VACO OFFICE OF MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES UPDATE

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VACO OFFICE OF MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES UPDATE

• Antonette M. Zeiss, Ph.D.
• Deputy Chief Consultant,
• Office of Mental Health Services
• Department of Veterans Affairs

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GROWTH IN PSYCHOLOGY STAFF

• Psychology staffing levels going up
• Staffing will continue to go up as funded
  positions are filled
• Recruitment incentives have been added to speed
  hiring
• Promotion to GS 14 /15 is a barrier to
  recruitment and retention of Psychologists

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PSYCHOLOGY STAFF GS 11-15
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PSYCHOLOGY STAFF GS14-15
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PSYCHOLOGY STAFF GS15
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MENTAL HEALTH INITIATIVE FUNDED POSITIONS IN
PSYCHOLOGY

• FY 2005 118 psychologist positions
• FY 2006 227 psychologist positions
• FY 2007 465 psychologist positions to date
• TOTAL 810

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SPECIFIC MAJOR AREAS OF PSYCHOLOGY STAFF AWARDS

• Integrated care
• MH provider in CBOCs 301 sites, 82 Psychologists
• Home Based Primary Care 108 Psychologists
• MH provider in Primary Care Clinic 101
  Psychologists in co-located, collaborative care
  or blended model
• Local Recovery Coordinators

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HR RECRUITMENT PACKAGE

• Employee referral program
• Educational conferences and job fairs
• Ad materials
• Education debt reduction program
• no takers - ???

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OTHER TOPICS/ACTIONS OVERSIGHT

• Monthly monitoring of hiring and spending
  associated Performance Monitor
• Please help facilities/VISNs prepare
• targets of change are HR and facility Directors
• OMHS program review update
• GPRA requirement
• Facility survey about to be sent
• Please help complete

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VA AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS

• IOM CP PTSD report
• Evaluation and certification update
• VA requested and welcomes
• Response forthcoming
• DoD Mental Health Task Force
• Congressionally mandated
• Major focus is DoD mental health care
• Some attention to continuity of care with VA

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• VA/DoD joint Mental Health Work Group
• Part of efforts to enhance collaboration
• Various efforts, including dissemination,
  information sharing
• Commission on Accreditation
• Expanded slots for internship and postdoc
  positions
• No specific VA slots, but great respect for and
  expectation of VA representation
• I serve on recommendation committee

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MEDICAL STAFF

• Not all medical facilities have Psychologists as
  members of medical staff with clinical privileges
• Two issues fairness and CP eligibility
• Instructed by Dr. Kussman to develop directive to
  make medical staff membership a required standard

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EVIDENCE-BASED CARE

• Central to MHSP
• Goal ensure that psychotherapies shown to be
  effective are available to veterans
• Actions to promote dissemination at full skill
  level, not just didactic exposure, for PTSD
• Cognitive Processing Therapy
• Prolonged Exposure Therapy
• Two EBP centers to promote PSR and EBP for other
  mental health problems

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MONITORING IMPACT

• Not randomized, controlled trial methodology
• The goal is to create a process in which
• Implementation of evidence-based practice becomes
  a reality
• Problems in implementation are identified and
  addressed

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SUPPLEMENTAL BUDGET

• Perhaps another 120 to 150 million
• No year money
• Grows out of Congressional concern that we do
  everything possible to meet needs of OEF/OIF vets