Employing Peer Outreach and Whole Health in Recovery (EMPOWER) for Homeless-Experienced Veterans: A Hybrid Type III Implementation Trial (QUE 25-014)
VA Office of Research and Development
Summary
Homelessness is a national crisis in the United States, particularly in the veteran population. Due to multiple chronic conditions, homeless individuals frequently become hospitalized or are treated in emergency departments. Care engagement can mitigate this risk. Interventions grounded in evidence-based practices of peer support and whole health are effective for increasing care engagement. However, implementation of such interventions with high-acuity patients often requires strategies that are intensive and costly. This trial will evaluate the relative impacts and costs of using a high-intensity (vs. low-intensity) strategy to implement a peer-led, whole health intervention for homeless-experienced veterans in permanent supportive housing.
Description
Background: Homelessness is a national crisis in the United States, particularly in the Veteran population. Due to multiple chronic conditions, homeless individuals have elevated risk for acute care service use. Engagement in primary and specialty care can mitigate this risk. Interventions grounded in evidence-based practices of peer support, patient-centered care, and whole health are effective for increasing service engagement. However, implementation of such interventions with high-acuity patients often requires multi-component strategies that are intensive and costly. This study protocol d…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 18+ years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- No
Inclusion Criteria: * Eligible patients will be identified from VA's Homeless Registry "Hot Spot" reports, which use real-time data on acute care service utilization to identify high-need, housing-insecure patients. * These reports identify Veterans on the VA Homeless Registry (i.e., those who had received VA housing services in the past two years) who had \>1 hospital admissions and/or \>2 ED visits in the past quarter of the fiscal year. * From these reports, the investigators will identify patients at each implementation site who are * (a) currently enrolled in HUD-VASH * (b) have a m…
Interventions
- BehavioralEmploying Peer Outreach and Whole Health in Recovery (EMPOWER)
EMPOWER is a multicomponent intervention to facilitate homeless-experienced veterans' (HEVs) care engagement: (DATA ANALYTICS) HUD-VASH case managers identify high-need, HUD-VASH Veterans on the Homeless Registry Hot Spot Report. Veterans' profiles are reviewed to learn about their chronic health conditions, housing status, acute care use, and engagement in supportive care. (PEER SUPPORT): HUD-VASH peers meet with identified Veterans for up to six months, averaging once-per week sessions for the first three months, with step-down in frequency as Veterans begin to engage in services and reach their goals. (WHOLE HEALTH): During sessions, peers use a Whole Health approach to collaboratively develop personal health goals that align with the Veteran's priorities and values-e.g, help Veterans completing a Personal Health Inventory and developing a Personal Health Plans. Provider communications: Peers communicate with a Veteran's care providers to share the Veteran's personal health goals.
Location
- VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CAPalo Alto, California