VHA: How Virtual Reality is Revolutionizing Veteran Care
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The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is changing the game in healthcare by using virtual reality to improve the lives of their patients. In this episode of XR Industry Leaders, we speak with Caitlin Rawlins and Anne Lord Bailey from the VA about how VR headsets can help veterans with pain management, mental health, and overall well-being.

They share insights on how VR can interrupt negative stress signals to the brain, the potential for VR to target specific symptoms like acute pain, PTSD, anxiety, depression, and social isolation, and the stories from veterans who saw immediate symptom relief.

The VA has shipped out over 1,200 headsets in all 50 states, overcoming challenges with virtual reality and creating scalable and repeatable processes to ensure their staff and patients are supported.

Tune in to the full podcast for more on the VHA’s virtual reality playbook and resources for implementing VR technology in healthcare.

Quote:

“You have to experience the value of XR. Make sure that you're facilitating opportunities to get heads in headsets because that's what builds your XR champions and they are the ones who help you tell the story.”

“Build a community around VR. As people experience VR, they become advocates for it. Working together, understanding and sharing lessons learned, and developing resources has been really critical to help the standard for how we do virtual reality.”

Timestamps:

• Introduction to VR in VHA (03:18)
• Getting started with VR (10:35)
• Stories of how VR is used in VHA (14:18)
• Data showing VR is effective (17:34)
• Common challenges using VR at scale (27:38)
• VR as an alternative to prescriptions (36:29)
• Advice for new VR adopters (39:21)

About the Guests

Dr. Anne Lord Bailey is VA Immersive Lead for VHA’s Office of Healthcare Innovation and Learning. Dr. Bailey started her health care career as a pharmacy resident and then pharmacy practitioner for Western North Carolina VA Healthcare System in Asheville, NC. In 2021, Dr. Bailey became OHIL’s lead for immersive technology, establishing VA Immersive as a collaborative program across OHIL. She has worked with thought leaders in government, academia, and industry, while co-leading the expansion of the VHA Extended Reality (XR) Network alongside Caitlin Rawlins. Recently, Dr. Bailey was awarded 2022 G2Xchange Change Agent Award, 2022 Service to the Citizen Award, and International Virtual Reality in Healthcare Association’s 2022 Hero Award.

Caitlin Rawlins has been a registered nurse for over 10 years, with VA for 6 years, and initiated the first positive distraction-focused VR program for pain and anxiety management in VHA in her first year of VA practice. She now aids in leading VHA Innovation as VA Immersive Program Manager. She has helped support the expansion of XR technology use from one facility to over 160 and network engagement to more than 1,700 VA employees. Ms. Rawlins has been awarded the 2019 ANCC Pathway Award, 2022 G2Xchange Disruptive Tech Program Award, IVRHA Hero Award, and, along with other OHIL Immersive Tech team members, was a recipient of the 2022 Service to the Citizen Award for her work with XR.

About ArborXR:

ArborXR helps organizations confidently manage VR & AR devices at scale, remotely install content, and control what users can see and do in the headset. Our mission is to help people live more meaningful lives through the power of XR. Learn more at https://arborxr.com).

Links & Resources:

• Connect with Brad on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brad-scoggin/)
• Connect with Will on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/willstackable/)
• Learn more about getting started with XR in our ultimate guide to managing VR training for work: https://arborxr.com/blog/ultimate-guide-to-managing-vr-training-for-work/)