Office of Health Equity

Tools

Virtual Health Equity Learning Hub

The Virtual Health Equity Learning Hub is a dedicated space located in the VA Virtual Medical Center (VA-VMC). The VA-VMC is a state of the art virtual VA hospital and online collaborative learning environment for Veterans, VA staff, and stakeholders. The Virtual Health Equity Learning Hub, located off the main lobby of the VA-VMC, provides a space where Veterans and stakeholders can meet, interact, and learn with others to discuss and understand health equity issues impacting Veterans. Login today to the VA-VMC and setup your account, create your personal avatar, and visit the Virtual Health Equity Learning Hub. How to Access the VA Virtual Medical Center Virtual Tour Preview Listserv Announcement March 12, 2018 - Virtual Health Equity Learning Hub for Veterans and Stakeholders Now Open November 7, 2017 - Attend the VA-VMC Health Equity Hub Virtual Open House Preview Sponsored by OHE

Virtual Patient Training Modules

The Virtual Patient Training Modules were created by OHE to assist  clinicians, non-clinicians, Veterans, and stakeholders in understanding the importance of assessing, and increasing competency, of health equity issues for Veterans. Training scenarios for each module are based on healthcare experiences of Veterans collected by OHE over the years. The intent is for users to hear the voices of vulnerable Veterans, learn about their experiences, and use this knowledge to reflect on everyday interactions between staff and vulnerable patients.

These training modules are available on the VA Talent Management System (TMS) for VA employees and VHA TRAIN, which is open to both VA employees and the general public.

	Determinants of Health and Healthcare for All Employees Description: Provides an awareness of Veteran populations that are at risk for health disparities, factors that put them at risk, and what you can do within your area of influence to move toward attaining the highest level of health for Veterans. TMS | TRAIN
	Casting the Health Equity Lens on Routine Check-up: Lucille F. 54 Description: Provides an interactive example of incorporating social determinants of health in the delivery of patient-focused care. TMS | TRAIN

Journeys with High Blood Pressure

Did you know that some Veterans, including some racial and ethnic minorities, experience higher rates of hypertension? A VA research team created a series of videos of patients discussing their experiences with high blood pressure and offering tips to take medications, talk to their health care providers, and make other changes. According to the 2016 study, Veterans who watched the videos, compared to those who did not watch the videos, reported greater intentions to:

• Become more physically active;
• Use salt substitutes;
• Talk openly with their doctor about hypertension; and
• Remember to take their hypertension medications.

The Office of Health Equity is pleased to be able to share these videos with Veterans and stakeholders. The short videos below feature stories from Veterans about high blood pressure and important resources.

Module 1 - Journeys with High Blood Pressure

Introduction	Danny	Morris	Patricia
Richard	Willie	What is High Blood Pressure	Diet and Exercise
Smoking and Alcohol	Taking Medications and Stress	Talking to Family, Friends and Doctors	Conclusion

Module 2 - Journeys with High Blood Pressure | Continuing Down the Road

Introduction	Allen	Dwayne	Morris
Patricia	Willie	What is High Blood Pressure	Diet and Exercise
Smoking and Alcohol	Taking Medications and Stress	Talking to Family, Friends and Doctors

VA National Veteran Health Equity Report Data Visualization Tool

OHE developed the Data Visualization Tool to supplement the National Veteran Health Equity Report. The National Veteran Health Equity Report details patterns and provides comparative rates of health conditions for vulnerable Veteran groups. Specifically, this report is designed to provide basic comparative information on the sociodemographics, utilization patterns and rates of diagnosed health conditions among the groups over which the VHA Office of Health Equity (OHE) has responsibility with respect to monitoring, evaluating and acting on identified disparities in access, use, care, quality and outcomes. The report allows the VA, Veterans, and stakeholders to monitor the care vulnerable Veterans receive and set goals for improving their care.

This tool allows users to interact with the data used in the National Veteran Health Equity Report. Click the title link or visit https://vha-healthequity.shinyapps.io/NVHER_Shiny/ to learn more about Veteran health equity issues.  

OHE Hepatitis C Virus – Advanced Liver Disease Disparities Dashboard

OHE developed a dashboard tool in an effort to promote equitable diagnosis and treatment of underserved Veterans with hepatitis C virus (HCV) and advanced liver disease (ALD). The Hepatitis C-ALD Dashboard utilizes a set of criteria - age, gender, geography, service era, race/ethnicity - to characterize Veteran groups with ALD due to hepatitis C who may require targeted intervention to improve their health.

On August 7, 2015, the VHA provided patient lists to VISNs of patients with ALD due to HCV. The Dashboard uses summarized data based on these lists. Visit http://www.va.gov/HEALTHEQUITY/Data.asp for more information on these publicly available data.

Click the title link or visit https://vha-healthequity.shinyapps.io/VHAOHE_HCV_Dash/ to learn more about Hepatitis C Virus and to examine the dashboard.  

Resources

• Focus on Health Equity and Action: Office of Health Equity Hepatitis C Virus-Advanced Liver Disease Disparities Dashboard
• Focus on Health Equity and Action: Treatment of HCV-ALD Among VHA Vulnerable Populations
• Office of Minority Health: Strategies to Address Hep C in African American Communities
• Office of Minority Health: Innovative Strategies for Addressing Hep C in Indian Country

Applying an Equity Lens

The Difference between Equality and Equity—Part 1

A quick search of the internet can provide various definitions for equality and equity; the subtle, yet important, and important differences in these concepts; and depictions to help the most novice person to recognize the difference distinguish between equality and equity. For the last point, the Office of Health Equity developed the Applying an Equity Lens depiction based on similar renderings. Our goal was is to be Veteran-centric in order to champion and raise awareness of health equity issues among Veterans, VHA staff, and stakeholders. [Read More]

 Download Image

Assess Health Equity as a Priority at Your Facility

One goal of the VHA Health Equity Action Plan is to strengthen and broaden leadership to address health disparities throughout the VA. Our new tool, the Competing on Health Equity – Organization Assessment, can help you consider if your organization (e.g., the facility where you receive care or the section in which your work) makes health equity a priority. The Assessment was developed by Harry L. Leider, MD, MBA and was modified for OHE use under appropriate permission.

VHA Providers Explore Unconscious Bias

VHA providers share their stories of creating awareness of unconscious bias within their clinical practice and how bias impacts us all. A bias is a tendency. Most biases are natural. However, biases can cause problems when we are not aware of them and we apply them inappropriately to our everyday choices, which can lead to discriminatory practices and result in poorer health outcomes and experiences for patients. The brief videos were created by the VA Office of Health Equity and Employee Education System in an effort to ensure all Veterans receive high quality and equitable healthcare. The videos were recorded April 2013.

• Developing Clinical Awareness (3:44)
• Impact on Clinical Practice (3:15)
• Importance of Knowing Your Own Bias (3:37)
• Health Equity Stories to Share (6:15)

VHA TRAIN Portal for CME Transgender Trainings

• An Introduction to Transgender Veteran Health Care
• Transgender Health: Prescribing Cross-Sex Hormones
• Transgender Mental Health Services Program

Military Health History Pocket Card

• http://www.va.gov/OAA/pocketcard/
  
  

Period of Service/Military Era Timeline

Veterans serving in different period(s) of service or military era(s) may experience unique health concerns. Take a moment to familiarize yourself with the time frames for each period of service/military era.

Suggested Citation: Veterans Health Administration Office of Health Equity. Timeline of U.S. Period of Service Eras. 2016. https://www.va.gov/HEALTHEQUITY/docs/Period_of_Service_Timeline_OHE10212016.pdf

Compendium of Publicly Available Datasets and Other Data-Related Resources

This resource was created by the National Partnership for Action to End Health Disparities (NPA) Federal Interagency Health Equity Team (FIHET) Data, Research and Evaluation Workgroup. The Compendium inlcudes datasets and resources from multiple federal agencies to assess and address health disparities.

• http://www.npa-rhec.org/fihet_compendium

Harvard Implicit Associations Test

• https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/education.html

 FDA Clinical Trial Diversity Educational Series

 

VA Office of Health Equity, in partnership with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Office of Minority Health, is pleased to share the Inclusion of Veterans in Clinical Trials video series featuring racial and ethnic minority Veterans describing the importance of minorities and Veteran participation in clinical trials. Clinical trials are an important type of research that determine whether medical products like medicines, vaccines, or devices are safe and effective. It is very important to make sure that diverse populations are included in clinical trials. This helps researchers find out if different populations respond to treatment differently and to make sure the population who would most likely benefit from the medical product is included in the clinical trial.

Inclusion of Veterans in Clinical Trials – Video 1, Video 2


The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has launched a series of educational videos and materials to raise awareness about the importance of minorities participating in clinical trials. These videos stress the importance of why diversity is needed to help ensure medical products are safe and effective for everyone.

• Video 1: Shirley’s Story: How to Find Information about Clinical Trials
• Video 2: Shirley’s Story: Getting Access to Cutting Edge Therapies
• Video 3: Shirley’s Story: You Don’t Have to be Sick to Participate
• Video 4: Shirley’s Story: Diversity is Critical to Making Better Medical Products
• Video 5: Shirley’s Story: Diversity is Critical to Making Better Medical Products (LONG)
• Video 6: Dr. Luciana Borio: FDA’s Role in Increasing Clinical Trial Diversity
• Infographic: 4 Ways to Be a #ClinicalTrialsChampion
• Dr. Jonca Bull’s Blog: Be A Champion for Clinical Trial Diversity
• Interview with Cariny Nunez, FDA Public Health Advisor [Spanish] - Part 1 | Part 2
• Latinos Can Make a Difference in Clinical Trials