VA Healthcare-VISN 4
Trust in VA - Facility Outcomes
Trust in VA Care - Facility Outcomes
On September 27, 2016, senior leaders and service chiefs at the James E. Van Zandt VA Medical Center in Altoona participated in a training program with Dr. Peter Almenoff, director of organizational excellence in the VA Secretary's office. The program offered a "deep dive" into the statistics and measures of the SAIL program, covering each domain to assure a greater understanding of the data.
In 2016, VA Butler Healthcare's director, Dave Cord, talked with Dave Malarkey on his radio show, "It's Your Turn," each month. "It's Your Turn" is Butler County's only live, call-in talk show. Each month, they discussed key VA news and information for Veterans such as progress on VA Butler's new Health Care Center and access to VA health care. Cord also addressed questions on the air for listeners. Additional VA Butler employees joined the show periodically to provide more specific program information.
Coatesville VA Medical Center's Veterans' Mental Health Advisory Council meets monthly and is open to all Veterans, as well as their dependents and caregivers. Currently consisting of 9 active members, the meetings are open forums where participants can discuss any issues regarding mental health care and share feedback with mental health leadership through the staff liaison. All Veterans can submit suggestions or concerns for the council to address in one of three drop-boxes in the medical center. This year, the council addressed the lack of "after hours" support for Veterans who are not in a crisis situation by finding and bringing awareness of "Vets4Warriors" to their fellow Veterans. This unique peer support program is available for Veterans and caregivers around the clock.
One role of the Veterans Experience team is to help build and support MyVA Community Veterans Engagement Boards (CVEB). These boards consist of and are co-chaired by Veteran-centric community stakeholders. They are supported by VHA, VBA, and NCA leadership. These boards are designed to develop local solutions for Veterans and their families and ease of access to all of the resources available to Veterans. They leverage community assets, not just VA assets, to help ensure the solutions we implement meet the needs of Veterans in their community. In 2016, Erie VA Medical Center (along with the Wilmington VA) established a CVEB in their local community. Board members include Veterans advocates from General Electric, Erie Insurance, CareerLink, the Vet Center, Veterans Miracle Center, Housing and Neighborhood Development Service, the YMCA, Pennsylvania State Police, local universities, Barber National Institute, PA National Guard, and others. Since the Board's establishment, they have housed Veterans within a day, connected Veterans with meaningful employment, assisted Veterans and their families in paying for utility bills, and helped Veterans use their GI bill – and they are just getting started.
Through a recently established agreement between Lebanon VA Medical Center and Harrisburg Area Community College, Veterans can take classes to receive certification in culinary arts, medical billing and coding, personal training, and physician's office assistance, in the medical center's state-of-the-art Center for Veterans Enterprise. VA will pay the tuition for eligible Veterans. The Center for Veterans Enterprise, which opened in August 2015, brings VA and community resources together in one location to optimize treatment, training, and employment opportunities for Veterans.
In 2016, nurses at the Wilkes-Barre VA Medical Center focused on staff engagement as a way to increase Veterans' satisfaction with their care. They began by distributing "welcome" and "thank you" cards to all medical center inpatients on admission and discharge, along with a request to Veterans and their family members to rate and comment on the care they received. All of the feedback provided in the cards is reviewed, and follow-up is provided upon request. The feedback allows Veterans to help their fellow patients get the best possible care. Also in 2016, nurses placed communication boards in all inpatient units. These boards provide Veterans with real time information about their care, and with the name and contact information for the nurse assigned to their care, should a need arise.
At the Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center in Philadelphia, the director and other members of leadership meet monthly with the Veterans Advisory Council, a group of stakeholders including Veterans Service Officers, county Veterans Affairs directors, and more to receive updates on VA, including SAIL data, timeliness measures, wait time, and non-VA care.
VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System's patient advocacy program, the Office of Veterans Experience, is expanding a program piloted this year to immerse employees in the Veteran's VA experience. The new Veteran Shadow Program pairs a VA employee with a volunteer Veteran during their visit to receive care. The employee is a part of the Veteran's entire experience – from arriving at the parking garage, checking in for appointments, visiting clinics, and picking up prescriptions, through the time they leave the facility. The goal of the program is for employees to help identify challenges Veterans commonly experience during visits, find solutions, and improve the overall Veteran experience during health care visits.
Wilmington VA Medical Center held three events during FY16 to recognize and honor Vietnam Veterans. The first was a ceremony at the Wall that Heals (a replica of the Vietnam Wall in Washington, D.C.) on Veterans Day. In March, the facility also held an observance with displays in the facility. And, in August, 910 Vietnam Veterans and a guest attended an Altoona Curve baseball game. VA is one of more than 9,000 organizations across the country serving as Commemorative Partners to honor our nation's 7 million living Vietnam Veterans. The Vietnam War Commemoration recognizes the 9 million American men and women who served on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces from Nov. 1, 1955 to May 15, 1975, making no distinction among Veterans who served in-country, in-theater, or were stationed elsewhere during those 20 years. All answered the call of duty.
