Engaging the VA Clinical Workforce Through a National Health Equity Community of Practice

Proposal: Enhancing workforce diversity and championing health equity across a health care system is essential to providing equitable care and an inclusive environment. The Veterans Health Administration, the United States’ largest integrated healthcare system and serves a diverse patient population across rural and urban settings. In October 2022, the VHA Office of Health Equity and VA Extension for Community Health Care Outcomes (VA-ECHO) established a partnership to administer a national virtual Community of Practice (CoP) and accredited continuing education program. The goal of the program was to support a dynamic multi-disciplinary platform for the exchange of ideas, data, and knowledge focused on advancing quality improvement (QI) strategies, innovative tools and collaboration in an effort to accelerate health equity, and driving change throughout the VHA through effective continuing education of care providers. Participants engage in case-based didactic learning led by subject matter experts and CoP sessions highlighting health equity QI projects and equity tools, giving VA/VHA clinicians and staff the opportunity to collaborate across sites, earn continuing education credits, and improve healthcare outcomes. Session topics included social justice and antiracism in healthcare education, addressing disparities in HIV prevention, bias in caring for patients, addressing health disparities through an equity dashboard, and more. Through surveys, the program was evaluated to determine program effectiveness and to obtain feedback from care providers surrounding their diversity, equity, and inclusion continuing education needs and experience, and engagement in quality improvement. Session attendees completed a needs assessment at the start of fiscal years 2022 and 2024. Eighty-eight percent of attendees reported the session content to be relevant to their practice. Over seventy percent agreed or strongly agreed that they anticipate changing their clinical practice based on session content. Based on survey data, the program is an effective DEI and engagement method for a health workforce.

VHA programs, practices, and innovation are transferrable to other healthcare systems advancing equity. From October 2022 – September 2023, the program hosted two sessions per month, highlighting 27 health equity QI projects and 12 didactic sessions. During this time, the program reached multidisciplinary healthcare attendees from the VHA in 55 states and territories, including 413 unique VA sites of care and 2,243 unique learners, for a total 3,393 contact hours. The program will continue into 2024 and anticipates continued growth and impact for the VHA’s healthcare mission, addressing the learning needs of care providers, and the advancement of health equity.