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ALTARUM INSTITUTE GETS GRANT TO STUDY VA'S

MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES -- Will look at how

the VA ensures access, quality, and the system's

capacity to handle increased demands.

 

 

For more about the Altarum Institute, use the VA Watchdog search engine...click here...
http://www.yourvabenefits.org/ses
search.php?q=altarum&op=and

For more about the VA and mental health issues, use the VA Watchdog search engine...click here...
http://www.yourvabenefits.org/
sessearch.php?q=mental
+health&op=ph

Story here... http://crainsdetroit.com/
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Story below:

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Altarum gets $1M grant from VA

By Sherri Begin

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has awarded Altarum Institute a $1 million contract to assist in the third phase of an $8.5 million research project reviewing veterans’ mental health services.

The Ann Arbor-based health care research nonprofit is looking at how the Veterans Health Administration ensures access, quality, and the system’s capacity to handle increased demands.

Altarum’s third phase work follows its involvement in the first two phases of the project.

It began in 2006 and is set to conclude in 2010.

“The pressure on the Veterans Administration to deliver mental health services to the veterans’ population is growing, in part because veterans — as well as folks who are still active duty — are presenting with greater mental health concerns and disorders,” said Jeff Moore, Altarum’s chief development officer.

The severity and frequency of these mental health concerns is growing for a variety of reasons, most notably extended deployments, he said.

The project is focusing on care provided to veterans with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder or substance abuse problems.

“This really is an opportunity for us to make an ever greater impact in an area of health that is vitally important to our broader mission — that people lead healthier, more productive lives,” Moore said.

In its role in the research, Altarum will survey VHA sites across the country, analyze VA data, review medical charts and interview patients to gain a better understanding of the quality of services and where improvements should be made.

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Larry Scott  --