Partnerships deliver commitment to enrich the lives of Veterans

In August 2023, three VA medical centers and their partners were recognized as winners of the 2023 National Community Partnership Challenge (CPC). Facilitated by VA’s National Center for Healthcare Advancement and Partnerships (HAP) on behalf of the Under Secretary for Health, the CPC recognizes partnerships that enhance the health and well-being of Veterans and their communities.

The theme for the 2023 CPC was “Accelerating VHA’s Journey to High Reliability Through Partnerships.” The intent is to promote patient safety, creating a culture of continuous improvement and utilizing proactive strategies to prevent errors and adverse events.

“HAP takes immense pride in organizing the CPC and highlighting the extraordinary dedication, achievements and contributions of VA partnerships that advance VA’s mission to serve our Veterans,” said Chien Chen, HAP chief officer/nurse executive. “HAP extends heartfelt congratulations to all the winners for their unwavering commitment to enrich the lives of our esteemed Veterans.”

Greater Los Angeles VA

Greater Los Angeles VA’s partnership with AyZar Outreach, Brentwood School, U.S. VETS and Village for Veterans was recognized for providing temporary and permanent housing for Veterans experiencing or at risk for homelessness.

According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Point-in-Time (PIT) Count, 33,129 Veterans experienced homelessness in 2022.

This figure reflects an 11% decrease since the last time a PIT Count was conducted, in 2020. According to Dr. Steve Braverman, medical center director at Greater Los Angeles VA, community partnerships are pivotal in contributing to the reduction in homelessness.

“We started with tents in a parking lot and Veterans brought their own tents with them. We had to expand because this became something people wanted to take advantage of. We moved from a parking lot to the great lawn and from tents to tiny shelters. But we couldn’t pay for that stuff or use appropriated funds to feed them. That’s where our partners came in. They provided food and other amenities that were important for these Veterans,” Braverman said.

As a result of the partnership, the program went from having 10 to 15 tents in a parking lot to 140 shelters distributed across the property.

“We’re now taking care of 140-plus Veterans on a daily basis to get them off the street and eventually into permanent housing. Thank you to the team at GLA that worked to do this and thank you to the partners who gave us the resources we needed,” he added.

Syracuse VA

Syracuse VA’s partnership with the National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI) and Clear Path for Veterans was recognized for providing comprehensive educational support to Veterans through a family and peer program.

“We heard from family members that they would be better able to attend a family support and educational group if their Veteran also had programming and some type of support group at the same time. But it was also a burden to families to obtain childcare to attend group meetings,” said Mark Murdoch, medical director at Syracuse VA.

“Our local recovery coordinator took this information and worked with Clear Path for Veterans, a local community resource center for Veterans in this area, the Syracuse chapter of NAMI and a local YMCA to bring all the services together under one roof at one time.”

This partnership enabled Veterans to attend a NAMI Homefront peer-to-peer group, families to get a free meal from Clear Path and childcare to be provided by the local YMCA, as needed. According to Murdoch, the program provides a stress-free environment for Veterans and their families to spend time together exploring empowerment, coping skills, new resources and developing a strong peer network.

West Palm Beach VA

The West Palm Beach VA’s partnership with Delray Beach Community Center, Vet Centers and the West Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office was recognized for its Veterans and police crisis intervention initiative. The main purpose of the initiative is to provide training for police officers on Veteran-relevant issues to improve understanding and promote more positive interactions and outcomes between police and Veterans in the community.

Kenneth Dempsey, Veterans Crisis Intervention Team coordinator at West Palm Beach VA, noted the value of the partnership saying it has created a palpable change in the community.

“You can feel it. We hear it from the police officers. We hear it from the community. You know it’s measurable because we see a decrease in violent confrontations between police and Veterans in our community,” Dempsey said.

HAP congratulates the three winning partnerships and acknowledges the incredible efforts of all involved stakeholders. These innovative approaches help spread best practices across the VA health care system, ultimately making a difference in the lives of Veterans and their families.

HAP looks forward to leveraging successful VA partnerships to further enhance the well-being of Veterans in 2024 with the 10th anniversary of the CPC.

Get more information about CPC. Get more information about HAP.