HJNO Nov/Dec 2019

Healthcare Journal of NEW ORLEANS I  NOV / DEC 2019 19 Editor What are the medical issues most commonly treated? Rivera  Locally, veterans have similar medi- cal issues to the population of the city of New Orleans: high blood pressure, diabe- tes, COPD, heart disease, and mental health conditions. One thing VA does differently from many other health care systems, is our integrated approach to pain treatment. Many veterans have chronic pain issues as a result of their time in service, and we pro- vide a comprehensive pain program that is unique in the city. Editor  Can you describe some of the treat- ment modalities for PTSD? Rivera  VA is a leader in treating post-trau- matic stress. In fact, this focus is not new for us at all. We’ve been at it a long time; we know what works, what doesn’t, and what patients should be cautious about. We have a National Center for PTSD that works to advance care for people who have expe- rienced trauma. The latest science tells us that trauma-focused psychotherapies are effective, along with medication, where appropriate. Trauma-focused psychotherapies use different techniques to help people pro- cess the trauma they experienced. Apatient may be asked to visualize or talk about the trauma while undergoing treatment such as prolonged exposure, cognitive processing therapy, or eye movement desensitization and reprocessing. We offer group therapy, as well as individual treatment, and a variety of activities such as music therapy, to help veterans meet their personal health goals. Through our Whole Health initiative, we work with veterans to help identify their values and priorities, and then set goals that link their health to what brings meaning to their life. Different techniques will work for different people, but what’s most important is that people know treatment is effective, and recovery is possible. Editor What does the future look like for veteran care and Southeast Louisiana Vet- erans Health Care System? Rivera   The future of veteran care and SLVHCS is our continuous journey to high reliability health care. We are adopting the principles of other highly reliable orga- nizations that operate in highly complex systems, such as the aviation and nuclear industries. We’re continuously learning and improving, with a goal of zero preventable harm. We can reach that goal by providing well-coordinated, safe patient care. Helping veterans meet their personal health goals is also an important aspect to health care. Beyond just coming to us when they are not feeling well, we want to help veterans in taking their health care to the next level. We started our Whole Health initiative in 2017 to support trauma sur- vivors, but we’re growing this program to support all veterans. Whether it’s quitting smoking, or just getting healthy enough to keep up with a grandchild for an hour, we are working toward helping our veterans identify those health goals, and then pro- viding them with the resources they need to do that. We’re setting up systems so that providers can track these goals and review them with veterans at their appointments each year. Imagine going in for an annual checkup and discussing your personal health goals, whether you met them, and if not, howwe can partner to help you do just that. We are a health care system that wants to care for veterans fully, and not just for individual ailments. VA health care has done a great deal in recent years to change perceptions. We’ve also greatly expanded health care choices for when, where, and how veterans receive care. As we continue to demonstrate to vet- erans that VA is the health care system best suited to meet their needs, I believe more will choose to use the health care benefits they have earned. n