Updates from the VA Office of Health Equity from VHA Office of Health Equity April FHEA focus on minority Veterans & benefits use; Health Equity Day and Video Keynote, May Mental Health Month, Suicide Prevention for Wednesday, 26 April 2017

Updates from the VA Office of Health Equity from VHA Office of Health Equity
April FHEA focus on minority Veterans & benefits use; Health Equity Day and Video Keynote, May Mental Health Month, Suicide Prevention for Wednesday, 26 April 2017

Announcements
Wednesday, April 26, 2017
Register for Tomorrow's Focus on Health Equity and Action Cyberseminar – Military Service History and VA Benefit Utilization for Minority Veterans

April’s Focus on Health Equity and Action Cyberseminar is dedicated to National Minority Health Month. The session will focus on minority Veteran’s military service history and use of VA benefits. Event description and registration information is below.
Military Service History and VA Benefit Utilization for Minority Veterans
Thursday, April 27, 2017
3:00 – 4:00 pm EST
Register
Event Description
VHA Office of Health Equity is pleased to partner with the VA Center for Minority Veterans for April’s session in observation of National Minority Health Month. April’s Focus on Health Equity and Action Cyberseminar session spotlights the recently released Minority Veterans Report: Military Service History and VA Benefit Utilization Statistics report from the VA Data Governance and Analytics office. This new report increases our understanding of racial and ethnic minority Veterans, their use of VA benefits and services, as well as the impact of military service on their lives post-military. April’s session will 1) discuss the new report and the role of social and economic determinants of health; 2) highlight VA actions to advance health equity for minority Veterans; and 3) explore additional ways to best to serve these American Heroes.
Confirmed Speakers
Tom Garin, DPA
Director, Statistics and Analytics Service, VA Office of Enterprise Integration, Washington, DC
Barbara Ward, BSN, MPA
Director, VA Center for Minority Veterans, Washington, DC
Uchenna S. Uchendu, MD
Chief Officer, Office of Health Equity, Washington, DC
Tamara Lee, MS
Statistician, Statistics and Analytics Service, VA Office of Enterprise Integration, Washington, DC
Background Resources
Department of Veterans Affairs. (2017). Minority Veterans Report: Military Service History and VA Benefit Utilization Statistics. Data Governance and Analytics, Department of Veterans Affairs, Washington, DC. Available online at https://www.va.gov/vetdata/docs/SpecialReports/Minority_Veterans_Report.pdf.
Register
Visit the Office of Health Equity website at http://www.va.gov/healthequity/ for more details about Veteran health equity issues, VA’s strategic plan to achieve health equity for Veterans (Health Equity Action Plan), and to learn more about the Focus on Health Equity and Action Cyberseminar series.
VA Western New York Healthcare System Celebrates Health Equity Day with Free Workshops and Keynote from OHE Chief Officer

The VA Western New York Healthcare System kicked off their inaugural Health Equity Day on Tuesday, April 25, 2017. The event was designed to raise awareness and bridge gaps in Veteran health care disparities. The theme of the event was “Weaving the Tapestry of Care” and featured workshops addressing issues of health care disparities among vulnerable Veteran groups. The full day of free workshops were targeted to and attended by VA health care professionals, Veterans, and community members.
According to one of the organizers, Dr. Ursuline Bankhead, “Our goal is to learn and share best practices from VA and community leaders specifically to address health care disparities. Addressing the impact of population differences can improve the overall health outcomes for each individual patient.” Dr. Uchenna S. Uchendu, OHE Chief Officer, delivered a video keynote and the event was covered in the local newspaper, The Buffalo Times.
View Video Keynote
May is Mental Health Awareness Month – How Can You Get Involved?

“May is #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth. #UseYourVoice to spread the word and support our Nation's #Veterans: http://thndr.me/CYbrdK”
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. The Office of Health Equity is pleased to partner with VA’s Make the Connection campaign to raise awareness of mental health, effective treatments, and efforts to support those who face mental health challenges.
VA’s Make the Connection campaign encourages Veterans, Servicemembers, and their families to connect with local sources of mental health support when they need them. Here is how you can get involved.
Veterans and their supporters can do this through the interactive website, MaketheConnection.net which features information about symptoms, conditions, and treatment options along with hundreds of Veterans’ stories of strength and recovery. These powerful, personal stories are the heart of VA’s efforts to demonstrate that treatment works and that recovery is possible.
Thunderclap: Your Facebook page can participate in a nationwide call to action across social media by using the Thunderclap platform, releasing to all your fans a message that helps VA raise awareness. A Thunderclap is a synchronized, global release to fans of all the organizations and users that sign up to participate, creating tremendous social media buzz. This activity is approved by VHA Communications and VA’s Office of Public Affairs. Don’t miss this opportunity to support Veterans and the positive mental health narrative that VA is creating. Sign up for the release on May 1 and learn more.
Use Your Voice For Veterans
Health Equity Literature Focusing on Suicide Prevention
Did you know that in the United States suicide is the 10th leading cause of death?
Suicide prevention is a major priority for the Department of Veterans Affairs. The VHA Office of Health Equity (OHE) is helping to bring awareness of suicide risk and prevalence among Veterans. Some populations of Veterans may be at increased risk.
Here is a recent article that OHE is pleased to share in order to raise awareness of this very important issue.
Population Mental Health among U.S. Military Veterans: Results of the Veterans Health Module of the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2011–2012
John R. Blosnich, PhD; MPH, Lisa A. Brenner, PhD; and Robert M. Bossarte, PhD
Purpose: To examine mental health indicators, in aggregate and stratified by sex, among a population-based sample of U.S. military veterans.
Methods: Data are from veteran who completed the Veterans Health Module (VHM) of the 2011 and 2012 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (n = 10,406). VHM items included lifetime diagnoses of mental illnesses, service in a combat zone, sources of mental health care, and past 12-month suicidal ideation and attempt. We used weighted, multiple logistic regression models, adjusted for sociodemographics, to examine differences in suicidal ideation and attempt among men and women.

Results: Overall, 5.0% of the sample reported recent suicidal ideation and 1.0% reported attempting suicide. Among men, unemployment was positively associated with suicidal ideation, and combat exposure was negatively associated with suicidal ideation. Being separated, divorced, or widowed was positively associated with suicidal ideation among women. After adjusting for sociodemographic and VHM variables, veterans who sought mental health treatment from both Veterans Affairs (VA) and non-VA facilities had more than fourfold increased odds of suicidal ideation than veteran who sought mental health treatment from only VA facilities (adjusted odds ratio = 4.02; 95% confidence interval 1.23–13.13).
Conclusions: Correlates of suicidal ideation differ between male and female veterans. Veterans who use both non-VA and VA facilities for mental health services may have greater risk of self-directed violence.
Citation: Blosnich, J.R., Brenner, L.A. and Bossarte, R.M. (2016). Population mental health among US military veterans: Results of the Veterans Health Module of the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2011–2012. Annals of Epidemiology, 26(8), pp.592-596. Available online at http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1047279716301685.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
810 Vermont Avenue, NW Washington DC 20420
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