Bring Your Questions about Justice-Involved Veterans to the Veterans Research Town Hall
Originally published August 22, 2022
The next ‘Veterans Research Town Hall’ from the VA’s Veterans Community Advisory Board is a hybrid in-person and online event presented in in collaboration with the Philadelphia Research and Education Foundation. Be a part of this event September 8th, 2022, 10 a.m. to noon, EDT. Register now!
The focus of the Veterans Research Town Hall this year is on the ‘justice-involved Veteran,’ because these Veterans often experience isolation, neglect, and hardships finding employment and housing.
Many Veterans who find themselves involved in the justice system do not know that the VA offers services through the Veterans Justice Outreach (VJO) Program. What’s more is that many who work in law enforcement or the judiciary are not aware of this, either.
On September 8, 2022 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., Crescenz VA’s Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion (CHERP) and its Veterans Community Advisory Board (VCAB), in partnership with the Philadelphia Research and Education Foundation (PREF), will convene a combination in-person and online Town Hall to examine the issues faced by justice-involved Veterans.
The Veterans Research Town Hall will examine the history of the VJO program, the services available from the VJO program, and the demographics of those involved in the program. The Town Hall will include information about the Philadelphia Veteran’s Court Peer Mentor program, and explain who can access their services.
A highlight of the Town Hall will be a keynote address by the Presiding Judge of the Philadelphia Veteran’s Court, with an emphasis on the importance of Veterans’ self-identifying, so they can receive the services they need. The judge will also discuss the purpose of the court and the ways Veterans can benefit from it.
Crescenz VA Medical Center
Shifting to hospital-wide issues, the Town Hall will include a presentation discussing how the DEI committee of the hospital is working to improve the diversity of clinical providers available to Veterans. A Veteran researcher, specializing in Justice-Involved Veterans, will discuss how he transitioned from a military background to becoming a VA researcher and the importance of research to the Veteran community.
Bring your questions!
An important and primary part of the Veteran Research Town Hall is the opportunity you have to ask questions. The emphasis of the Town Hall is on research and how we can better understand how justice-involved Veterans are served by the VA, what research shows about how the VJO benefits justice-involved Veterans, what programs help Veterans cope with employment, housing issues, and mental health problems, and what improves their chances of leading a healthy and productive life after being involved with the criminal justice system.
For example, you may want to know about what the research tells us about how effective the VJO program is. Or, you might want to know what services are most likely to benefit a Veteran who becomes involved with the criminal justice system. Research can help us know how to advise and support Veteran family members or friends who are justice-involved. Please come prepared with your questions! We look forward to seeing you at the Veterans Research Town Hall.
Who we are
The VCAB is made up of Veterans, like you, and they are working hard to promote holistic Veteran healthcare. This starts with spreading awareness among Veterans and researchers of the social needs that affect Veteran health and how to address them in the VA health system. “The voice of Veterans is often lost in research,” former VCAB Chair, Chuck Maxwell noted. “As a result, solutions developed may not meet the needs of patients. Patients and the public have come to feel disconnected from the goals of research.” With this in mind, the VCAB, in partnership with PREF and the Crescenz VA Medical Center in Philadelphia, present the Veterans Research Town Hall: Justice-Involved Veterans, on September 8, 2022, 10 a.m. to noon.
This hybrid event (in person at the Crescenz VA Multipurpose Room—3rd Floor, and online on WebEx) will focus on the importance of Veteran participation in research and the social needs that the VA is working to address through funded studies. Following brief presentations from VA researchers and others about justice-involved Veterans, Veterans will have an opportunity to ask questions that are important to them and learn more about upcoming active research studies.
Registration link: https://tinyurl.com/bdh4j4w3
In-person attendance is extremely limited. Please RSVP to attend in-person, email CHERPVCAB@gmail.com.
Get Involved! Join us! VCAB Seeking members!
The Veterans Community Advisory Board in Philadelphia is currently looking for new members! Veterans have few opportunities to discuss important topics with other Veterans. Out of that camaraderie, the VCAB contributes innovative, creative and valuable work to VA researchers and Veterans. If you want to engage with Veterans and identify with the CHERP VCAB’s mission, “To advise, foster relationships, and contribute experience and input to CHERP Leadership and Researchers in order to promote health, healthcare, and health equity for the Veteran Community,” contact CHERPVCAB@gmail.com today!
