About VA Immersive
VA Immersive is transforming care by bringing immersive technology, such as Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) -- collectively known as Extended Reality (XR) -- to Veterans and VA staff. We help design, develop, and deploy immersive tech for chronic pain, anxiety, depression, physical therapy, recreation therapy, PTSD, and much more. VA Immersive shares resources, lessons learned, successes, and failures across VA. We have engaged VA facilities, frontline staff, and administrators across the country in conversations and efforts related to bringing immersive technologies to VA.
Mission
Our mission is to define a new reality in health care through immersive technology like virtual and augmented reality, reinforcing why Veterans and staff choose VA.
Focus
This year, our community is aligned with VHA Priorities and focused on using immersive technology and tools for clinical use (e.g., behavioral health, pain management, physical rehabilitation) and employee engagement and education.
Growth
Our community has grown over 30% in the past year and expanded to more than 145 facilities; we aim to reach all interested VA healthcare systems in the next two years.
Where We Are
VA Immersive innovations are currently being adopted across the country. Use this map to explore these locations, or browse the individual innovations using the link below.
Featured by VA Immersive
Virtual Reality for Pain and Anxiety Management
This program utilizes a VR head mounted display and healthcare-specific software to address pain and anxiety management through positive distraction. Within the WNCVAHCS, VR has been utilized with over 400 Veterans with 66% of Veterans experiencing a decrease in acute and/or chronic pain and 95% with a decrease in anxiety.
Featured events
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This live, knowledge-based webinar will allow VA healthcare teams to study all of these topics in a structured, standardized manner and better support the care needs of their patients when integrating immersive technology and to ensure all are receiving proper guidance how to do so safely.
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Every year, thousands of VFW and Auxiliary delegates gather to represent the organization’s more than 1.5 combined membership at the weeklong VFW National Convention. While there, our mission is to approve new national priorities to guide our organization as we lobby Congress on issues important to the nation’s veterans, service members and their families.
Featured publications
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Published in Frontiers in Virtual Reality on October 5, 2021
By Caitlin R. Rawlins, Zachary Veigulis, Catherine Hebert, Catherine Curtin, and Thomas F. Osborne
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Published in Journal of Hand Therapy on May 30, 2020
By Hunter G. Hoffman PhD, David A. Boe MPO, Eric Rombokas PhD, Christelle Khadra RN, PhD, Sylvie LeMay PhD, Walter J. Meyer MD, MD, Sam Patterson, Ann Ballesteros PhD, Stephen W. Pitt PhD
"Immersive technology is not how we will change VA care delivery and experience in the future; it is how we are transforming healthcare today."
-Anne Lord Bailey, PharmD, BCPS, Director, Clinical Tech Innovation, Immersive Technology Lead
"As soon as you get a patient in a headset, you see first-hand how immersive technology is transforming Veteran lives."
-Caitlin Rawlins, BSN, RN, Deputy Director, Clinical Tech Innovation, Co-Lead, VHA XR Network