Institute for Learning, Education and Development (ILEAD)
ILEAD Supports National Health Efforts
Whole Health (WH) foundational training is critical for all primary care and mental health team members, including administrative members, as VA continues the transformation to a Whole Health system of care
A wide variety of the Institute for Leadership, Education and Development (ILEAD) employees provided support for national efforts regarding Whole Health foundational training, both clinical and non-clinical.
Whole Health (WH) foundational training is critical for all primary care and mental health team members, including administrative members, as VA continues the transformation to a WH system of care. The Whole Health in Primary Care and Mental Health Integrated Project Team has endorsed revisions (i.e., expansion of training beyond providers only and a temporary suspension of training targets and related metrics) in response to demands and barriers imposed by the pandemic. These revisions include a team-based approach for all primary care and mental health team members. The metric remains focused on completion of WH foundational training, which includes an overview of what a WH approach to clinical care entails and the foundational skills needed for a broader understanding of the WH system of approach for all team members.
The revised WH foundational training metric for the first phase requires that WH foundational training be provided to 50% of primary care and mental health team members at 18 flagship sites.
More than 56,000 training reportable completions from a host of VISNs and myriad program offices have taken these clinical and non-clinical training courses. Over 100 targeted courses are available on a variety of platforms, including videos, virtual conferences, face-to-face programs, e-learning courses and more. EES assisted the Offices of Primary Care, Mental Health and Whole Health in providing 327,194.25 accredited continuing education unit (CEU) hours in support of this effort.
ILEAD support was from multiple divisions, including Events, Broadcast and Video, and eLearning.
These efforts were highlighted in the U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on Building a Thriving Health Workforce report: “The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) implements a Whole Health System (WHS) of care that aims to empower and equip Veterans and VA employees to take charge of their health and well-being. The WHS approach includes active encouragement of multi-disciplinary committees and coordinators to support a culture of well-being and resiliency, as well as resources for leaders and staff, such as needs assessments and evaluation mechanisms; early outcomes suggest a meaningful impact on employees personally and professionally.”
Employee WH is also supporting the VHA REBOOT Task Force in building a workplace where every employee can find purpose, fulfillment and joy in their work. The REBOOT Task Force has two main workstreams: Organizational Design and Employee Well-Being. The ILEAD Events, Broadcast and eLearning divisions have supported training to promote healthy work-life integration through a WH approach, supporting employee well-being, and strengthening VHA’s supervisor and leadership culture to foster employee well-being.
