Cultural Change: Implementation of a Recovery Program in a Veterans Health Administration Medical Center Inpatient Unit.

INTRODUCTION

The Freedom Commission's recommendations, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's framework, and policy directives on recovery-oriented services have fueled the recovery transformation. Mental health recovery services have been implemented in a broad range of outpatient settings. However, psychiatric inpatient units remained embedded in the traditional model of care.

AIMS

The purpose of this article is to describe an ongoing quality improvement implementation of recovery services in a Veterans Health Administration acute psychiatric inpatient unit.

METHOD

An interprofessional Partnership for Wellness delivered 4 to 6 hours per day of evidence-based recovery and holistic population-specific health programs. Veteran, system, and program indicators were measured.

RESULTS

Preliminary indicators over a 2-year period suggest that Veterans rated group content and relevance high, pre-post psychiatric rehospitalization rates decreased by 46%, and fidelity to recommended strategies was high.

CONCLUSIONS

The project success reflects strong leadership, a partnership of committed staff, effective training, and an organizational culture exemplifying excellence in Veteran services and innovation.