Military/Civilian Partnerships: The Collective Impact of Collaboration Opportunities and Lessons Learned May 23, 2016

Presenters Christy Collette, MA, LMHC Outreach Specialist, MFRI Tom Page Executive Director, Michigan 2-1-1 Tom—I took the partnerships out to clean up slide, figured we can discuss them if that’s ok?

Military and Veteran Demographics and needs Identifying the Needs to Achieve Impact Military and Veteran Demographics and needs

Demographics Active Duty- 1,326,273 Reserve Component- 831,992 Veterans- 21,999,108 Family Members Active Duty: 1,802,615 Reserve Component: 1,084,069 http://download.militaryonesource.mil/12038/MOS/Reports/2014-Demographics-Report.pdf http://www.va.gov/vetdata/Veteran_Population.asp

Veterans in Poverty Women Veterans Men Veterans Increased chance of living in poverty as compared to civilians True across all ages 15.6% versus 9.4% Decreased chance of living in poverty as compared to civilian True across all ages 6.7% versus 12.9% http://www.va.gov/vetdata/docs/SpecialReports/Profile_of_Veterans_In_Poverty_2014.pdf

Homeless Veterans 2015 Point in Time Count 47,725 veterans homeless 36% decrease between 2010-2015 34% are unsheltered 11% of homeless are veterans 9% of homeless veterans are female http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/press/press_releases_media_advisories/2015/HUDNo_15-149

Veteran Suicide VA estimates 22 veterans per day complete suicide Veterans Crisis Line (800-273-8255) took 490,000 calls in 2015 Many veterans are not eligible for VA services From National Alliance to End Homelessness, April 2015 Fact Sheet on Veteran Homelessness

Indiana 2-1-1 Veteran Calls Caller’s Identified Needs Utilities (16%) Housing (15%) Income support (13%) Legal (10%) Health (8%) Who Calls: 70% Male Trends in Calls: +169% since 2012 Length of Calls: 12 Minutes I took the text out.. We can talk about how 70% are male, the increase in calls since 2012 and how each call is 12 minutes versus the 6 minute typical call…

Seeking Civilian Services Personal problems can effect military service Financial difficulties Domestic violence Guard/Reserve families and veterans can be isolated Lack of access to bases and services Not necessarily near a VA or CBOC Not all veterans are eligible for VA services Era of service Discharge status

Reasons for Calling 2-1-1 Unfamiliar w/ community resources Particularly true when transitioning from active duty to veteran status Lack of understanding of military culture among civilian providers Stigma of asking for help

Why public/private partnerships are necessary Working Together to Achieve Impact Why public/private partnerships are necessary

The Push For Partnership: From The Top August 2012 Executive Order “The VA… shall include recommendations that medical centers and service networks use community-based providers to help meet veterans’ mental health needs.” August 2014 Executive Action Encourages public/private partnerships to address employment, homelessness (especially for women vets), and transitioning to civilian life for service members and their families

The Push For Partnership: From The Top Joint Chiefs of Staff October 2013 “Public-private partnerships are critical to improving the support network for our nation’s Military Family… Only through effective public-private partnerships will we witness the full potential of concerted resources applied against a common challenge: the successful reintegration of Veterans and their families into our respective communities.” Army regulation 600-63 on Army Health Promotion: “The GC (General Command) is responsible for synchronizing, integrating, and linking services, infrastructure, and operational support to Soldiers, Families, and senior commanders to enable a ready and resilient Army. This support extends from garrisons to encompass comprehensive communication and outreach to local communities to engage and encourage community leaders and programs in collaborative partnerships to support all Components.”

“Public-private partnerships offer a potential opportunity to improve the standard of current care for veterans and their families.” ‘Public-Private Partnerships for Providing Behavioral Health Care to Veterans and Their Families’ - RAND Corporation, 2015

Partnerships succeed when they: They have a champion Have Stakeholder Support Have a Clear Description of what they want to accomplish Draw on the strengths of both the public and private partners Have a sustainability plan Are Flexible A champion is needed. Typically, key people within the public agency take the lead on creating the partnership. Stakeholder support is critical. Support from the nonpublic communities involved in the partnership is necessary at the regional and local levels. Successful public-private partnerships develop a clear description of the plan for addressing the established need and consider the risks in addition to the benefits likely to emerge from the partnership. Successful public-private partnerships draw on the strengths of the public and the private entities so that both can work together toward a common goal. Sustainability is important to ensure that the partnership is making an impact on the targeted systems or populations. Flexibility is key. Partners need to be flexible in adapting to technological innovations, information technology, needs of the target population, funding environments, and changes to strategic objectives over time. ‘Public-Private Partnerships for Providing Behavioral Health Care to Veterans and Their Families’ - RAND Corporation, 2015

Partnerships Partnerships succeed when they: Have a champion Have stakeholder support Have a clear description of what they want to accomplish Draw on the strengths of public AND private partners Have a sustainability plan Are flexible Public-Private Partnerships for Providing Behavioral Health Care to Veterans and Their Families’ RAND Corporation, 2015

Partnerships Need for partnerships to support service members, veterans and their families A coordinated, integrated approach is necessary to address all needs including: Employment Reintegration Physical health Behavioral health Legal Education

Getting Started Identify the strengths and needs of veterans and military population in your community Identify existing resources and gaps Identify veterans who are using your services Track/report needs Increase your cultural competency to serve this population SBHP

Finding Partners Local bases Reserve Units (including National Guard) Joining Community Forces initiatives Social service providers Food pantries Homeless shelters Local FSSA Community action groups (i.e. Chamber of Commerce) Veteran service orgs (i.e. American Legion, VFW) VA medical facilities County veteran service officers

Building Relationships Reach out to National Guard Family Assistance Centers Under directive to develop database of community (Michigan’s only has 97 resources) Meeting with your Army OneSource State Liaisons Their goal is building community capacity to serve all veterans/all branches Explore VECI- Veterans Economic Community Initiatives In major metro areas designed to build community capacity Veteran Treatment Courts

Challenges of Military/Civilian Partnerships Different cultures Different approaches to problem solving Funding Systems may be over-extended Organizational policies Conflicting mandates/organizational goals

Success Stories

Panel Discussion