Challenge
With increased national attention and federal funding directed toward bettering health care quality and access for rural Veterans, the Martinsburg U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center in West Virginia sought a partner to help study rural health issues, establish pilot projects, and build regional rural Veteran expertise.
Solution
Through the Veterans Health Education and Outreach (VHEO) Initiative, Atlas Research and partners Georgetown University and the American College of Preventive Medicine established six projects at the Martinsburg VA Medical Center to address their needs.
Result
The workforce competencies pilot expanded the Veterans rural health workforce by building partnerships with health professional organizations and institutions in a regionalized care approach.
The primary prevention of cardiovascular disease pilot improved the delivery of clinical preventive services to rural Veterans through a multi-level behavior modification strategy.
The community-based patient navigator pilot provided health education, outreach, and care coordination services for rural Veterans navigating among multiple community-based health care resources.
An educational resource development effort focused on establishing a useful educational reference for rural health practitioners and managers serving rural Veterans.
Another educational resource development effort focused on establishing a graduate level curriculum to be taught at higher learning institutions within VHA training environments and among online educational sites.
The final initiative supported the Veterans Rural Health Advisory Committee annual meeting process by providing meeting planning support services.