Please note that this post contains affiliate links and any sales made through such links will reward MageeNews.com a small commission – at no extra cost to you.
Jackson VA Medical Center to partner with Co-Lin to provide tele-mental health to student veterans
JACKSON, Miss. – The G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery VA Medical Center in Jackson established a partnership with Copiah-Lincoln (Co-Lin) Community College to provide timely, specialized mental health benefits to veterans who are students at the college. Tele-mental health provides veterans quicker and more efficient access to the types of care they seek while leveraging technology to reduce the distance they have to travel, increase the flexibility of the system they use, and improve their overall quality of life. This is an expansion of VA mental health services beyond the major medical centers and treating veterans closer to their homes. Available only to student veterans at this time, the secure video teleconferencing technology is used to connect the veteran to a provider within VA’s nationwide system of care. As a result, veterans can arrange appointments at times more in synch with their schedules at a safe and convenient setting.
“It’s a true partnership between the college and the VA Medical Center (in Jackson),” said psychologist Patricia Grigoryev, who led the VA’s development of the collaborative model. “We’re helping to provide specific tele-mental health services for veterans so they don’t have to travel as far or leave campus for services.”
Co-Lin President Dr. Ronnie Nettles said the partnership continues the college’s longstanding tradition of veteran support.
“For several years running Co-Lin has been recognized among the top military-friendly colleges and universities nationally for the military-related populace to pursue their educational goals, and this partnership will be a tremendous asset for our veterans enrolled at the college,” he said. “We are proud to be part of this program.”
During the past months, Co-Lin and VA officials formalized their agreement to provide the services in conjunction with Jackson’s G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery VA Medical Center. Co-Lin’s Veteran Services Office will act as the site liaison as the Jackson VA provides the interactive services.
“I think it’s a very worthy project for the college to be partnered with the resources from the VA system so that we can bring better product of healthcare to the veterans,” said Grigoryev. “The more we can get services into rural areas and convenient to the veterans, the more complete their treatments can be.”
Tele-mental health services will be available beginning with the start of Co-Lin’s spring 2016 semester.
Pictured are from left, VA Staff Psychologist Dr. Patricia Grigoryev, Co-Lin’s Veteran Services Director Dr. Tim Lea, VA Facility Telehealth Coordinator Eulanda Armstrong, and VA CVT Home Coordinator Linda Swann as they overview the delivery system for tele-mental health services.
J
