Hospice-Veteran Partnership Toolkit : 5. Developing a Strategic Plan : Checklist for Community Hospices

Checklist for Community Hospices

  • Form an internal task force to examine clinical and administrative systems and processes related to providing quality care to veterans.
    1. Goals of the task force can include:
      • Identify barriers to accessing hospice services by veterans and develop a plan to eliminate or reduce these barriers.
      • Explore options to enhance services to veterans.
      • Develop an outreach strategy to increase access by veterans.
    2. Potential task force members include:
      • Clinical director
      • Admission leader
      • Psychosocial leader
      • Accounting/MIS
      • Community liaison
      • Community relations staff
      • Inpatient/residential manager
      • Education coordinator
  • Collect military and combat status from patients or their families upon admission.
    1. Revise intake/admission forms, database, and protocol.
    2. Include:
      • Veteran:
        ____ Yes
        ____ No
      • Military Branch:
        ____ Army
        ____ Marine Corp
        ____ Airforce
        ____ Coast Guard
        ____ Navy
      • Combat Experience

      • Other Military Experience

  • Collect military status of volunteers and staff.
    1. See list above.
    2. Revise volunteer and employee applications.
    3. Request that volunteer coordinators and supervisors collect information for current volunteers and staff.
  • Review care planning processes in relation to the unique end-of-life needs of veterans.
    1. Expand psychosocial assessment to include specific questions related to military and combat experiences.
    2. Train all clinical staff and volunteers about veterans' unique end-of-life experiences.
    3. Develop tools and resources to teach and remind staff about the importance of assessing for veteran-specific issues.
  • Educate staff and volunteers about the unique end-of-life experiences of veterans.
    1. Work with the local VA clinical staff to develop and implement an educational program on veterans at the end of life.
    2. Integrate veterans' issues into hospice staff and volunteer orientation.
    3. Create self-learning resources for staff and volunteers.
  • Designate a liaison to troubleshoot continuity and care issues with the local VA facility.
    1. Assign one person to work with VA facilities.
    2. The liaison can meet with any of the following VA staff to discuss ways to enhance continuity of care:
      • VA medical director
      • Nursing director
      • VA staff physicians
      • Social services staff
      • Hospice/palliative care staff
      • Veteran home director
      • Community-Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) director
  • Recognize patients, family members, volunteers, and staff on Veteran's Day and other occasions.
    1. Highlight veterans' issues in the hospice newsletter.
    2. Recognize veterans at staff meetings, volunteer support meetings, and other events.
    3. Give patients, family members, volunteers, and staff a small token of appreciation on Veteran's Day.
    4. Have a Veteran's Day event at your facility.
  • Create a special certificate to be posted on the door of military veterans at residential or inpatient facilities.
    1. Offer each newly admitted veteran the option of having a special certificate on his or her door.
    2. Provide the ability to customize certificates to reflect military experience, special honors, etc.

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This toolkit is provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs National Hospice-Veteran Partnership (HVP) Program. Development of the toolkit was made possible through support by Rallying Points, the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, the Center for Advanced Illness Coordinated Care, and other end-of-life care advocates. Information about VAHPC initiatives is made available for use within the Inter-Institutional Collaborating Network on End-of-life Care (IICN) with the assistance of Growth House, Inc.