Some progress is being made to advance health equity for
Veterans. Unfortunately, but consistent with the general U.S. population,
health disparities and inequities continue to be documented for Veterans regardless
of where they receive their care. The VA Office of Health Equity (OHE) was established
in the VHA in 2012 as a national program office and given the immediate charge
to map VA’s pursuit of Veteran health equity. February’s Focus on Health Equity
and Action Cyberseminar will review VA efforts over the last 5 years to advance
health equity for Veterans since the establishment of OHE. Presenters will
discuss VA’s progress in implementing VA’s strategic plan to advance health
equity; OHE supported activities in advancing research, partnerships and tools;
and future actions to ensure all Veterans have access and receive high quality,
timely, and equitable care.
Pursuing Health Equity
for Veterans with a Dedicated National Program Office—Five Years in Review
Thursday, February 22, 2018
3:00
– 4:00 PM EST
Learning
Objectives
-
Describe
the development of a national program in the VA to advance Veteran health
equity;
- Identify
strategic goals and metrics of the VA Health Equity Action Plan related to
leadership, research, and partnerships to advance health equity; and
- Discuss
future research, quality improvement efforts, and other actions to reduce
and/or eliminate Veteran health disparities.
Confirmed
Presenters
-
Uchenna S. Uchendu, MD
Chief Officer, Office of Health Equity, VA Central Office, Washington, DC
-
Kenneth T. Jones,
PhD
Program Analyst, Office of Health Equity, VA Central Office, Washington,
DC
There is still time to
apply for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Clinical
Scholars Program but you must
apply by March 14, 2018, 3:00 PM EST.
The Clinical Scholars Program provides
funding and leadership training to clinically active providers to help leverage
their ideas to improve health outcomes in communities across the country (http://clinical-scholars.org). Providers working in collaboration with veterans,
their families, and local organizations are encouraged to apply.
Let the VA Office of Health Equity know if you are VA
staff or work with Veterans and plan to leverage this opportunity so
that we can assist in order to advance health equity themed projects for Veterans
as the community of focus. Examples of funded projects are available at http://clinicalscholarsnli.org/projects including one example
of a Veteran-focused project.
The VA Office of Health Equity is pleased to share recent health equity
research and resources from VA researchers and partnering organizations.
Evaluation of the Department of Veterans Affairs Mental
Health Services
Approximately
4 million U.S. veterans supported the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan—Operation
Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation New Dawn—and many have
need for mental health care services. Under a Congressional mandate responding
to concerns about the health care experience of these veterans, the Department
of Veterans Affairs (VA) asked the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering,
and Medicine to assemble a committee of experts to assess veterans’ ability to
access mental health services at the VA, as well as the quality of those
services. After reviewing the relevant published literature, conducting site
visits, and surveying veterans, the committee recommends ways to improve
problems with access to and quality of mental health services for veterans,
including treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder, major depressive
disorder, substance use disorder, and suicidal thoughts or behaviors.
Source: National
Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2018). Evaluation of the Department of Veterans Affairs Mental Health Services.
Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
Related
Resources
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The Use of Telemental Health to Meet the Mental Health
Needs of Women Using Department of Veterans Affairs Services
Background:
Women
veterans are a growing segment of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) users
with distinct mental health needs and well-documented barriers to care.
Telemental health holds much promise for reducing barriers to mental health
care. We assessed VA stakeholders' perceptions of telemental health's appropriateness
and potential to address the mental health needs of women veteran VA users.
Methods: We conducted semistructured qualitative
interviews with 40 key leadership and clinical stakeholders at VA medical
centers and associated outpatient clinics. Transcripts were summarized in a
template of key domains developed based on the interview guide, and coded for
topics relevant to women's mental health needs and telehealth services.
Results: Telemental health was perceived to
increase access to mental health care, including same-gender care and access to
providers with specialized training, especially for rural women and those with
other limiting circumstances. Respondents saw women veterans as being
particularly poised to benefit from telemental health, owing to
responsibilities associated with childcare, spousal care, and elder caregiving.
Interviewees expressed enthusiasm for telemental health's potential and were
eager to expand services, including women-only mental health groups.
Implementation challenges were also noted.
Conclusions: Overall, our stakeholders saw telemental
health as a good fit for helping to address the perceived needs of women
veterans, especially in addressing the geographical barriers experienced by
rural women and those with a limited ability to travel. These findings can help
to inform gender-tailored expansion of telemental health within and outside of
the VA.
Source: Moreau, J. L.,
Cordasco, K. M., Young, A. S., Oishi, S. M., Rose, D. E., Canelo, I., et al.
(2018). The Use of Telemental Health to Meet the Mental Health Needs of Women
Using Department of Veterans Affairs Services. Women's Health Issues.
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Risk and Resilience: A Review of the Health Literature of
Veterans Who Identify as LGBT
Service members who
identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and/or transgender (LGBT) were an almost
invisible population since the dawn of the Continental Army in 1775. The
decision to serve in the US Armed Forces despite a ban on their service was not
an easy one. The literature shows that LGBT service members experienced
harassment and violence and lived in constant fear of being “outed.” Theory
suggests that the combination of this strain, along with the daily stress of
the military as an occupation, placed LGBT service members at greater risk for
adverse health conditions like posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A review
of recent research suggests that this theory may be true—LGBT veterans report
high rates of depression, PTSD, and suicidality. The following chapter explores
this important research but also highlights the need to explore experiences of
resilience in this population. Because of their dedicated service despite
historic bans and institutionalized discrimination, LGBT veterans represent a
unique opportunity to explore resilience and posttraumatic growth.
Source: Ramirez,
H., Bloeser, K. (2018). Risk and Resilience: A Review of the Health
Literature of Veterans Who Identify as LGBT. In Gay Mental Healthcare Providers and Patients in the Military (pp.
9-24). Springer, Cham.
Related
Resources
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