Background
Healthcare organizations can give back to society by participating in community development projects. Getting involved in community development projects helps in the identification of challenges affecting society alongside providing the relevant solution. Abandonment of Veterans is the major problem facing the Illinois community hence a need to formulate a project that could provide a solution. Most veterans are homeless, jobless, struggle with depression and mental health issues, and physical health challenges. Therefore, in this paper, Illinois Veteran Reintegration Counseling and Resources (IVRCR) is analyzed to show that veterans’ issues can be addressed in society. The paper will also involve the description of the mission, vision, and goals of the project, identification of the social problem, key program implementation activities and evaluation process.
Program Vision and Mission
The transition of veterans into civilians from the military way is difficult and complicated. Veterans go through the struggle when trying to cope with their civilian lives. Most of them are homeless, have no jobs, and face physical health challenges and mental health. The social and economic problems affecting the veterans make it difficult to integrate them veterans, hence a need to formulate vision, mission, and goals (Hunniecutt, 2022). The vision for the IVRCR program is to create a balanced and peaceful lifestyle for veterans. This will revolve around participating in essential activities focused on making houses for veterans, creating employment activities, and reuniting the veterans with their respective families. The mission of the program is to support and promote the achievement of positive and better living standards for veterans.
Program’s Goals
The program goals play a crucial role in formulating strategies that can help the project’s success. Goals also provide direction, which is used in the execution of the program’s activities. The first goal of IVRCR is to assist the needed resources for veterans when integrating with society and their families. When veterans are integrating with society, there is a need for resources such as shelters, food, counseling services, medical services, and other basic needs. Besides providing good healthcare services to the veterans, it will also be necessary to provide job opportunities that help them in meeting their basic needs. Another goal is to enhance good healthcare facilities for veterans, both mentally and physically.
Social Problems
Veterans are exposed to a number of social problems in the community. Most of them are rejected in society due to the difference in their lifestyles. Also, the kind of trauma the veterans go through while in the military results in mental health issues such as stress, depressing hence leading to suicidal attempts (Hunniecutt, 2022). As a result of being jobless, most veterans are rejected, and this is a major challenge. The veterans come out of military service with health complications, and this is a problem for society. Medical attention has to be given to such people as a way of transforming the healthcare services in society. The IVRCR program is majorly focused on providing solutions to the community with regard to physical health, mental health, joblessness, and homeless veterans.
Community Needs
The IVRCR project is focused on providing the solution to different social needs of the veterans in society. The major need for veterans when they come from the military is to have a good relationship with their families and the entire society. Families will provide a good platform for guiding and canceling the veterans, and this helps in managing the mental health problems. Another need of society is healthcare services (McDaniel et al., 2019). There must be specified institutions that will help in treating veterans in the community. Society also needs to have professional counselors and psychologists who will guide the veterans to reduce incidences of stress and mental health.
Description of the Program Activities
The IVRCS will manage the homeless veterans by setting up homesteads for them. New homes will be built for the homeless and allocated to them. This will involve the NGOs and government support to provide funds to run the activities. The program will also join the government’s forum on providing affordable houses, which are subsided. Through this, it will be possible to mitigate the homelessness risk in the community. The program will also participate in crucial projects in society, such as construction, as a way of providing employment to jobless veterans. Training programs on how to start up SMEs and to find sources of funds for such businesses will also be the major activity while engaging the veterans. Agricultural activities will also be introduced to society as a way of reducing the unemployment percentage. Health issues will also be resolved by setting the specialized hospitals for treating the veterans (McDaniel et al., 2019).
Theory Supporting Program
There are a number of veteran’s theories that were adopted by the IVRCR. Theories are essential as they provide a broad literature review on what should be exactly done when reintegrating the veterans into society (Malloch et al., 2021). In this context, the program will adopt the symbolic integration theory. The theory describes how a good relationship between the veterans and the society and society (Scott et al., 2018). The symbolic integration theory describes how the veterans can be integrated into society by first studying their perceptions of the veterans (Malloch et al., 2021). Through this, it will be easier to understand the psychology of an individual hence determining strategies on how to handle veterans. The theory also describes how social integration can be made between the families and the veterans through reconciliation at the family level (Adams et al., 2018). This acts as the main psychological tool specifically focused on transforming the lives of veterans. The IVRCR will rely on the big role theory played in uniting the veterans and their families as well as the entire community (Malloch et al., 2021).
Refined Logic Model
A logical model is a picture of how the IVRCR program will be executed and managed. This will involve aligning the goals of the project with the strategies. The mission, vision, and objectives form the logic model for this program (Finlay et al., 2019). Therefore, the logical plan will focus on the execution of healthcare services, employment, and affordable housing. The logic Model is focused on providing good resources and counseling to veterans. The logical plan is divided into four categories. They comprise inputs, activities, output, and the impact of the program on society. The major input for this program comprises the resources which are attributed by the well-swishers, government, and other NGOs. However, the resources are exposed to barriers that may affect the inputs that comprise the financial constraints (Finlay et al., 2019). The program’s major activities will be featured, which include creating employment, counseling, treating patients, and reconnecting the veterans through support systems. The output of the program will include unity in the community, good health among the veterans, and a reduced number of jobless people.
Action Plan
The action plan of the program will heavily rely on the strategies put in place. The program leady will rely on the action plan put in place to facilitate the implementation and execution of the program. Integrating the goals of the program and the action plan provides a good picture of how the veterans can be managed in society. It will take a broad step in understanding the veteran group that is in the society by collecting data. The data collected will provide information on the gender, age, and overall veterans who reside in the community. This will involve getting detailed information on the veterans’ population, experiences, and their relationships with their family members. After determining the veterans in the community, the next step is to focus on how to build on the progress and enhance success. To enhance the transformation of the veterans by building houses, counseling, creating employment opportunities, and reuniting the veterans and their families. Another step is to embrace and celebrate the veterans as a way of appreciating them for good work.
Contingency Plan
The contingency plan involves the aspect of identifying risks and problems facing society as much as the veteran’s project is concerned. The major risks associated with veterans comprise homelessness, unemployment, mental health, and physical health. When implementing the program, some of the veterans have no home to stay in, and therefore they cannot be connected with their families. Others are mentally disturbed up to the extent of committing suicide. From the contingency plan, most veterans are stressed and depressed due to a lack of basic needs and being abandoned by their family members. Therefore, the first action plan is to save veterans with mental health problems by guiding and counseling them.
Next Steps Needed to Implement the Program
The first step for implementation of the IVRCR program is planning, whereby the community is to be covered budgeted or by the facilitators. When planning, an effective strategy is formulated which will be used in the execution of the project. The number of veterans in the community is then identified by getting involved in community outreach activities. Service delivery is then conducted by building houses for homeless veterans, creating job opportunities, treating those with physical health challenges, and counseling veterans with mental issues.
Refined Outline for the Evaluation Plan
These evaluation questions can help investigators understand how helpful the program can track veterans and assist them in finding different resources that are needed in their reintegration. Some questions are structured as closed-ended, while others are open-ended. The method of structuring questions allows different data collection methods to be used. For instance, many questions can be answered in focus groups, while others can be measured using Likert scales to indicate the level of satisfaction with the program and its services. When evaluating the program is vital to collect data with reference to the response to the implementation of the veteran program in the community. The first method to evaluate whether the system is acceptable in the community is through a questionnaire where the clients accept the program in the society. Surveys will also be sent both online and physically to inquire about the take of the new program. The gathered data will finally have measured by the statistical tools to produce visuals that show the progress. Furthermore, the timeline for all the activities involved is set to help in monitoring the progress.
Objectives
The program objectives address most challenges facing veterans and their reintegration into society. About seven hundred retired soldiers are homeless, without a place to call home. Therefore, it is critical for the program to aim at reducing the number by at least forty percent. Illinois has about seven hundred veterans without a home; therefore, reducing homelessness by 40% is an ambitious plan that can help them. When veterans return to normal civilian lives, they may face mental health problems. These problems are serious, and veterans should be provided with the necessary counseling that they deserve. However, the major barrier affecting veterans’ access to counseling services is the lack of awareness on how to utilize such services.
Client Outcome
The current outcome of the IVRCR program is well determined through the evaluation the execution of the key activities. The first activity is to build houses for homeless veterans. This is evidently shown through the reduction of homeless veterans on the streets. The creation of employment will be seen when most of the veterans are employed through different programs in society meant to create job opportunities for the jobless veterans. This may involve building and construction programs and the operation of SMEs.
The type of evaluation- The process impact
When evaluating the IVRCR program, it will be necessary to use the process impact by determining the effect of the program on society. The impact of the program on society can be determined by evaluating key results that suggest the benefits of the program. For instance, through surveys, one will be able to identify success when the houses have been built, veterans receive medical services, and reunited with their families. The primary information regarding this will be determined through the use of questionnaires, surveys, and interviews as a way of collecting data on society.
The Criteria to Measure Program Performance and Client Outcomes
The performance measures for the program and the clients’ outcome will involve the use of key performance measures, benchmarking, literature review, and use of quantitative data. The KPI will be used to measure when the program is on track by evaluating the execution of specific services in the community. This may include evaluation to see whether the houses were built, whether veterans are given medical care, guidance and counseling, and integration of the veterans and their families. Benchmarking will involve studying how the veterans are reunited with their families in other communities. Through this, one will be in a position to identify the capabilities which are effective in the execution of the program. Some of the ideas gained from studying other communities will be influential when executing the IVRCR program. Furthermore, one can use the benchmark to determine whether they are on the right track in terms of executing the program. The literature review will involve the study of online journals and books and compare the literatures with the actual program implementation. There are several studies in journals, books and article which shows how different veterans related programs are executed in the society.
References
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