NEWS

Introducing a New Member of the National Quality Care Network
The Veteran's Administration REACH Pilot program Joins NQCN

The RCI is excited to welcome the newest member of the National Quality Care Network, The Department of Veteran’s Affairs REACH Project. The VA REACH Project will join the QCC in the “Evidence-Based Program” practice community of the NQCN.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will provide nearly $4.7 million for eight "caregiver assistance pilot programs" across the country to expand and improve health care education and provide needed training and resources for caregivers who assist disabled and aging veterans in their homes.

One of these programs will be a translation of the Resources for Enhancing Alzheimer's Caregivers Health (REACH II) multi-site randomized clinical trial for family caregivers of patients with Alzheimer’s disease or related disorders, which was funded by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) and the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR). The intervention is designed to provide education, support and skills building to help caregivers manage patient behaviors and their own stress. It includes 12 individual sessions in the home and by telephone and five telephone support groups over six months.

VA Medical Center at Memphis will serve as the Coordinating Center for this program, providing evaluation and training to the clinical sites, with the assistance of the REACH II investigators. VAMC Memphis/University of Tennessee was one of the participating sites for the REACH I and II interventions. Across the country, 20 Home Based Primary Care (HBPC) programs, which treat frail dementia patients and their caregivers in the home, are providing the intervention to 200 caregivers. The VA Palo Alto Health Care System, which was also one of the original REACH sites, will also participate, providing services to 150 caregivers.

As with the QCC grant sites, the RCI will work with staff at the Veteran’s Administration to provide project updates and insights as the project progresses.