No access
Research, Community, & Services Partnerships
Published Online: 26 July 2023

Improving a Sanctioned Homeless Encampment for Veterans During COVID-19 Through Multilevel Partnerships

Matthew McCoy, Ph.D. [email protected], Ippolytos Kalofonos, M.D., Ph.D., Lisa Altman, M.D., Lillian Gelberg, M.D., M.S.P.H., Peter Capone-Newton, M.D., Ph.D., Kimberly Lynch, M.D., M.S., Kimberly Clair, Ph.D., … Show All … , Mariam Nazinyan, M.P.A., Matthew McGahran, L.C.S.W., Chanin Santini, L.C.S.W., M.Ed., Monte Daugharty, P.S.S., Emily DeFraites, M.D., M.P.H., and Sonya Gabrielian, M.D., M.P.H.Authors Info & Affiliations
Publication: Psychiatric Services
Volume 75, Number 1
https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.20220385
Track CitationsAdd to favorites
Get Access

Abstract

A veteran-clinician-researcher partnership—the Care, Treatment, and Rehabilitation Service (CTRS)—enabled quality improvement within a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs–sanctioned homeless encampment created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the differing concerns of clinicians and operational leaders led to challenges in defining CTRS’s goals and quality metrics, partnering with frontline social work and peer staff (N=11) and veterans (N=21 of 381 CTRS participants) and considering their feedback resolved those differences. Multilevel partnerships improved care within the encampment, leading to the development of an encampment medicine team (providing onsite integrated health care) and a veteran engagement committee (providing feedback).

Get full access to this article

View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.

Get Access

Information & Authors

Information

Published In

Go to Psychiatric Services
Go to Psychiatric Services
Psychiatric Services
Volume 75 • Number 1 • January 01, 2024
Pages: 94 - 97
PubMed: 37494116

History

Received: 25 July 2022
Revision received: 7 March 2023
Accepted: 9 June 2023
Published online: 26 July 2023
Published in print: January 01, 2024

Keywords

  1. Homelessness
  2. Housing needs
  3. Quality improvement
  4. COVID-19
  5. Veterans’ issues
  6. Participatory research

Authors

Details

Matthew McCoy, Ph.D. [email protected]
Center for the Study of Healthcare Innovation, Implementation and Policy, Health Services Research & Development (McCoy, Kalofonos, Altman, Gelberg, Lynch, Clair, Nazinyan, Gabrielian), Office of Healthcare Transformation and Innovation (Altman, Gelberg, Capone-Newton), Community Engagement and Reintegration Service (Santini, Daugharty), and Mental Health Intensive Case Management (DeFraites), U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles; University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)–VA Center of Excellence for Training and Research in Veteran Resilience and Recovery, Los Angeles (McCoy, Kalofonos, Clair, Nazinyan, Gabrielian); AltaMed Health Services, Los Angeles (Lynch); VA New Mexico Healthcare System, Albuquerque, New Mexico (McGahran); Departments of Preventive Medicine (Capone-Newton) and Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences (DeFraites), David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles.
View all articles by this author
Ippolytos Kalofonos, M.D., Ph.D.
Center for the Study of Healthcare Innovation, Implementation and Policy, Health Services Research & Development (McCoy, Kalofonos, Altman, Gelberg, Lynch, Clair, Nazinyan, Gabrielian), Office of Healthcare Transformation and Innovation (Altman, Gelberg, Capone-Newton), Community Engagement and Reintegration Service (Santini, Daugharty), and Mental Health Intensive Case Management (DeFraites), U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles; University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)–VA Center of Excellence for Training and Research in Veteran Resilience and Recovery, Los Angeles (McCoy, Kalofonos, Clair, Nazinyan, Gabrielian); AltaMed Health Services, Los Angeles (Lynch); VA New Mexico Healthcare System, Albuquerque, New Mexico (McGahran); Departments of Preventive Medicine (Capone-Newton) and Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences (DeFraites), David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles.
View all articles by this author
Lisa Altman, M.D.
Center for the Study of Healthcare Innovation, Implementation and Policy, Health Services Research & Development (McCoy, Kalofonos, Altman, Gelberg, Lynch, Clair, Nazinyan, Gabrielian), Office of Healthcare Transformation and Innovation (Altman, Gelberg, Capone-Newton), Community Engagement and Reintegration Service (Santini, Daugharty), and Mental Health Intensive Case Management (DeFraites), U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles; University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)–VA Center of Excellence for Training and Research in Veteran Resilience and Recovery, Los Angeles (McCoy, Kalofonos, Clair, Nazinyan, Gabrielian); AltaMed Health Services, Los Angeles (Lynch); VA New Mexico Healthcare System, Albuquerque, New Mexico (McGahran); Departments of Preventive Medicine (Capone-Newton) and Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences (DeFraites), David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles.
View all articles by this author
Lillian Gelberg, M.D., M.S.P.H.
Center for the Study of Healthcare Innovation, Implementation and Policy, Health Services Research & Development (McCoy, Kalofonos, Altman, Gelberg, Lynch, Clair, Nazinyan, Gabrielian), Office of Healthcare Transformation and Innovation (Altman, Gelberg, Capone-Newton), Community Engagement and Reintegration Service (Santini, Daugharty), and Mental Health Intensive Case Management (DeFraites), U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles; University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)–VA Center of Excellence for Training and Research in Veteran Resilience and Recovery, Los Angeles (McCoy, Kalofonos, Clair, Nazinyan, Gabrielian); AltaMed Health Services, Los Angeles (Lynch); VA New Mexico Healthcare System, Albuquerque, New Mexico (McGahran); Departments of Preventive Medicine (Capone-Newton) and Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences (DeFraites), David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles.
View all articles by this author
Peter Capone-Newton, M.D., Ph.D.
Center for the Study of Healthcare Innovation, Implementation and Policy, Health Services Research & Development (McCoy, Kalofonos, Altman, Gelberg, Lynch, Clair, Nazinyan, Gabrielian), Office of Healthcare Transformation and Innovation (Altman, Gelberg, Capone-Newton), Community Engagement and Reintegration Service (Santini, Daugharty), and Mental Health Intensive Case Management (DeFraites), U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles; University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)–VA Center of Excellence for Training and Research in Veteran Resilience and Recovery, Los Angeles (McCoy, Kalofonos, Clair, Nazinyan, Gabrielian); AltaMed Health Services, Los Angeles (Lynch); VA New Mexico Healthcare System, Albuquerque, New Mexico (McGahran); Departments of Preventive Medicine (Capone-Newton) and Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences (DeFraites), David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles.
View all articles by this author
Kimberly Lynch, M.D., M.S.
Center for the Study of Healthcare Innovation, Implementation and Policy, Health Services Research & Development (McCoy, Kalofonos, Altman, Gelberg, Lynch, Clair, Nazinyan, Gabrielian), Office of Healthcare Transformation and Innovation (Altman, Gelberg, Capone-Newton), Community Engagement and Reintegration Service (Santini, Daugharty), and Mental Health Intensive Case Management (DeFraites), U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles; University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)–VA Center of Excellence for Training and Research in Veteran Resilience and Recovery, Los Angeles (McCoy, Kalofonos, Clair, Nazinyan, Gabrielian); AltaMed Health Services, Los Angeles (Lynch); VA New Mexico Healthcare System, Albuquerque, New Mexico (McGahran); Departments of Preventive Medicine (Capone-Newton) and Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences (DeFraites), David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles.
View all articles by this author
Kimberly Clair, Ph.D.
Center for the Study of Healthcare Innovation, Implementation and Policy, Health Services Research & Development (McCoy, Kalofonos, Altman, Gelberg, Lynch, Clair, Nazinyan, Gabrielian), Office of Healthcare Transformation and Innovation (Altman, Gelberg, Capone-Newton), Community Engagement and Reintegration Service (Santini, Daugharty), and Mental Health Intensive Case Management (DeFraites), U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles; University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)–VA Center of Excellence for Training and Research in Veteran Resilience and Recovery, Los Angeles (McCoy, Kalofonos, Clair, Nazinyan, Gabrielian); AltaMed Health Services, Los Angeles (Lynch); VA New Mexico Healthcare System, Albuquerque, New Mexico (McGahran); Departments of Preventive Medicine (Capone-Newton) and Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences (DeFraites), David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles.
View all articles by this author
Mariam Nazinyan, M.P.A.
Center for the Study of Healthcare Innovation, Implementation and Policy, Health Services Research & Development (McCoy, Kalofonos, Altman, Gelberg, Lynch, Clair, Nazinyan, Gabrielian), Office of Healthcare Transformation and Innovation (Altman, Gelberg, Capone-Newton), Community Engagement and Reintegration Service (Santini, Daugharty), and Mental Health Intensive Case Management (DeFraites), U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles; University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)–VA Center of Excellence for Training and Research in Veteran Resilience and Recovery, Los Angeles (McCoy, Kalofonos, Clair, Nazinyan, Gabrielian); AltaMed Health Services, Los Angeles (Lynch); VA New Mexico Healthcare System, Albuquerque, New Mexico (McGahran); Departments of Preventive Medicine (Capone-Newton) and Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences (DeFraites), David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles.
View all articles by this author
Matthew McGahran, L.C.S.W.
Center for the Study of Healthcare Innovation, Implementation and Policy, Health Services Research & Development (McCoy, Kalofonos, Altman, Gelberg, Lynch, Clair, Nazinyan, Gabrielian), Office of Healthcare Transformation and Innovation (Altman, Gelberg, Capone-Newton), Community Engagement and Reintegration Service (Santini, Daugharty), and Mental Health Intensive Case Management (DeFraites), U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles; University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)–VA Center of Excellence for Training and Research in Veteran Resilience and Recovery, Los Angeles (McCoy, Kalofonos, Clair, Nazinyan, Gabrielian); AltaMed Health Services, Los Angeles (Lynch); VA New Mexico Healthcare System, Albuquerque, New Mexico (McGahran); Departments of Preventive Medicine (Capone-Newton) and Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences (DeFraites), David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles.
View all articles by this author
Chanin Santini, L.C.S.W., M.Ed.
Center for the Study of Healthcare Innovation, Implementation and Policy, Health Services Research & Development (McCoy, Kalofonos, Altman, Gelberg, Lynch, Clair, Nazinyan, Gabrielian), Office of Healthcare Transformation and Innovation (Altman, Gelberg, Capone-Newton), Community Engagement and Reintegration Service (Santini, Daugharty), and Mental Health Intensive Case Management (DeFraites), U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles; University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)–VA Center of Excellence for Training and Research in Veteran Resilience and Recovery, Los Angeles (McCoy, Kalofonos, Clair, Nazinyan, Gabrielian); AltaMed Health Services, Los Angeles (Lynch); VA New Mexico Healthcare System, Albuquerque, New Mexico (McGahran); Departments of Preventive Medicine (Capone-Newton) and Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences (DeFraites), David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles.
View all articles by this author
Monte Daugharty, P.S.S.
Center for the Study of Healthcare Innovation, Implementation and Policy, Health Services Research & Development (McCoy, Kalofonos, Altman, Gelberg, Lynch, Clair, Nazinyan, Gabrielian), Office of Healthcare Transformation and Innovation (Altman, Gelberg, Capone-Newton), Community Engagement and Reintegration Service (Santini, Daugharty), and Mental Health Intensive Case Management (DeFraites), U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles; University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)–VA Center of Excellence for Training and Research in Veteran Resilience and Recovery, Los Angeles (McCoy, Kalofonos, Clair, Nazinyan, Gabrielian); AltaMed Health Services, Los Angeles (Lynch); VA New Mexico Healthcare System, Albuquerque, New Mexico (McGahran); Departments of Preventive Medicine (Capone-Newton) and Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences (DeFraites), David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles.
View all articles by this author
Emily DeFraites, M.D., M.P.H.
Center for the Study of Healthcare Innovation, Implementation and Policy, Health Services Research & Development (McCoy, Kalofonos, Altman, Gelberg, Lynch, Clair, Nazinyan, Gabrielian), Office of Healthcare Transformation and Innovation (Altman, Gelberg, Capone-Newton), Community Engagement and Reintegration Service (Santini, Daugharty), and Mental Health Intensive Case Management (DeFraites), U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles; University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)–VA Center of Excellence for Training and Research in Veteran Resilience and Recovery, Los Angeles (McCoy, Kalofonos, Clair, Nazinyan, Gabrielian); AltaMed Health Services, Los Angeles (Lynch); VA New Mexico Healthcare System, Albuquerque, New Mexico (McGahran); Departments of Preventive Medicine (Capone-Newton) and Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences (DeFraites), David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles.
View all articles by this author
Sonya Gabrielian, M.D., M.P.H.
Center for the Study of Healthcare Innovation, Implementation and Policy, Health Services Research & Development (McCoy, Kalofonos, Altman, Gelberg, Lynch, Clair, Nazinyan, Gabrielian), Office of Healthcare Transformation and Innovation (Altman, Gelberg, Capone-Newton), Community Engagement and Reintegration Service (Santini, Daugharty), and Mental Health Intensive Case Management (DeFraites), U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles; University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)–VA Center of Excellence for Training and Research in Veteran Resilience and Recovery, Los Angeles (McCoy, Kalofonos, Clair, Nazinyan, Gabrielian); AltaMed Health Services, Los Angeles (Lynch); VA New Mexico Healthcare System, Albuquerque, New Mexico (McGahran); Departments of Preventive Medicine (Capone-Newton) and Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences (DeFraites), David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles.
View all articles by this author

Notes

Send correspondence to Dr. McCoy ([email protected]). Debra A. Pinals, M.D., Enrico G. Castillo, M.D., M.S.H.P.M., and Ayorkor Gaba, Psy.D., are editors of this column.

Competing Interests

The authors report no financial relationships with commercial interests.

Funding Information

Funding was provided by a pilot grant from the UCLA-VA Center of Excellence for Training and Research in Veteran Resilience and Recovery (to Drs. Altman and Gabrielian) and by a fiscal year 2022 intramural award from the National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans (to Dr. McCoy).These views represent the opinions of the authors and not necessarily those of the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, the UCLA-VA Center of Excellence for Training and Research in Veteran Resilience and Recovery, or UCLA.

Metrics & Citations

Metrics

Citations

Export Citations

If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.

For more information or tips please see 'Downloading to a citation manager' in the Help menu.

Format
Citation style
Style
Copy to clipboard
Tips for downloading citations

View Options

Login options

Already a subscriber? Access your subscription through your login credentials or your institution for full access to this article.

Personal login Institutional Login Open Athens login
Item saved, go to cart
Purchase Options

Purchase this article to access the full text.

PPV Articles - Psychiatric Services

PPV Articles - Psychiatric Services

Not a subscriber?

Subscribe Now / Learn More

PsychiatryOnline subscription options offer access to the DSM-5-TR® library, books, journals, CME, and patient resources. This all-in-one virtual library provides psychiatrists and mental health professionals with key resources for diagnosis, treatment, research, and professional development.

Need more help? PsychiatryOnline Customer Service may be reached by emailing [email protected] or by calling 800-368-5777 (in the U.S.) or 703-907-7322 (outside the U.S.).

View options

PDF/EPUB

View PDF/EPUB

Full Text

View Full Text

Media

Figures

Other

Tables

Share

Share

Share article link

Share

×

As described within the American Psychiatric Association (APA)'s Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, this website utilizes cookies, including for the purpose of offering an optimal online experience and services tailored to your preferences. Please read the entire Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. By closing this message, browsing this website, continuing the navigation, or otherwise continuing to use the APA's websites, you confirm that you understand and accept the terms of the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, including the utilization of cookies.