Serving Together: Using Peer Navigators to Enhance Veterans' Health and Well-being

In 2011, a County Mental Health Association launched Serving Together to increase culturally-competent healthcare and support for veterans, service members, and their families. Located in a county with 50,000 veterans and 500 wounded warriors, Serving Together provides a local resource website, behavioral health trainings, and a Peer Navigation system. Although Peer Navigators currently serve individuals with HIV, cancer, and mental illness, few community-based programs have engaged Navigators to work exclusively with veterans and we found no published research evaluating their efficacy with this population. This presentation describes key elements of Serving Together’s Peer Navigation system (established in 2013), comparing it to three models in other states, and summarizes outcomes of its first year. The system offers instrumental and social/emotional support by a trained practitioner, himself a veteran who overcame transition challenges. In 9 months, 90 veterans from all war eras contacted the Navigator via email, telephone, or web-messaging. Clients were screened and through face-to-face contact and referrals, were assisted with mental/physical health conditions, homelessness, housing, transportation, and employment support. Approximately 57% of cases were resolved within 2 weeks; others required longer assistance. Ninety-day client follow-ups revealed high satisfaction due to: 1) 24-hour response to initial contact, 2) empathy/support from a fellow veteran, 3) Navigator’s in-depth knowledge of local resources, and 4) personalized referrals to community agencies. Agencies reported increased client attendance at appointments, improved client coping, and successful coordination of resource use from multiple sectors. Given this early success, recommendations are made for additional research and replication by other communities.