VHA Innovators Network (iNET) is a bustling community of employees united by a desire to solve health care problems and engage in shared learning. iNET Innovation Specialists facilitate local programming, lead local and national events and connect employees with the resources they need to design, develop and test their own solutions.
Currently, iNET consists of 35 VA medical centers with a combined mission to empower VHA employees to design their own innovative solutions for problems they experience firsthand, as well as foster a culture of innovation through an education in innovation-related principles and experiences to participate in the process of innovative change.
The programs offered by iNET can have a direct impact on VA health care systems and the Veteran experience. For example, iNET’s Spark-Seed-Spread Innovation Investment Program is an initiative designed to employ a diverse range of practices using innovation to deliver a better experience for Veterans, their caregivers and VA employees.
One program from Spark-Seed-Spread is designed to allow the transfer of near-expiring surgical implants and supplies from one VA to other VA facilities. The program will aid in decreasing waste and decrease the organization’s carbon footprint.
Another innovation is the Veteran Integrated Chair Kiosk, which will decontaminate and provide inventory of facility wheelchairs. The kiosk will also alert VA’s Patient Safety office to any operation issues which should take the wheelchair out of circulation.
Expanding the network
Looking to expand their reach and support more innovative ideas, iNET opened up their applications this year for new sites. After a record application season, iNET is excited to welcome nine new sites to the Network:
- VA Long Beach Healthcare System
- VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System
- VA Detroit Healthcare System
- VA Dayton Healthcare System
- G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery VA Medical Center, Jackson, MS
- VA Atlanta Healthcare System
- VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System
- South Texas Veterans Health Care System, San Antonio, TX
- VA Tampa Healthcare System
Although many iNET opportunities are contained to select sites, the condensed innovative efforts and cultures being built within the Network have lasting effects that spread far and wide across VA, impacting VA employees and Veterans in meaningful ways.
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