National Center for Healthcare Advancement and Partnerships
Veteran Community Partnerships
Lebanon VCP finds success through co-led collaboration
The Lebanon Veteran Community Partnership (VCP) primarily focuses on hospice and palliative care by making Veterans more comfortable during their end of life. In addition to this work, the VCP offers supportive services for family members whose Veteran loved ones are in hospice and plans to expand the network and resources by working with additional community providers and Veteran Service Organizations.
By combining the efforts of a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) staff member and a community provider, VCP co-chairs offer mutual value and support when sharing knowledge and advice about health care and benefits from within and outside of VA.
In the past year, Mr. Douglas Etter, the chief communications officer of the Lebanon VA medical center, joined forces with the community partner and Bereavement Care Coordinator, Mr. Kevin Cross, to serve as co-chairs of Lebanon, Pennsylvania, VCP. Together, they address the unique needs of Veterans in their community. With the same desired goals and respect for the military and Veteran communities, Mr. Etter and Mr. Cross found success in this co-led collaboration. They estimate that the VCP has helped thousands of Veterans.
“The VA can't do everything alone,” said Mr. Etter. “There are great patriots outside of VA and outside of the military, people with skill sets that want to serve and help Veterans.”
“It's great to have both Doug in his position and me as nonmilitary to blend both worlds,” Mr. Cross said. “We can meet the needs of our Veterans and their families in whatever situation they might find themselves.”
Their collaboration consistently improves the quality of care for the members of the Lebanon VCP. For example, the co-chairs asked a Veteran advocate to present at a VCP meeting about the benefits available to Veterans, helped families apply for benefits, and solved barriers families faced when accessing financial resources and obtaining necessary equipment of care from VA.
“If we can make those connections and make pragmatic help, then we can benefit these brave men and women,” Mr. Etter said.
During the coronavirus pandemic, the Lebanon VCP helped Veterans, their families, and caregivers by sharing recommendations on how family members could connect with loved ones in facilities through virtual communication channels like FaceTime and Zoom. They also provided health care workers with a presentation that shared recommendations on how to deal with burnout since that was a challenge for many of the Lebanon VCP members who work in health care facilities.
Recently, they partnered with Wreaths Across America—an organization that honors Veterans with wreath-laying ceremonies at more than 2,500 locations across the nation. The Lebanon VCP will assist individuals struggling during honoring events by providing support and immediate grief counseling to participants.
VCPs establish a partnership between VA staff and community partners to enhance the quality of care for Veterans, identify programs and resources to assist caregivers, and increase awareness in the community about the needs of Veterans. Since 2020, more than 8,000 Veterans have attended a VCP meeting, event, or received a resource guide with additional information about offerings available for Veterans.
If you would like to learn how to get involved in your local VCP, visit https://www.va.gov/healthpartnerships/vcp.asp.
The VCP program is a collaboration between the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Office of Geriatrics and Extended Care and National Center for Healthcare Advancement and Partnerships (HAP) with support from other VHA offices, including Rural Health, Care Management and Social Work, Caregiver Support, Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, and Center for Development and Civic Engagement.
Currently, there are more than 59 VCP locations active with 432 VA staff and 1,019 community partners. VHA plans to establish a VCP at every VAMC by September 2024, with an emphasis on expanding the use of home and community-based services, modernizing healthy aging, increasing the use of technology, and fostering expertise in geriatrics.
Read more about HAP at https://www.va.gov/HEALTHPARTNERSHIPS/index.asp.
External Link Disclaimer: This page contains links that will take you outside of the Department of Veterans Affairs website. VA does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of the linked websites.
Posted April 25, 2022
