James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital Innovations Selected for 2026 VHA All-Employee Innovation Program

This VHA Innovation Ecosystem initiative provides VHA employees with a streamlined opportunity to develop, refine, and scale innovative solutions that enhance Veteran care nationwide.

Discover Phase Innovations: Identifying Needs and Opportunities

• Vocational Sustainment After Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI): Addressing employment challenges for Veterans post-TBI through individualized vocational assessment tools.
   Team: Lea Garcia and Antonio Reyes – Vocational Rehabilitation Specialists
• Project Visible: Optimizing Name Tags: Improving patient communication and trust by redesigning small-print name tags.
   Team: Michelle Waddell – Registered Nurse
• Survive to Thrive: Using Tribe to Combat Suicide: Enhancing holistic support during Veterans’ civilian transition to reduce suicide risk.
   Team: Jeffrey Dudas – Registered Nurse, Gary Fukes – Chaplain, Joseph Chacko – Chaplain
• Guided by Honor: Reducing stress and delays by improving signage for Veterans with PTSD, memory impairments, or low vision navigating Radiology.
   Team: Zw Jones – RN, Bernardito Morales – Graduate Nurse Technician, Katrina Williams – RN, Timothy Boyll – RN, Christopher Mitchell – RN

Test Phase Innovations: Developing and Piloting Prototypes

• Safety Slide Bands: Adjustable straps securing air mattresses during patient transfers in surgical recovery units.
   Team: Jimmijo Bennett – Nursing Assistant
• Balance Buddy App: Mobile app assisting Veterans with CHF in managing diuretic dosage via Bluetooth-connected devices.
   Team: David Beck – RN, Heather Hatch – SAIL Coordinator, Linden Huhmann – Computer Engineer, Mohamad Sukkari – Physician, Caitlyn Morley – Program Analyst
• Insulin Guide + Filling Tool: 3D-printed assistive device to help Veterans with dexterity challenges safely self-administer insulin.
   Team: Nona Bramlett – MSN-BC, Abigail Troop – RN, Kelly Llewellyn – RN, Alicia Viscardo – RN, Rinu Daniel – Biomed Engineer
• AI Search Assistant for Lab Procedures: AI tool enabling lab staff to quickly retrieve procedural documents, improving workflow and accuracy.
   Team: Mark Wilson – Medical Technologist, Andrew Borkowski – Physician, Mary Van Blarcum – Supervisory Medical Technologist, Lamar Thomas – Physician
• Portable Simulation Task Trainers: Low-cost, portable task trainers enabling rural nurses to practice high-risk procedures onsite.
   Team: Cheryl Sallah – Clinical Nurse Educator
• NightNav for PTSD Sleep Issues: AI-powered decision support integrating wearable sleep data to personalize PTSD sleep treatment.
   Team: Laura Bajor – Physician
• Caring for Her: Women’s Health Training Guide: User-friendly training guide improving Internal Medicine residents’ competency in gender-specific care.
   Team: Dana Glenn – Physician, Laura Bajor – Physician
• Status: Green – Ensuring Timely Meds for Veterans: Visual icon alerts in ER for real-time medication readiness to improve safety and speed.
   Team: Lukose Joseph – Pharmacist

Replicate Phase Innovation: Expanding Proven Solutions

• Lifelong Health Changes to Cure Chronic Disease: Selected as one of 13 national innovations for VHA Shark Week, this program delivers an intensive inpatient experience focused on nutrition, exercise, sleep, stress management, and relationships to empower Veterans to reverse chronic diseases.
   Team: Michelle Schlesinger – Occupational Therapist, Joseph Standley – Physician, Thomas Oswald – Psychologist, Ashley Drawdy – Occupational Therapist, Melinda Arnold – Recreation Therapist, Rendell Smith III – Dietitian, Damaris Martinez – Dietitian

To Learn more about each project, visit the Tampa Innovation Program site.
 
For questions or further information, please contact Tampa Innovation Specialist: Benjamin.Salatin@va.gov