Service Learning Project At Ferris State University

In the past few years there has been increasing discussion about how to provide adequate care for the increasing number of veterasn who are eligible for care through the Veterans’ healthcare administration (VHA). There are concerns is that the VHA is not providing the level of access, efficiency, and quality of care that veterans expect. Lee & Begley, (2016) suggest access to care for the veteran population may be resulting in poor health outcomes. In response to these concerns, the Veterans ' Access to Care through Choice, Accountability, and Transparency Act (VACAA) of 2014, also known as the Veterans Choice Act, was created to improve Veterans’ healthcare. The VACAA proposed to do this by expanding the number of options veterans have for receiving healthcare, by providing access for healthcare at non-VA care centers as well as providing for an increase in staffing at VA facilities (U. S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 2016).

VBA administers a wide variety of benefit programs authorized by Congress including Vocational rehabilitation and employment, Education service and GI Bill, Loan guarantee, Service-connected disability compensation, VA pension and fiduciary services, and VA life insurance. The following organizational chart depicts the current structure of the Veterans Benefits Administration. The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) serves the Veteran population and is responsible for providing a wide range of medical services by providing inpatient and outpatient care to 5.5 million veterans across the United States and its territories. The VHA operates one of the largest networks of health care facilities in the world. It includes 171 medical centers, 800+ outpatient clinics, 127 nursing homes and 196 Vietnam Veterans Outreach Centers. As well as, domiciliary residences, home health services, adult day care, residential care and respite care programs. In addition, the VHA helps support veterans' health care in non-VA hospitals (Choice Program) and is the country’s largest provider of graduate medical education. The following organizational chart depicts the current structure of the Veterans Health Administration. The National Cemetery Administration (NCA) provides burial space for Veterans and their eligible family members; maintains national cemeteries; marks Veterans’ graves with headstones, markers, and medallions; and administers grants for establishing or expanding state and tribal government Veteran cemeteries. The following organizational chart depicts the current structure of the National Cemetery

The Huntington Veterans Administration Medical Center (VAMC) located in Huntington, West Virginia provides health care to over 54,800 Veterans annually (Smith-Dikes, 2013). The mission statement of the Huntington VAMC is “to provide excellent care and service to those who have served our nation – every Veteran, every time!” (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 2016). With this statement in mind, to care for the needs of homeless Veterans in the area, the Huntington VAMC opened the Huntington VA Homeless Veterans Resource Center (HVRC) (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 2016). The HVRC provides homeless Veterans and those at risk for homelessness with job assistance, counseling, housing referrals and laundry and shower facilities, as well as referral to physical and mental health appointments. The HVRC also maintains a donation room and in house emergency food pantry. In pursuit of providing quality care for homeless Veterans, the Veterans Administration (VA) has also created different programs that join together social work with primary care, mental health, and rehabilitation services to deal with complex issues faced by these Veterans (Amdur et al, 2011). In 2008, a joint program, known as Housing and Urban Development-Veterans Affairs

The VA St. Louis Health Care System currently has two major campuses that honors veterans and their families. The second campus, the John Cochran Division, is where veterans have access to the center's surgical capabilities, ambulatory care unit, intensive care unit and more. This site, which is located in Grand Center, is also undergoing

Since there is no reported data or analyses to help the nation or specific regions and communities assess veterans’ needs for services by geographic area, and to plan for and coordinate service delivery across community-based, TRICARE, and VHA resources; we purpose several general directions for moving forward (Burnam et. al, 2009). The general directions for moving forward include a need for confidentiality, consumer education, treatment choices, workforce policy, training and certification, QI needs, and technical assistance to the

The acting Secretary of Veterans Affairs (SECVA) is currently Peter O'Rourke. Mr. O'Rourke serves as the interim SECVA following the departure of David Shulkin in early 2018. David Shulkin left the VA amidst an ethics violation, which will be expanded upon in the Leadership Challenges and Issues section. The Veterans Benefits Administration and its subordinate offices provide benefits and associated services to veterans or their surviving family members (Veterans Affairs, 2018). The Veterans Health Administration and its subordinate offices provide health care for the nation's veterans (Veterans Affairs, 2018). The National Cemetary Administration and its subordinate offices provide burial and memorial benefits and cemetery management to the nation's veterans (Veterans Affairs, 2018). This paper will focus mainly on the VA secretary's office and the Veterans Health

Veterans for America have already began the process in coming up with solutions for veteran health car. In fact, they have came up with ten principles to

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a health care system that offers programs to benefit veterans and their families. Benefits include, but are not limited compensation payments for disabilities or death related to military service, pensions, education, health care and rehabilitation. The Department of Veteran Affairs functions as the nation’s largest integrated health care system, with more than 1,700 hospitals, clinics, community living centers, domiciliary, readjustment counseling centers, and other facilities. The mission of the VA is to “care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan" by serving and honoring the men and women who are America 's veterans (The Department of Veteran Affairs, 2011). This mission statement is based off of President Lincoln 's promise to service members. For the addiction treatment program (ATP), which is part of the mental health division of the VA, their mission statement is to provide person centered and driven assessments, clinical programming, plan of care, treatment plan reviews, transition planning and outpatient and after service to promote the rehabilitation, recovery, health maintenance, quality of life and community integration goals identified by persons served (The Department of Veteran Affairs, 2011, p. 27).

All elements in this domain scored a five. The VHA focuses on diversity and disparities among Veterans. The comprehensive electronic health record captures demographic information, such as race, ethnicity, language on the initial visit to the facility. This information can then be viewed in the first pane of the patient chart. Although English is the primary language, an interpreter can be made available if necessary. Those patients who are hearing impaired are provided with an interpreter fluent in sign language. Multiple programs are available to Veterans who are underserved. A series of questions are reviewed with the patient annually, with the goal of identifying the Veteran’s needs. These questions focus on routine health care, as well

While the system is not perfect, and its failings have been widely discussed in the media, the VA does provide a significant healthcare benefit that should not be overlooked even if a veteran is discharged without needing immediate care. VA health benefits include all of the necessary impatient hospital care and outpatient services to promote, preserve, or restore your health. VA medical facilities provide a wide range of services including traditional hospital-based services such as surgery, critical care, mental health, orthopedics, pharmacy, radiology, and physical therapy (Wilson, 2016). Today, wounded veterans and active duty military receive prosthetic devices from the VA or TRICARE at no cost. In fact, new proposals have been discussed to help even veterans more. The Affordable Care Act builds upon the Obama Administration’s commitment for caring for veterans and active duty military ensuring they have the highest quality health care possible. This act expanded health care coverage to more than 30 million Americans and these newly insured individuals will use products made by the medical device industry. More than 33,000 veterans were housed since 2009 by the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Veterans Affairs (Veterans Prosthetic Alliances, 2016). According to Veterans Prosthetic Alliances, a veteran lives in one in five households benefiting from the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which provides heating

In July 1775, the Congress established a hospital or what they called it then a medical department in Massachusetts with a chief physician of the hospital, four surgeons, a pharmacist, and nurses, which are usually wives or widows of military personnel to care for military members. (TRICARE Timeline). Today health care has come a long way especially for the military; we have better equipment and more than enough surgeons, physicians, and of course, our spouses or widows are no longer our nurses. Now we have qualified individuals that are very capable of making sure that they are patched and ready to get

Service Delivery – VA provides a broad range of the quality and accessibility of primary care, specialized care, related medical and social benefits through a nationwide network for Veterans and their eligible beneficiaries, such as vocational rehabilitation, service members' group life insurance, traumatic injury protection, the Post-9/11 GI-Bill, the VA home loan programs, and

Virginia Hospital Center (VHC) is a not-for profit, teaching facility that offers a comprehensive healthcare. Founded in 1933 as a community service project by the five women's clubs to serve the people of Washington Metropolitan Area, VHC grew from a small project into a fully operational 100 bed facility in 1944. As of today, VHC has grown to a 530,000 square foot facility featuring a nine storey hospital building with 350 beds, around 1,100 parking spaces and other newer features, which include the newly renovated Emergency Department, specifically designed for patient and visitor comfort. There have been tremendous growth and changes.

For the Service Learning Assignment, I decided to volunteer at Northwind Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center. The first expectation I have for my service experience is that it is going to take me out of my element. I know that I am going to be exposed to situations that I typically do not see on a daily basis. I believe that the agency/organization and staff would be pleasant to work with. The last couple of months, I visited a few nursing home/rehab centers and everyone always has been pleasant. After reading the responsibilities for this service experience, the task does not seem overwhelming or complicated. It would be like spending time with a family member and making them feel comfortable. The patient may be a little challenging depending

The service learning project I choose to volunteer for is Agape Hospice. Agape Hospice is a special kind of care designed to provide comfort and support to people with a wide range of life-limiting illnesses, such as cancer, heart disease , and stroke. One of the issue Agape Hospice faces would be, when someone comes in to receive help for a loved one, sometimes they can not receive it due to not meeting the criteria or pay for it since most cases are out-of-pocket expenses, as the care can become very costly. I choose this issue because, a lot families faces this issue when trying to have someone to provide direct care for their love ones needed. These issue is relevance to my life because I wanted to be a nurse and this what one the issue I am going to face. I want to be able to support all families with this issue and find resolution to it. This is where volunteering comes in tries to support and provide care for patients and relives the families. Stakeholders for Agape Hospice would be volunteers, families, nurses, and community. 1.What are current strategies for solving the problems faced by the service learning partner?2.What is the level of community engagement in support of this agency?3.What challenges and obstacles must the agency