Ensuring equitable access to care for veterans
The MultiCare Yakima Memorial Veteran Advocacy Program helps ensure that the community’s nearly 11,000 veterans have equitable access to services and benefits.
The goals of the program are to identify specific needs of the veteran population and help them overcome barriers to accessing care.
“Sometimes veterans don’t know that they’re eligible for benefits through the VA,” says Matthew McCay, manager of the program. “Some veterans, particularly those who are older, may not use the internet or email, or they may struggle with the sheer complexity and bureaucracy of the systems they must navigate to get what they need.”
The Veteran Advocacy Program contacts every veteran admitted to Yakima Memorial and connects them with internal and external resources. The program also identifies veterans at patient registration and notes their veteran status in electronic medical records and displays at nurses stations.
Maintaining the visibility of veterans helps ensure they receive appropriate care and referrals, which is especially important as they navigate different types and locations of care, including the hospital, primary and specialty care clinics, or Veterans Affairs (VA) clinics.
Another important aim of the program is education — McCay, a veteran himself, arranges trainings for staff about caring for veterans and keeps team members up to date about veteran-related legislation or changes in VA protocols.
The Veteran Advocacy Program was a winner of a 2023 MultiCare CEO & President’s Award. This annual award series honors excellence and achievement at MultiCare.