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Compassionate Contact Corps (CCC)

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Compassionate Contact Corps is a social prescription program that offers friendly phone and video visits between trained volunteers and Veterans. The volunteer calls their matched Veteran once per week to provide compassionate conversation and companionship. This program has been proven to reduce loneliness and improve overall well-being in Veterans.

This innovation is replicating across multiple facilities as its impact continues to be validated. See more replicating innovations.

Adoptions:

74 successful, 44 in-progress

Awards and Recognition:

Secretary's Honor Award for ICARE, Beryl Institute Organizational Innovation Award, American Red Cross Signature Program

Tags:

Access to Care Age-Friendly Coordinated Care COVID-19 Employee Experience Geriatric Health Healthcare Administration Health Equity High Reliability Mental Health
Contact Team

Overview

Problem

More veterans are feeling lonely and socially isolated. Chronic loneliness can lead to clinical issues like depression, cognitive decline, heart issues, and even suicidal ideation. However, there is a lack of interventions to address loneliness. Further, too often loneliness is mistakenly diagnosed as depression or poor self-care, leading to costly therapies ... See more

Solution

Compassionate Contact Corps matches trained VA volunteers with Veterans who report feeling lonely. Those volunteers call their matched Veteran once per week to provide friendly conversation and connection.

Links

Results

Compassionate Contact Corps provides direct benefit to Veterans experiencing chronic loneliness by offering regular social and friendly contact from a volunteer. Through these weekly chats, veterans can connect with a new friend and share their stories and experiences. This benefits Veterans’ feelings of connection to another person, to the VA, and to their ... See more

Images

In March 2021, we surveyed Veterans about their experience with Compassionate Contact Corps. 83% said the visits help them feel less lonely, and 77% said it increased their overall well-being.

86% of Veterans told us Compassionate Contact Corps makes them feel like the VA cares about their overall well-being.

We also surveyed our volunteers. 82% told us that serving in the Compassionate Contact Corps program has increased their own overall well-being. Volunteers have told us they love this virtual volunteer opportunity.

Metrics

  • See charts above for metrics on our data results.

Diffusion tracker

Does not include Clinical Resource Hubs (CRH)

Statuses

AK: Colonel Mary Louise Rasmuson Campus of the Alaska VA Healthcare System (Anchorage) AR: John L. McClellan Memorial Veterans' Hospital (Little Rock, Arkansas) AZ: Tucson VA Medical Center (Tucson)
  • Started adoption on 04/2020.
CA: Fresno VA Medical Center (Fresno) CA: Jennifer Moreno Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center (San Diego, California)
  • Started adoption on 01/2021.
CA: Los Angeles VA Clinic (Los Angeles) CA: Palo Alto VA Medical Center (Palo Alto, California)
  • Started adoption on 04/2021.
CA: Sacramento VA Medical Center (Sacramento) CA: San Francisco VA Medical Center (San Francisco) CA: Tibor Rubin VA Medical Center (Long Beach) DC: Washington VA Medical Center (Washington, District of Columbia)
  • Started adoption on 01/2021.
DE: Wilmington VA Medical Center (Wilmington, Delaware) FL: C.W. Bill Young Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center (Bay Pines) FL: James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital (Tampa, Florida)
  • Started adoption on 10/2020.
FL: Malcom Randall Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center (Gainesville) FL: Orlando VA Medical Center (Orlando) FL: West Palm Beach VA Medical Center (West Palm Beach)
  • Started adoption on 07/2021.
GA: Joseph Maxwell Cleland Atlanta VA Medical Center (Atlanta, Georgia)
  • Started adoption on 10/2020.
IA: Iowa City VA Medical Center (Iowa City, Iowa) IL: Danville VA Medical Center (Danville, Illinois) IL: Edward Hines Junior Hospital (Hines) IL: Jesse Brown Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center (Chicago, Illinois) IL: Marion VA Medical Center (Marion, Illinois)
  • Started adoption on 04/2020.
IN: Adam Benjamin Jr., Veterans' Administration Outpatient Clinic (Crown Point) LA: Alexandria VA Medical Center (Alexandria, Louisiana) MA: Brockton VA Medical Center (Brockton) MA: Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans' Hospital (Bedford)
  • Started adoption on 01/2021.
MD: Baltimore VA Medical Center (Baltimore)
  • Started adoption on 10/2020.
MD: Loch Raven VA Medical Center (Loch Raven)
  • Started adoption on 10/2020.
MD: Perry Point VA Medical Center (Perry Point)
  • Started adoption on 10/2020.
ME: Togus VA Medical Center (Togus) MI: Battle Creek VA Medical Center (Battle Creek) MI: John D. Dingell Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center (Detroit)
  • Started adoption on 07/2021.
MI: Lieutenant Colonel Charles S. Kettles VA Medical Center (Ann Arbor)
  • Started adoption on 01/2021.
MN: Minneapolis VA Medical Center (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
  • Started adoption on 04/2020.
MO: Harry S. Truman Memorial Veterans' Hospital (Columbia, Missouri) MO: John J. Cochran Veterans Hospital (St. Louis John Cochran)
  • Started adoption on 04/2020.
MS: G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center (Jackson, Mississippi) ND: Fargo VA Medical Center (Fargo)
  • Started adoption on 04/2020.
NE: Omaha VA Medical Center (Omaha, Nebraska) NM: Las Vegas VA Clinic (Las Vegas) NY: Brooklyn VA Medical Center (Brooklyn)
  • Started adoption on 02/2021.
NY: St. Albans VA Medical Center (St. Albans)
  • Started adoption on 02/2021.
NY: Syracuse VA Medical Center (Syracuse)
  • Started adoption on 04/2020.
OH: Chalmers P. Wylie Veterans Outpatient Clinic (Columbus, Ohio)
  • Started adoption on 04/2020.
OH: Chillicothe VA Medical Center (Chillicothe) OH: Cincinnati VA Medical Center (Cincinnati, Ohio)
  • Started adoption on 10/2020.
OH: Dayton VA Medical Center (Dayton) OH: Louis Stokes Cleveland Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center (Cleveland, Ohio) OK: Jack C. Montgomery Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center (Muskogee, Oklahoma) OR: Portland VA Medical Center (Portland, Oregon) OR: Roseburg VA Medical Center (Roseburg)
  • Started adoption on 10/2020.
OR: White City VA Medical Center (White City)
  • Started adoption on 04/2020.
PA: Coatesville VA Medical Center (Coatesville)
  • Started adoption on 06/2020.
PA: James E. Van Zandt Veterans' Administration Medical Center (Altoona) PA: Pittsburgh VA Medical Center-University Drive (Pittsburgh)
  • Started adoption on 01/2021.
PA: Wilkes-Barre VA Medical Center (Wilkes-Barre) SC: Ralph H. Johnson Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center (Charleston, South Carolina)
  • Started adoption on 10/2020.
SD: Hot Springs VA Medical Center (Hot Springs, South Dakota) TN: Alvin C. York Veterans' Administration Medical Center (Murfreesboro) TN: Johnson City VA Clinic (Johnson City) TN: Nashville VA Medical Center (Nashville)
  • Started adoption on 01/2021.
TX: Audie L. Murphy Memorial Veterans' Hospital (San Antonio, Texas) TX: Dallas VA Medical Center (Dallas) TX: El Paso VA Clinic (El Paso)
  • Started adoption on 10/2020.
TX: Garland VA Medical Center (Garland) TX: Michael E. DeBakey Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center (Houston) TX: Olin E. Teague Veterans' Center (Temple) TX: Sam Rayburn Memorial Veterans Center (Bonham) UT: George E. Wahlen Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center (Salt Lake City) WA: Mann-Grandstaff Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center (Spokane, Washington) WA: Vancouver VA Medical Center (Vancouver) WI: Clement J. Zablocki Veterans' Administration Medical Center (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) WI: Tomah VA Medical Center (Tomah)
  • Started adoption on 10/2020.

AR: Fayetteville VA Medical Center (Fayetteville, Arkansas) AZ: Bob Stump Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center (Prescott) CA: Jerry L. Pettis Memorial Veterans' Hospital (Loma Linda, California) CO: Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center (Aurora Rocky Mountain) GA: Carl Vinson Veterans' Administration Medical Center (Dublin)
  • Started adoption on 12/2022.
HI: Spark M. Matsunaga Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center (Honolulu) IA: Des Moines VA Medical Center (Des Moines, Iowa) IN: Indianapolis VA Clinic (Indianapolis Meridian Street)
  • Started adoption on 09/2024.
KS: Captain Elwin Shopteese VA Clinic (Kansas City, Kansas)
  • Started adoption on 01/2024.
KS: Robert J. Dole Department of Veterans Affairs Medical and Regional Office Center (Wichita) KY: Robley Rex Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center (Louisville) MA: Edward P. Boland Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center (Central Western Massachusetts) MI: Aleda E. Lutz Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center (Saginaw, Michigan) MO: John J. Pershing Veterans' Administration Medical Center (Poplar Bluff) MO: Kansas City VA Medical Center (Kansas City, Missouri) NC: Durham VA Medical Center (Durham) NC: Wilmington VA Clinic (Wilmington, North Carolina) NH: Manchester VA Medical Center (Manchester) NM: Raymond G. Murphy Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center (Albuquerque)
  • Started adoption on 04/2021.
NV: Ioannis A. Lougaris Veterans' Administration Medical Center (Reno) NY: Buffalo VA Medical Center (Buffalo, New York) NY: Canandaigua VA Medical Center (Canandaigua) NY: James J. Peters Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center (Bronx) NY: Margaret Cochran Corbin VA Campus (Manhattan)
  • Started adoption on 02/2021.
OK: Ernest Childers Department of Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic (Tulsa) PA: Butler VA Medical Center (Butler New Castle Road) PA: Corporal Michael J. Crescenz Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) PA: Erie VA Medical Center (Erie) PA: Lebanon VA Medical Center (Lebanon) PR: San Juan VA Medical Center (San Juan) SC: Wm. Jennings Bryan Dorn Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center (Columbia, South Carolina) TN: William C. Tallent Department of Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic (Knoxville, Tennessee) TX: Doris Miller Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center (Waco) TX: Fort Worth VA Clinic (Fort Worth) TX: George H. O'Brien, Jr., Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center (Big Spring) TX: Kerrville VA Medical Center (Kerrville) TX: Thomas E. Creek Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center (Amarillo) VA: Salem VA Medical Center (Salem, Virginia) WA: Jonathan M. Wainwright Memorial VA Medical Center (Walla Walla) WV: Beckley VA Medical Center (Beckley) WV: Hershel "Woody" Williams VA Medical Center (Huntington, West Virginia) WV: Louis A. Johnson Veterans' Administration Medical Center (Clarksburg) WV: Martinsburg VA Medical Center (Martinsburg)
  • Started adoption on 09/2023.
WY: Cheyenne VA Medical Center (Cheyenne)

There are no unsuccessful adoptions for this innovation.

Multimedia

Videos

Veterans Affairs Compassionate Contact Corps Video for Veterans

Implementation

Timeline

  • Months 1-2
    Recruit and train current volunteers for Compassionate Contact Corps.
  • Months 2-3
    Meet with providers and attend department meetings to inform of the new program and Veteran referral process
  • Months 3-5
    Match Veterans and volunteers in Compassionate Contact Corps program
  • Months 4-6
    Make follow up calls to Veterans and volunteers. Mail program surveys.

Departments

  • Voluntary Services
  • Social work

Core Resources

Resource type Resource description
PEOPLE
  • Dedicated Voluntary Services Specialist
  • Social Worker 10-20% FTE
PROCESSES
  • Compassionate Contact Corps volunteer training handbook

Contact

Comment

Comments and replies are disabled for retired innovations and non-VA users.

Email

Email with questions about this innovation.

About

Origin story

In March 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, a group of social workers and voluntary service specialists from eight VA medical centers recognized the need to address Veteran loneliness and isolation. We developed the Compassionate Contact Corps to connect our VA volunteers on the phone or video calls with Veterans reporting loneliness to their clinic ... In March 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, a group of social workers and voluntary service specialists from eight VA medical centers recognized the need to address Veteran loneliness and isolation. We developed the Compassionate Contact Corps to connect our VA volunteers on the phone or video calls with Veterans reporting loneliness to their clinicians. By June 2020, the program had been successfully tested at those eight original sites; the feedback from Veterans, volunteers and clinicians was overwhelmingly positive. The success of Compassionate Contact Corps has been widely honored and recognized as a valuable social prescription program.

Original team

Lori Murphy

Social Worker

Anna Giesler

Voluntary Services Specialist

Search tags

Access to Care Age-Friendly Coordinated Care COVID-19 Employee Experience Geriatric Health Healthcare Administration Health Equity High Reliability Mental Health