Program Addresses
MCVC brings the veteran community together to fuel our flow of veteran information, and to ensure information flows to and between organizations in our community. We guide systems thinking practitioners in peer problem solving conversations to create solutions for our veteran community. We provide a safe environment for workers to be involved in multi-disciplinary collaborative work to share and learn from one another.
MCVC works to address existing issues, our goal is to be proactive and preventative in nature. We ensure community workers, civilians, mental and physical health professionals, are educated in areas of military/veteran culture, the unique issues of transitioning soldiers, and the issues veterans and their families face so that we may improve the quality of care veterans receive in our community.
Goal
To ensure community organizations, thereby veterans of our community, have the resources and the education needed to serve the multifaceted issues impacting the local veteran community by enhancing communication and providing educational opportunities through technological and in-person solutions.
Objectives and Activities
1. Reduce suicide among active duty, veterans, and their families and the risk factors that lead to suicidal ideations.
a. Ensure all community workers, veterans, and their family members have knowledge and access to veteran specific information to prevent risk factors that diminish mental and physical health and lead to suicidal ideations.
b. Seek and promote events that connect veterans to each other and the community to assimilate transitioning soldiers, reconnect veterans, build relationships, camaraderie, and to reduce isolation. Thereby, reducing the risk of suicidal ideations.
c. Create and maintain an online community calendar for easy access to events.
d. Arrange suicide prevention classes for MCVC members, the community and businesses.
2. Improve access to educational opportunities in preventative care, physical, and mental health for MCVC members, our community, veterans, and their families.
a. Improve and maintain the vehicle created to be a flow of veteran information through technology.
b. Seek and promote education opportunities in these areas of prevention, physical and mental well-being.
c. Research relevant literature to understand veterans needs, latest advances, and disseminate new or relevant information.
d. Publish educational articles in the local media.
e. Provide online access to educational videos, webinars, and other training material.
f. Host a monthly coalition meeting that provides educational presentations, networking opportunities, and open discussions.
g. Provide subject matter experts in these areas for speakers at MCVC Monthly Meetings or community education events.
3. Provide education on available resources to MCVC members and our community that address common veteran issues and risk factors for mental and physical health such as economic issues, substance abuse, employment, food insecurity, etc.
a. Ensure MCVC website is modernized to be more accessible to members, active duty, transitioning soldiers, veteran and their families, with an emphasis on elder veterans.
b. Produce and maintain an in-depth searchable online directory to provide resources to properly serve the veteran community.
c. Provide online access to educational videos, webinars, and other training material.
d. Host an online in-take form for community workers to request help and allow for MCVC to coordinate efforts and problem solve behind the scenes.
e. Improve and maintain a vehicle for the flow of veteran relevant information by updating our technology.
f. Seek and promote available webinars, workshops, and training events through social media and mass emails.
g. Mass weekly newsletters and social media which provides resources, veteran benefits, events, networking opportunities, employment opportunities, mental and physical health, housing information, suicide prevention, member activities, and recent research.
4. Improve and streamline the delivery of veteran benefits, direct needs, and physical and mental health through communication and education.
a. Ensure community workers, civilians, mental and physical health professionals, are educated in areas of military/veteran culture, and particularly familiar with the unique issues transitions soldiers, veterans and their families face to improve the quality of care veterans receive in our community.
b. Educate on solutions that help organizations improve the delivery of mental and physical health in the veteran community.
5. Identify community veteran issues, gaps in services, and create solutions while reducing the duplication of services.
a. Create and join multidisciplinary teams with multi-mission driven organizations to address complex veteran community issues
b. Use surveys and MCVC meeting open discussion times to aid in identifying issues and creating solutions.
c. Serve as a liaison between organizations to promote and assist collaboration in order to create solutions without creating unnecessary duplications, thereby maximizing the impact of community resources.
6. Improve the communication to and between the veteran community.
a. Provide opportunities to network among local non-profits, veteran businesses, veteran organizations, governmental agencies, and churches.
b. Host networking events at veteran owned businesses.
c. Provide time at the end of monthly meetings to network.
d. Executive Director provides introductions to like organizations and those that would mutually benefit each other.
e. Administer regular surveys to see what the barriers are and issues facing transitioning soldiers, veterans, and their families.
f. Help member organizations best serve veterans by serving as a coordinator to maximize community impact.
g. Create an online community calendar to ensure organizations do not duplicate event days, as well as promote each other's events.
h. Executive Director represents veteran interests in multiple committees and Boards in community and state. Examples include Sexual Assault Center Advisory Board, Clarksville Suicide Prevention Alliance, Tn State Recovery Court Advisory Board, Tennessee Department of Mental Health & Substance Abuse Policy and Planning Council Region V
Measurable Outcomes
- Number of attendees at community education events
- Number of articles produced for local media
- Attendees at Coalition meetings
- Number of educational videos created
- Number of mass emails sent
- Open rate
- Social media outreach, numbers
- Number of those accessing educational videos
- Number of webinars
- Number of website hits
- Number of presentations
- Number of attendees at presentations/trainings
