VA Announces Action Plan
“Achieving the Promise: Transforming Mental Health Care in the VA” lists nine principles that guide the Department of Veterans Affairs' response to the New Freedom Commission on Mental Health:
Recognize mental health programs as uniquely important to veterans' overall health care. | |||||
Develop a system of care committed to providing equal importance and access to quality medical and mental health care. | |||||
Understand and value mental health as a public health issue requiring screening, prevention, and treatment programs as components of care. | |||||
Commit to recovery-based, veteran- and family-centered mental health programs. | |||||
Use best-practice and evidence-based interventions to promote the highest quality of care. | |||||
Ensure that collaborative care models are incorporated into the VA's primary care team structure. | |||||
Promote research programs based on recovery and finding means to prevent and cure mental illness. | |||||
Require cultural competence and diversity in the VA's programs and staff. For VA staff, a critical additional requirement for cultural competence is knowledge about military culture, veterans' experiences in different combat eras, and their impact on veterans' health. | |||||
Strive for continuous improvement in care for veterans with serious mental illness, including substance abuse disorders, and those who are homeless. | |||||
