Veterans Health Administration’s Whole Health System of Care: Supporting the Health, Well-Being, and Resiliency of Employees

Abstract

The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is implementing a Whole Health System (WHS) of care that empowers and equips Veterans to take charge of their health and well-being and live their lives to the fullest, and increasingly leaders recognize the need and value in implementing a similar approach to support the health and well-being of employees. The purpose of this paper is to do the following: 1) provide an overview of the WHS of care in VHA and applicability in addressing employee resiliency; 2) provide a brief history of employee well-being efforts in VHA to date; 3) share new priorities from VHA leadership as they relate to Employee Whole Health strategy and implementation; and 4) provide a summary of the impacts of WHS of care delivery on employees. The WHS of care utilizes all therapeutic, evidence-based approaches to support self-care goals and personal health planning. Extending these approaches to employees builds upon 10 years of foundational work supporting employee health and well-being in VHA. In 2017, one facility in each of the 18 Veterans Integrated Service Networks (VISNs) in VHA was selected to participate in piloting the WHS of care with subsequent evaluation by VA’s Center for Evaluating Patient-Centered Care (EPCC). Early outcomes, from an employee perspective, suggest involvement in the delivery of the WHS of care and personal use of the whole health approach have a meaningful impact on the well-being of employees and how they experience the workplace. During the COVID-19 pandemic, VHA has continued to support employees through virtual resources to support well-being and resiliency. VHA's shift to this patient-centered model is supporting not only Veteran care but also employee health and well-being at a time when increased support is needed.

A Multi-Site Evaluation of A National Employee Wellness Initiative at the Department of Veterans Affairs

“…Using contextual analysis qualitative coding techniques, TMS course offerings were coded into two main categories: 1) training related to delivering whole health care and 2) employee whole health offerings on self-care and wellness topics based on the Circle of Health. 5 Training on whole health delivery was further divided into the following sub-categories: • Foundational education courses (i.e., Whole Health 102, Whole Health Principles etc. ); • Peer-to-Peer learning opportunities (i.e., Communities of Practice, Peer-to-Peer conferences); • Whole health teaching and facilitation skills (i.e., Whole health facilitation, health coaching); • Procedural skills (i.e., battlefield acupuncture, massage therapy); • Integration/Implementation (i.e., Whole Health in Primary Care, Whole Health in Your Practice) …”

“…Using contextual analysis qualitative coding techniques, TMS course offerings were coded into two main categories: 1) training related to delivering whole health care and 2) employee whole health offerings on self-care and wellness topics based on the Circle of Health. 5 Training on whole health delivery was further divided into the following sub-categories:…”

Meeting the Needs of Rural Veterans: A Qualitative Evaluation of Whole Health Coaches’ Expanded Services and Support during COVID-19

“…In 2018, the United States (US) Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Office of Patient Centered Care and Cultural Transformation began implementing the Whole Health (WH) initiative, an integrative health approach empowering and equipping Veterans to take charge of their health and wellbeing [ 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 ]. WH coaches have been at the front lines of efforts to transform the VHA from a disease-focused healthcare model to one of “creating health” in partnership with patients [ 8 , 21 , 22 ]; as such, they are helping to shift the conversation from “What is the matter with you?” to “What matters to you?” [ 23 , 24 ]. As of 2021, the VHA had trained close to 2000 Whole Health coaches [ 25 ], and by mid-2022, the Whole Health Coaching course had been provided to more than 3215 VHA staff members (personal communication).…”

Training Interprofessional Staff in Whole Health Clinical Care at the Veterans Health Administration

“…Another critical element of the WHS is prioritization of VHA employee health, well-being, and resiliency, which can also support burnout mitigation strategies. 1-4…”