VA RFQ and PWS: Whole Health Innovation Project Expansion

Notice ID 36C24822Q1064

1 Background

VA Caribbean Healthcare System (672) is a 1a facility, part of the VA Sunshine Healthcare Network (VISN 8). VACHS is like no other facility in the Nation because it provides treatment mainly to underserved Veterans from the Caribbean region, who are facing incredible psychosocial challenges after experiencing several natural disasters in the last 3 years (hurricanes, earthquakes and tropical storms) and now the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, it provides clinical care mainly to Spanish speaking Veterans with unique cultural characteristics. Lastly, and based on the above, clinical providers face enormous challenges to implement new programs without the educational and technological resources available for the rest of the Veterans’ community. The implementation of new programs in VACHS requires a significant amount of time and energy as it translates, adapts and prepares educational materials and web-based tools in Spanish to have them available as part of the clinical care. This reality causes a significant delay in the implementation of new programs and affects our day to day operations as well as negatively impacts the experience of care of our Veterans and providers.

1.1 Scope

The project scope is the continue development of the Web-based library for the Spanish speaking Whole Health Clinical Care Community to add additional Whole Health educational materials, videos, and an interactive PHI coaching/education tool accessible to Spanish speaking Veterans and their families across the nation. The proposed timeline to accomplish the goals delineated in this innovation project is one year after the award is made. The proposed website to be utilized for this project is already in place and manage by VA. The proposed website will also support providers and Veterans from other facilities to have accessible educational materials and resources translated and adapted for the Spanish speaking population of Veterans and their families…