Gulf Coast VA advances virtual reality for Veteran care

VA is at the forefront of immersive technology implementation. One such tech is virtual reality (VR), which can be a life changing tool for Veterans facing chronic pain to those with other mental and physical health issues. VR provides Veterans with the opportunity to engage with new sights, sounds and experiences that they otherwise would not have had access to.

Liz Williams, an Innovation Specialist at Gulf Coast VA, remembers her first experience with VR. Once she put on a headset and tried the technology for herself, she immediately saw the potential benefits for Veterans. She has been working to integrate immersive technology into Veteran health care ever since.

"I got started incorporating virtual reality into care when I was working in the intensive care unit as a nurse. There was a pilot going on and I reached out to see if we could be a part of it," Williams shared.

She started bringing VR into Biloxi VA anywhere and everywhere that she could with the goal of exposing as many Veterans and clinicians to the technology as possible.

Using immersive technology when it is needed most

Williams (pictured above) found that Veterans and clinicians alike had the same question: How do we bring immersive technology into Veterans' homes?

Over the past year and a half, this has been the main mission throughout Gulf Coast VA: Get VR into Veterans' hands where and when they need it most.

Veterans having access to immersive technology in their homes will allow them to utilize VR when they need it most, maximizing the mental and physical benefits they can experience from integrating VR into their health care.

While recent developments and implementations have been groundbreaking, Williams is optimistic about expanding at-home VR use even further.

"We are so excited that we now have over 200 headsets in the homes of Veterans in our health care system. We hope to grow that number and have this as a tool for Veterans to be able to access in their homes at their leisure," she said.

Overcoming obstacles with Veterans at the forefront

The integration of immersive technology into VA health care and the expansion of VR into Veterans' homes has not been without obstacles. Williams says there are challenges she and others have faced, from connectivity issues to funding problems.

"The most effective method that we've had in overcoming those barriers is involving the Veterans in the process all along the way. That allows us to solve those problems and cross those barriers with their perspective in mind, with their priorities at the top of the order and, although the barriers have been there, we've been able to overcome them," she said.

Williams is excited to share the process with others across VA and help them implement immersive technology across all VA medical centers and more regularly in Veterans' homes.

"I think that using virtual reality in health care is incredibly powerful because of the connection it brings to the table. You're able to share those connections with others whether they're sitting in the same room with you or on another continent."

VA has deployed over 3,500 VR headsets across more than 170 VA medical centers and outpatient clinics in all 50 U.S. states, Puerto Rico, Guam and American Samoa with over 40 documented use cases and over 10,000 Veteran experiences to date.

To learn more, visit the VA Immersive website and check out the YouTube playlist.

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