How Interprofessional Aspects of the Developed Policy Will Support Efficient and Effective Achievement of Desired Outcomes for Veterans in Rural Areas

In order to effectively address issues related to mental health disorders among veterans in the rural areas, there is need to the health policy and advocacy programs identified above to be extended to not only soldiers at war but also the retired soldiers especially those in the rural areas (O’malley et al., 2020). Additionally, the U.S. government need to add more resources and VA healthcare facilities in the rural areas thus making it easier for veterans in the rural regions to access quality care at their convenience (Boscarino et al., 2020). There is also need to train more VA specialist both in rural and urban areas including caregivers and support specialist. Another interprofessional aspect that should be considered is to ensure both rural and urban veterans are insured medically and have equal access to VA services regardless of their location. 

References

Boscarino, J. J., Figley, C. R., Adams, R. E., Urosevich, T. G., Kirchner, H. L., & Boscarino, J. A. (2020). Mental health status in veterans residing in rural versus non-rural areas: results from the veterans’ health study. Military Medical Research, 7(1), 1-11.

Driscoll, M. A., Knobf, M. T., Higgins, D. M., Heapy, A., Lee, A., & Haskell, S. (2018). Patient experiences navigating chronic pain management in an integrated health care system: A qualitative investigation of women and men. Pain Medicine, 19(suppl_1), S19-S29.

O’malley, K. A., Vinson, L., Pless Kaiser, A., Sager, Z., & Hinrichs, K. (2020). Mental health and aging veterans: How the Veterans Health Administration meets the needs of aging veterans. Public Policy & Aging Report, 30(1), 19-23.