Building and Sustaining effective Veterans Family Advisory Councils- Workshop (VFAC)
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Share PrintBuilding a workshop to assist staff in creating and sustaining an effective Veteran and Family Advisory Council will help staff navigate through multiple decision points when developing their own councils, while respecting the needs of their leadership and Veteran population. The two-day interactive workshop and accompanying toolkit will educate staff on how to effectively engage Veterans and family members in project design and execution and demonstrate the benefits of their input through real-world examples.
Origin:
October 2009, Palo Alto VA Medical Center (Palo Alto, California)
Adoptions:
59 successful, 5 in-progress
Partners:
Diffusion of Excellence, Veterans Experience Office
Recent Updates
Overview
The problem
While Veterans comprise virtually 100% of the patient population, only about 30% of staff are Veterans. Developing VA products and services without incorporating the unique perspectives of Veterans is akin to trying to design a racing bicycle without any professional cyclists on the design team. The goal of workshops is to ensure every VA site has the oppo
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While Veterans comprise virtually 100% of the patient population, only about 30% of staff are Veterans. Developing VA products and services without incorporating the unique perspectives of Veterans is akin to trying to design a racing bicycle without any professional cyclists on the design team. The goal of workshops is to ensure every VA site has the opportunity and resources to create its own Veteran and Family Advisory Council.
See
more
Files
- Toolkit to assist staff in the establishment of Veteran and Family Advisory Councils to co-design changes WITH Veterans and their families. Toolkit 2.0 - Voice of the Veteran Family Advisory Council
Links
- Community for those interested in including Veterans and family members as co-designers in care. Ask questions, browse best practices, seek opportunities for feedback. VHA Veteran and Family Advisory Council Team
The solution
The Veteran and Family Advisory Council was created to be the conduit for staff to directly engage with the primary users of their products and services at various stages of development. All clinics or programs have the opportunity to discuss and improve their projects by incorporating the unique perspectives of Veterans and family members.
The results
Including Veterans and Family members as co-designers of the care respects their experience and demonstrates the commitment to provide personalized, proactive care. Advisors partner with research in the design and implementation of research studies resulting in improve Veteran experience in research, higher rates of grant funding
Diffusion tracker
Does not include Clinical Resource Hubs (CRH)
Implementation
Timeline
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6-12 months
Development timeline based off facilities readiness to implement.
Departments
- Veteran experience
Core Resources
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PROCESSES |
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TOOLS |
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Files
- Toolkit for building and establishing Veteran and family Advisory Councils. Toolkit 2.0 - Voice of the Veteran-Family Advisory Council
Links
- Veteran and Family engagement is a key contributor to the success of proposals being awarded at VA Palo Alto with an overall funding success rate of 80% and $10 million in research funding per year. In FY2021, VISN 21 had the second-highest VERA research support allocation of all the VISNs with a total of $90 million. Veteran and family Advisory Councils are a proven mechanism for engaging in direct feedback in the design and improvement of VA Research and medical care. The Veteran and Family Advisory program is part of our participation in the Diffusion of Excellence Academy, which supports our focus on human(Veteran)-centered design when supporting VA programs. Increasing Veteran and Family Engagement in Research
- MS Teams community for VA staff and volunteers to connect around Veteran and family engagement through advisory councils. VHA Veteran and Family Advisory Councils
Optional Resources
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PEOPLE |
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PROCESSES |
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Links
- The Beryl Institute is a global community of healthcare professionals and experience champions committed to transforming the human experience in healthcare. As a pioneer and leader of the experience movement and patient experience profession for more than a decade, the Institute offers unparalleled access to unbiased research and proven practices, networking and professional development opportunities and a safe, neutral space to exchange ideas and learn from others. We define the patient experience as the sum of all interactions, shaped by an organization’s culture, that influence patient perceptions across the continuum of care. We believe human experience is grounded in the experiences of patients & families, members of the healthcare workforce and the communities they serve. The Beryl Institute
- The Institute for Patient- and Family-Centered Care (IPFCC), a non-profit organization founded in 1992, takes pride in providing essential leadership to advance the understanding and practice of patient- and family-centered care. By promoting collaborative, empowering relationships among patients, families, and health care professionals, IPFCC facilitates patient- and family-centered change in all settings where individuals and families receive care and support. Institute of Patient and Family Centered Care
Support Resources
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PEOPLE |
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Contact
Comment
Comments and replies are disabled for retired innovations and non-VA users.
Email travis.runnels@va.gov with questions about this innovation.
About
Original team
Travis W. Runnels
Veteran and Family Centered Care Program Manager
Walan Chang
Veteran and Family Advisory Council Co-Chair
I am the Systems Redesign Coordinator here at Hampton VAMC, and would like to be able to present a co