National Center for Healthcare Advancement and Partnerships
OCE Partnerships and COVID-19
American College of Emergency Physicians, a VHA partner directly fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, makes information and resources available to the public
A Veterans Health Administration (VHA) partner is on the front lines of the battle against the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), which partnered with VHA in 2018, advances emergency care on behalf of millions of patients as well as its 40,000 emergency physician members, many of whom are risking their lives daily to provide care to patients affected by COVID-19.
ACEP, a nonprofit corporation, has a mission to offer quality emergency medicine and emergency care to everyone, including Veterans. VHA and ACEP identified several goals for their partnership: to educate non-VHA community emergency department providers on Veterans benefits and VHA resources; to provide non-VHA medical professionals with education around Veteran-specific care; and to place additional qualified emergency medicine professionals in VHA.
ACEP recently issued critical guidance to the public about how to combat the spread of COVID-19: “Stay home, save lives.” This VHA partner has issued many resources to keep Veterans and the public informed during this pandemic, such as: “Stop the Spread: A Patient Guide to the Novel Coronavirus” (COVID-19); tips on minimizing the risk of contracting the virus; and guidance on how to determine whether a person should visit an emergency department. Many other resources and reports from ACEP can be found here.
Since the partners came together in support of Veteran patients, more resources are available in emergency departments, VHA has been able to implement technologies made available by ACEP, and Veterans’ access to VHA’s tele-urgent care program has expanded. This partnership is managed by VHA’s Office of Specialty Care Services and facilitated by VHA’s Office of Community Engagement (OCE). OCE supports many partnerships throughout VHA that directly support Veterans’ access to quality health care.
“We could not be more grateful for and humbled by the service of ACEP’s emergency professionals who have been working with VHA on behalf of Veterans for many months,” said OCE’s Nurse Executive Dr. Tracy L. Weistreich. “This VHA partner is doing the critical work of not only caring directly for affected patients but providing information to the public that can offer some clarity in this potentially overwhelming moment.”
OCE supports this partnership and many others throughout VHA. Many VHA offices utilize OCE’s partnership expertise to create and strengthen collaborations with nongovernmental organizations. For more information about OCE’s work, please visit https://www.va.gov/healthpartnerships/index.asp.
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Posted April 28, 2020
