Office of Health Equity for the official roll out of the VHA National Veteran Health Equity Report as we kick off the FY2017 Focus on Health Equity & Action Cyberseminar series.


Release of the Inaugural VHA National Veteran Health Equity Report

Thursday, October 27, 2016 3-4 PM EST

Register Link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1921772980113953028

NVHER Cover

The VA healthcare system represents an equal access system. However, disparities still exist in key health indicators for vulnerable Veteran groups. Until now, a national report detailing the state of care and key outcome metrics for vulnerable Veteran patients in VHA care did not exist. The National Veteran Health Equity Report is designed to provide basic comparative information on the sociodemographics, utilization patterns and rates of diagnosed health conditions among groups over which the VHA Office of Health Equity has responsibility.

Panelists

  • Uchenna S. Uchendu, MD
    Chief Officer, Office of Health Equity
    VA Central Office, Washington DC 

  • Donna L. Washington, MD, MPH
    Director, OHE-QUERI Partnered Evaluation Center
    VA HSR&D Center for the Study of Healthcare Innovation, Implementation & Policy
    VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System 

  • Elizabeth M. Yano, PhD, MSPH
    Director, VA HSR&D Center for the Study of Healthcare Innovation, Implementation & Policy
    VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System 

Visit the Office of Health Equity website at www.va.gov/healthequity for more details about VHA’s strategic plan to achieve health equity for Veterans (VHA Health Equity Action Plan) and to sign up for updates. 

Target audience: Researchers, clinicians, care coordinators, policy makers, educators, Veteran stakeholders and representatives of vulnerable Veteran groups who are interested in understanding health disparities and/or promoting equitable health among all Veterans. 

Background reading:  VA Office of Health Equity. 2016. National Veteran Health Equity Report—FY2013. US Department of Veterans Affairs, Washington, DC. Available online at http://www.va.gov/healthequity/NVHER.asp.


Dates for the FY2017 Focus on Health Equity & Action Cyberseminar Series

The VA Office of Health Equity in partnership with the VA Health Services Research and Development (HSR&D) announce the FY2017 Focus on Health Equity and Action Cyberseminars.  The cyber seminars occur on the following Thursdays from 3-4 PM EST:

  • October 27, 2016
  • November 17, 2016
  • January 26, 2017
  • February 23, 2017
  • March 30, 2017
  • April 27, 2017
  • June 29, 2017
  • July 27, 2017
  • August 31, 2017
  • September 28, 2017 

Each cyber seminar will spotlight activities that promote the implementation of the VHA Health Equity Action Plan (HEAP), which is intended to:

  1. Catalyze, synergize, and coordinate VHA programs, projects, and initiatives to effectively identify, understand, seek and implement solutions to diminish and where possible eliminate health disparities;
  2. Demonstrate alignment with other federal partners working to achieve health equity;
  3. Bring focus to VHA efforts to provide a more equitable, individualized and patient-driven health care delivery system;
  4. Improve overall quality of care through equity in all policies and the achievement of health equity for all;
  5. Incorporate the innovative ideas and input of all users in order to encourage a bottom up approach while maintaining a strong connection to the overarching goals of the VA;
  6. Capitalize on the existing network of advocates and programs in both administrative and clinical realms to weave health equity dialogue and cultural attunement into training and other activities within and outside the health care system; and
  7. Serve as a guide and/or starting place that would remain a living document which is open to modification and adaptation to continuously meet the needs of the Veterans entrusted to the VHA. 

Session and presenters will be updated closer to the event date. Visit www.va.gov/healthequity/ or sign up for the OHE listserv to receive updates and to learn more about Veteran health equity issues.


Errata - National Veteran Health Equity Report

The VA Office of Health Equity has revised some pages of the recently released National Veteran Health Equity Report—FY2013.

The updated report and errata file are now available on the report website.  File names for the impacted files have been updated to include the corresponding date of the revision found in the errata file.

Thank you for your continued interest in Veteran health equity issues!