The National Veteran Health Equity Report was released last
year and it continues to make an impact. Here are some examples:
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Data Now Publicly Available
The data used to create the National Veteran Health Equity Report tables and figures are now publicly available on data.gov. Data.gov is a key repository that provides increased public access to Federal datasets. Please visit https://catalog.data.gov/dataset/national-veteran-health-equity-report-fy13 to download the data. Visit https://www.va.gov/healthequity/Data.asp for information on other publicly available datasets from the Office of Health Equity.
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Data Visualization Tool to Explore the Report
The Office of Health Equity is pleased to announce the release of a data visualization tool created by our office to supplement the National Veteran Health Equity Report. The tool allows users to interact with the data used in the National Veteran Health Equity Report, create charts on demand, and download data and charts that can be used in presentations and projects. Most importantly, the tool allows Veterans and stakeholders to assess health and health care use of VHA patients during FY2013. We encourage everyone to use this information to support appropriate actions including advancing health equity for all Veterans. Please visit https://vha-healthequity.shinyapps.io/NVHER_Shiny/ to learn more about Veteran health equity issues.
Did you know that some
Veterans experience higher rates
of hypertension? According to the National Veteran Health Equity Report, hypertension was the top diagnosis in several vulnerable groups. A VA
research team has created a series of videos
of patients discussing their experiences with high blood pressure and offering
tips to take medications, talk to their health care providers, and make other
changes. According to the 2016 study, Veterans who watched the videos, compared to those who did not watch
the videos, reported greater intentions to:
- Become more physically active;
- Use salt substitutes;
- Talk openly with their doctor about hypertension; and
- Remember to take their hypertension medications.
The Office of Health Equity is pleased to be able to share these videos with
Veterans and stakeholders. The short videos feature stories from Veterans about
high blood pressure and important resources. Users will find narratives from 7
African American Veterans who have managed their high blood pressure and
resources to learn more about high blood pressure; benefits of diet and
exercise; dangers of smoking and alcohol; importance of talking to family,
friends, and doctors; and importance of taking medications and reducing stress.
Visit http://www.va.gov/healthequity/Tools.asp#htn to view the Journeys
with High Blood Pressure videos and resources. Patient narratives,
including these videos, were the subject of February’s Focus on Health
Equity Action Cyberseminar. The archive for the session, Using Veterans’ Stories to Promote
Health Equity and Reduce Disparities, can be accessed by clicking the hyperlink.
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Please
join the Office of Health Equity for the March 2017 Focus on Health Equity and
Action Cyberseminar titled, “Incorporating Social
Determinants of Health into VHA Patient Care and Electronic Medical Records.” Event description
and registration information is below.
Incorporating Social
Determinants of Health into VHA Patient Care and Electronic Medical Records
March 30, 2017
3:00 – 4:00 pm
Registration Link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2964856574755258370
Event
Description
Social
determinants of health is a useful concept for describing the availability and
distribution of economic, social, and physical conditions that impact patient’s
health and the health care system. The current Focus on Health Equity and
Action Cyberseminar session will 1) describe social determinants of health and
how these determinants influence VHA patient care; 2) present an example from
the Homeless Patient Aligned Care Team program and their use of social determinants
of health to improve patient care for homeless Veterans and their families; and
3) discuss VA data sources and industry best practices to understand and
incorporate social determinants of health into the electronic medical record
and research activities.
Confirmed
Speakers
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Tom
Garin, DPA
VA
Office of Enterprise Integration, Washington, DC
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Thomas
P. O’Toole, MD
National
Center on Homelessness Among Veterans, Providence VA Medical Center
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Uchenna
S. Uchendu, MD
Chief
Officer, Office of Health Equity, Washington, DC
Background
Resources
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O’Toole
TP, Johnson EE, Aiello R, Kane V, Pape L. Tailoring Care to Vulnerable
Populations by Incorporating Social Determinants of Health: the Veterans Health
Administration’s “Homeless Patient Aligned Care Team” Program. Prev Chronic Dis 2016;13:150567. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5888/pcd13.150567.
Registration
Link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2964856574755258370
Visit
the Office of Health Equity website at http://www.va.gov/healthequity/ for more details
about Veteran health equity issues, VA’s strategic plan to achieve health
equity for Veterans (Health Equity Action Plan), and to learn more about the Focus on Health
Equity and Action Cyberseminar series.
The Office
of Health Equity website was officially
launched on February 24, 2016. The website has proven to be a major tool to
communicate to Veterans and other stakeholders about VA health equity efforts
and issues impacting our nation’s Veterans.
Top 5 Pages Visited
1. Office
of Health Equity Main Page
2. National
Veteran Health Equity Report Page
3. Focus on Health Equity and Action Cyberseminar Page
4. Health
Equity Tools Page
5. Office of Health Equity Leadership Page
The OHE website features
other great resources including the VHA Health Equity Action Plan and past updates from the OHE
listserv. The OHE listserv was
launched along with the OHE website. There are currently 17,350 subscribers to
the OHE listserv.
The Office of Health Equity would like to hear from you about how we can
better address Veteran health equity issues. Email us at healthequity@va.gov. We look forward to hearing from
you.
Thank you for keeping
Veteran health equity issues an important topic in the U.S. Department of Veterans
Affairs.
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