Challenge: Reach as many service members, veterans, and their families as possible to educate them about alcohol use and abuse, and provide a safe, non-judgmental environment in which people can learn about alcohol screening availability and treatment options.
The population who comes through the Northport VA range from recent Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans, to World War II veterans, and everything in between. There are a lot of substance abuse problems among the population.
Solution: Jolienne Walters-Harvey, PMHNP-BC, is a nurse practitioner in the Mental Health Clinic at the Northport VA Medical Center in Northport, New York. When she learned about National Alcohol Screening Day (NASD) and the Drinking IQ program, she decided to order materials from Military Pathways, and started planning an event around which to use them.
Walters-Harvey registered for the NASD kit in early 2011. Her kit included water bottles, posters, and printed materials she could share with people who stopped by her event. The water bottles have printed on the side: “www. DrinkingIQ.org,” which brings users to an online, anonymous alcohol screening tool designed specifically for service members and their families.
Because she wanted to reach as many people as possible she found a partner and the two of them got to work choosing the best location for the event. They decided to hold it at the VAMC main pavilion. Since the pavilion is the hub of the hospital, every person who comes through the hospital for any kind of appointment at the VA must pass through this hub.
Jolienne and her partner promoted the program ahead of time by
- Posting fliers around the hospital
- Advertising in the VAMC newspaper
- Contacting outpatient and inpatient units, and asking them to tell their patients about the event
- Telling the hospital PR department about the event, and asking them to promote it
Walters-Harvey stresses that “touching base with everyone in your facility” is a great way to promote your program.
She said that once the event started, it was seamless. "Military Pathways has been very supportive of VA’s efforts to engage veterans and their families in honest discussion about alcohol abuse issues," says Jolienne Walters-Harvey, PMHNP-BC, a nurse practitioner at the mental health clinic at the Northport Veterans’ Affairs Medical Center in Northport, New York. "With their valuable support, we at Northport have been able to effectively reach and treat more veterans struggling with excessive alcohol use."
One couple came by and talked to Walters-Harvey about a specific issue. The wife shared that she had been trying to get the husband to address his alcohol use, but he wasn’t doing it. The NASD event was the type of event that allowed him to consider whether his alcohol use was a problem. “It wasn’t his wife being the bad guy anymore. Instead, it was people supporting him, educating him, and doing it in a non-judgmental way,” Walters-Harvey said. Straight from the NASD table, the man went to see a representative from the rehab program to inquire about services. Walters-Harvey said the feedback she heard was “tremendous.” Several people who are in recovery came by the table and complimented Walters-Harvey on the event. They said they appreciated that she was highlighting the issue.
Walters-Harvey was always very conscious of the fact that – however many people she appeared to see the day of her event, her reach probably extended beyond that. People who came by may have had friends or family members who would later learn about the screenings and services.