
My late grandfather, Ziggy, was a first-generation American. During World War II, he served in the US Navy in the South Pacific. I will always remember the pride in his...
For many veterans, a different battle occurs daily on the homefront.
We’ve all seen the statistics. Veterans between the ages of 18 and 30 are twice as likely as adults in the general population to be homeless, and the risk of homelessness increases significantly among young veterans who are poor, according to recent VA statistics. Twenty-two veterans a day are lost to suicide. In a pilot conducted in Bedford, MA, of 150 veterans, 29% experienced three or more SDOH factors. So, how do we best serve those who have braved and endured the battle?
Without question, there are many challenges that veterans face after they leave the military. The subject of veteran care services is a frequent, hot topic — one that leaves many wondering, why isn’t better care taken of our veterans? The conversation around health equity and caring for veterans has been transforming and giving traction to change, especially at the VA.
Tying resources together — including healthcare, social care, community services, and more — is one way many managed care organizations and community partners are working to change past issues and forge a way for all veterans to receive the highest level of care and support.
Veteran Care Services: The Health Equity Challenge Faced by Veterans
Upon leaving the military, most veterans first turn to the VA for support and resources for their physical and behavioral health, social care, and community resources. For veterans, this wide range of support is crucial because, compared to their civilian counterparts, veterans have higher rates of depression, other mental health conditions, substance use disorders, homelessness, and suicide. When re-adjusting to civilian society, veterans can also struggle greatly when trying to find the same sense of belonging and purpose that was part of their military community.
As the largest integrated healthcare system in the United States with a large portfolio of innovative programs and over 9 million veterans enrolled, the VA has several recognized challenges, including:
Step outside the VA and into the private sector for veteran care services, and veteran care coordination may be non-existent in most programs or systems, and veteran care may be more impacted by socioeconomic factors — which can lead to greater health disparities for veterans.
Because the veteran population is growing more diverse, attention and commitment to health equity have become increasingly important. An understanding of whether disparities in utilization, social care, or healthcare exist for racial and ethnic veterans, women veterans, and vulnerable veteran populations is vital.
Ways MCOs and Other Community-Based Organizations Can Continue to Transform Their Care for Veterans
The needs and expectations of veterans are vast, varied, and ever-evolving. Additionally, the care and support a specific veteran requires are heavily impacted by specific attributes, such as the veteran’s life stage, gender, race or ethnicity, underlying health risk factors, conflict-related cohort, education level, employment status, and physical location.
To best care for veterans, managed care organizations (MCO) and other community-based organizations have started to focus on a more connected, robust veteran journey and personal experience with healthcare, social care, and community connectivity.
Here’s how some MCOs and communities are caring for veterans:
Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) Solutions for the Veteran Community with Activate Care
Improved veteran care coordination includes:
As a nationally-recognized provider of community care coordination and referral management technology, we want to help MCOs achieve better health outcomes for the veterans they serve.
How is this done? Through our Path Assist whole population social care solution and our Activate CareHub™ platform, MCOs can seamlessly coordinate all of a veteran's health, behavioral, and social care needs to help them achieve better health and well-being.
Activate Care’s Community Care Record connects all the dots.
Made for hospitals and health systems, health plans, HIE organizations, CBOs, state, and local agencies, and many more, we invite you to learn more about our efficient, effective SDOH solutions for every community — including the veteran community, which has already best served us.
Learn About Proactive Social Care for Veterans
Resources:
1The Gerontological Society of America. The Changing Dynamics of Providing Health Care to Older Veterans in the 21st Century. Accessed October 22, 2022. https://academic.oup.com/ppar/article/30/1/3/5649797.
2National Library of Medicine. Racial and Ethnic Disparities in U.S. Veteran Health Characteristics. Accessed October 22, 2022. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7967786/.
My late grandfather, Ziggy, was a first-generation American. During World War II, he served in the US Navy in the South Pacific. I will always remember the pride in his...
The COVID-19 pandemic has devastated the world in so many ways, and exacerbated pre-existing health and social issues that many people were already experiencing. Many...