Enhancing New Mexico Veteran Services - D'Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families

About

With the support of the New Mexico State Legislature, the D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF) is leading a multi-phase project to design a coordinated care system for New Mexican service members, veterans, and their families. In the project’s first phase, the IVMF conducted a landscape assessment to understand the needs of the military-connected community and examined the viability of a coordinated care system for the state. We found that veteran-serving organizations that participated felt that a coordinated care network would be of value to New Mexico veterans, but questions on how best to implement such a network remained. In the current phase of the project the IVMF is working closely with its fiscal sponsor—the New Mexico State Department of Veteran Services—to engage with veteran serving organizations across the state to collect their thoughts and feedback on the design of a network. With this information, the IVMF will create a programmatic roadmap that lays out the steps necessary for implementing a coordinated care network in New Mexico.

PHASE 1: The Current State of the Veteran Space in New Mexico

Between January and March 2023, the IVMF engaged with 41 non-profit and government organizations servicing veterans and the military-connected community to assess the current state of New Mexico’s veteran services landscape. Key areas of interest were the needs of the veteran and military-connected community, current practices in coordination and collaboration, and opinions on a statewide coordinated care network. The IVMF developed a report providing recommendations for how the State can work toward implementing a coordinated care model for its veterans and military families.

Key Findings from Phase 1 Include:

Veteran-serving organizations that participated in this assessment felt that a coordinated care network would be of value to New Mexico veterans.
Unique factors facing the state, including rurality and resource concentration, means there is value in coordinated care for veterans in New Mexico.
Several questions were raised, including network leadership structure, how best to phase implementation, and funding and sustainability, highlighting the need for a community design and planning phase that is driven by New Mexico service providers.
Any design implementation must include transparent communications and ongoing data collection and sharing to inform the growth of the collaborative.

Read The Full Report

PHASE 2 (Current): Community Design and Planning

Building on insights from the statewide landscape assessment in Phase 1, the IVMF is now leading the community design and planning phase of the project. We are engaging with stakeholders across New Mexico to create an implementation roadmap for coordinated care throughout the state.

As part of this work, we hosted nine in-person focus groups across the state, where veteran serving organizations provided valuable input on local needs and service coordination. Feedback collected is helping to shape the future of veteran care in New Mexico.

Couldn’t join us in person? Join an upcoming virtual focus group!

June 12th – 1pm – 3pm EST (11-1 MDT) June 18th – 12pm – 2pm EST (10-12 MDT)

Still can’t attend, but want your voice to be heard? Connect with us! Email Program Manager, Emily Graham (egraha22@syr.edu).

Team Members

Vincent DelSignore

Director | Community Services vrdelsig@syr.edu

Emily Graham

Program Manager | Community Services egraha22@syr.edu

Zachary Bridgewater, Ph.D.

Research Associate zabridge@syr.edu

Mary Rachel Keville, M.P.A.

Associate | Research & Evaluation mrkevill@syr.edu