Phoenix VA Employee Selected as Facility and VISN 22 Peer of the Year

Floyd has worked with Veterans since 2000 in the civilian sector and in Arizona since 2011 but started as a peer specialist at the Phoenix VA Health Care System in March of 2015.

“I am deeply humbled and profoundly honored to receive this award,” said Floyd. I am immensely grateful to those who nominated me, as well as the ‘Peer Heroes’ who have mentored, supported, and guided me throughout my journey at the VA and beyond.”

U.S. Army Veteran Brandon Lee and one of Kevin’s many mentees had this to say when he heard of Kevin receiving these two prestigious awards. “Kevin has been extremely pivotal in my life while I was facing legal issues, addictions, and many other challenges coming home from deployment; His guidance and willingness to be a man of character to someone much younger than himself gave me the tools I needed to fight the demons I had and Kevin has just been a great example to me when I hadn’t had many good examples since getting out.”  

Peer specialists are Veterans who have a personal lived experience of recovery from a mental health condition, and they receive specialized certification training and supervision to inspire hope and provide support to other Veterans who are currently experiencing challenges with their health and personal wellness. The annual Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Facility and VISN Peer Specialist of the Year Award recognizes a peer specialist with exemplary work performance who has demonstrated leadership within the VHA peer specialist health care profession and made substantial contributions to the recovery and wellness of Veterans.

In the past year, Floyd has engaged in several activities to improve patient care and to enhance awareness of the role of a Peer Specialist. Floyd has been trained as a master trainer for Honest Open and Proud (HOP), an innovative group intervention taught by individuals in recovery to help others explore whether, to whom, and how to disclose their mental health experiences to reduce self-stigma. He has collaborated with the Peer Specialist leads in VISN 22 to train the Peer Specialists in the mental health service line at the Carl T. Hayden VA Medical Center and he has also been a mentor for the National Peer Mentor and Mentee program and has provided support to at least three new peers across the nation. Additionally, Floyd is enrolled in the LITE program to learn leadership skills with a focus on documentation.

Kevin attributes his success as a Peer Mentor to the many mentors he has had throughout his career. “Early in my journey, I learned the powerful truth that ‘when the student is ready, the teacher will appear.’ When I became ready, many teachers appeared, shaping and molding me into a ‘Light that sits on a hill that can't be hidden,’ and that light has become a beacon of hope for all those I encounter,” said Floyd. “The list of individuals who have touched my life is too extensive to name, but each one holds a special place in my heart.” 

The most significant contribution Mr. Floyd has made is the collaboration between the acute mental health units and the outpatient SUD programs.  He has developed a recovery group that he offers weekly to the Veterans in the hospital and offers an outpatient group to bridge the transition from the hospital to an outpatient setting while enrolling in formal treatment. He also provides resource information and collaborates with other VAs within our VISN and national to help to bridge the Veterans discharge from the Carl T. Hayden VA Medica Center to the Veterans’ home hospital to minimize gaps in care. There has been a total of 55 unique Veterans attending this group with 197 visits. Veterans have identified that Floyd provides a strong sense of support and encouragement and gets them excited about their recovery.  Floyd has been a strong advocate for improved patient care processes and being the voice of the Veterans. 

U.S. Army Veteran Vanessa Lebold who served six years active in the U.S. Army and six in Active Reserve is a testament to Kevin’s successful achievements and credits improvements in her life to Kevin helping her while she was going through some challenges. 

“I was part of the group that was on the fifth floor of the hospital,” said Lebold. “Kevin gave me a bunch of resources and advice on how to get my mental health back on track. I had a lot of depression and trauma, and I was not in a safe place to take care of myself and be around other people, Kevin gave me some resources and connected me with a doctor that could help me as well as got me into a residential program which I really needed. Now, I feel a lot better, am home with my son, have a dog, and life has been really good since I got into the Bridging the Gap program.”

Kevin was nominated by Becky Hyduke-Rundall, Phoenix VA Social Worker and Robert (Buzz) Hickox, Southern Arizona VA supervisory peer specialist.