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Integrated Town HallsPlaybook
As of September 4, 2015
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Table of Contents
Why Do We Need a Town Hall Playbook? 3
Secretary’s Message 4
Integrated Town Halls 5
Take Turns Hosting Town Halls 7
Foster and Build Relationships 8-10
Reach New Audiences 11
Use Outreach Tools 12
Provide Veteran Services 13
Create Veteran-centric Experiences 14-17
Reach Out for Help 18
Respond to Veteran Feedback 19
Measure Success 20
Closing 212
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DRAFTWhy Do We Need a Town Hall Playbook?
The MyVA team has observed Town Halls, visited facilities and talked to VA employees who are conducting and participating in Town Halls--we wanted to find out what was working well.
This playbook is a culmination of the good ideas and best practices shared by employees across the country and across Administrations and is an idea source for VA employees who plan, participate in, and attend Town Halls. It is a living resource to reference and update over time to meet changing needs and environments.
This playbook supports Town Hall environments where engaged employees hear directly from Veterans.
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Secretary’s Message
“ I asked that all facilities hold quarterly Town Hall meetings to improve communication with, and hear directly from Veterans.
This task continues to be met with tremendous success. Administrations are coming together to present a unified VA at integrated Town Halls. Your efforts are providing not only improved communication, but improved Veteran experiences as you work together to solve intricate Veteran problems. It is timely now to share collective best practices and ideas for Town Halls in order to learn from one another and to further improve the Veteran experience.
We will continue to integrate and to build and strengthen our communities. Town Halls showcase the good work we do everyday and is one more powerful avenue for Veterans to get answers, learn and talk with leadership.”
-Bob
INTEGRITYCOMMITMENTADVOCACYRESPECTEXCELLENCE
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Integrated Town Halls
Medical Facilities
Regional Offices
Local VA Leaders
Veteran Service Organizations
State and Local Government
Community Partners
Non-Profit Organizations
Veterans do not see us as National Cemetery Administration (NCA), Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) and Veterans Health Administration (VHA). They see us as VA. It is
Integrating Town Halls means: Partnering across Administrations at the local
level for Town Halls; bringing local leaders and employee subject matter experts together who can answer questions and provide assistance.
Expanding partnerships with Veteran Service Organizations (VSOs); federal, state and local governments; State Veterans Affairs Offices; community partners, and non-profit organizations, to name a few.
Public forums will supplement VA’s Integrated Town Hall meetings, and in many locations will replace the need for separate town halls in the future.
The following pages will guide you through great ideas for integrated Town Halls that meet the needs of Veterans and their families.
Employee Subject Matter Experts
State Veterans AffairsVeterans and their
families
our job to create a seamless Veteran-centric experience as our customers see us and need us. One important way to do this is by integrating Town Halls.
Town Halls
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LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE FIELD
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Take Turns Hosting Town Halls
When Administrations work together and collaborate, we better meet Veterans’ needs. Together, we can find answers and solve problems..
“In Philadelphia, the Medical Center and Regional Office take turns planning and hosting Town Halls, and NCA representatives join us. We also like to get out into the community and hold every other Town Hall outside of VA facilities. We partner with Veteran Service Organizations and other community partners to find locations close to the Veterans we serve and request that they co-host these events with us.”
The Medical Center, Regional Office and NCA have also begun conducting monthly conference calls to work through joint events and address concerns. We stood up a SharePoint site where we can share everything and it’s all very exciting as the process continues to grow!
-- Jennifer Askey, Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center
Employee benefit: Taking turns with Town Hall and Public Forum responsibilities saves time and resources.
Take turns
Work together
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Foster & Build Relationships
We partner with stakeholders that have significant Veteran-facing experience. Town Halls can best leverage these relationships, and expand those partnerships.
Attend Congressional Town Halls
Veterans and their families will attend Congressional Town Halls with VA concerns and questions and congressional representatives will have VA concerns and questions. It is important to be present and to be the voice of VA at these events.
“By attending local Congressional Town Halls we are able to cultivate both congressional and Veteran relationships. When Veteran concerns are addressed at Congressional Town Halls, we are there to represent the voice of VA.”
-- Sheila Austin, El Paso VA Health Care System
Involve Partners
Ask partners, such as local Veteran Service Organizations (VSOs) to host Town Halls, either at a VA facility or their own.
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Foster & Build Relationships
Build relationships with state and local government
These relationships can produce powerful allies and will cultivate relationships with congressmen and senators. If the states know what we are doing, they can get our message out much better than we can alone.
“Sometimes Veterans face hardships beyond the scope of VA services, but we’ve been able to leverage the relationships we’ve built with state and local government and other community partners to find solutions and assistance for those unique situations. We recently experienced severe flooding in Michigan and some Veteran’s homes were damaged. VA could only provide limited assistance, but we knew where to turn for help from our community partners. Our goal is to help Veterans, regardless of the situation.”
-- Derek Atkinson, VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System
Reach out
Involving and inviting partners to Town Halls opens up solution possibilities for Veterans and their families. When help falls outside of VA’s scope, there are others who are often ready and willing to step in.
Our partners can be relied upon when VA’s reach is limited.
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Foster & Build Relationships with Media
Media are invited to Town Halls, and good media relationships are paramount to building positive perceptions of VA and the care and benefits we provide to Veterans and their families. Public Affairs Officers can help build effective media relationships:
“First, reach out. Set up a get-to-know-you meeting or phone conversation with assignment desks or assignment editors – these are the people who decide coverage for any given day.
Then, branch out. Begin reaching out to various reporters who cover VA.
Establish relationships. Come up with a good story on a topic of interest (PTSD, homelessness, female Veterans/OB/GYN care, Recreation Therapy, amputees recovery….etc. something visual.) Start with a formal press release and invite media, giving reporters access to the facility and a consenting patient(s) for interview. In an hour, they can have a story -- “add water and stir.”
Pitch stories. Once a relationship has been established, you can begin to pitch positive coverage and let reporters know what VA has to offer.
Last, maintain the relationships you’ve built. Relationships are key and building both formal and informal relationships with media contacts is important. Informal relationships will allow you to pitch the good VA story, which doesn’t necessarily come with a formal press release. Good news stories can be pitched with informal emails, “what do you think of this idea?” Good relationships will also turn into phone calls from reporters requesting the full story from VA rather than just printing bad press if the situation arises.”
-- Jill Atwood, Communications Director for VA Salt Lake City Health Care System, and former reporter
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Reach New Audiences
Some facilities are experiencing great success reaching new audiences via social media, and many are exploring webinars and teleconference Town Halls.
Host Webinars or Teleconference Town Halls
Host webinar Town Halls or utilize teleconferencing lines – reaching those at work, those unable to travel, and rural audiences.
Utilize Twitter for Town Hall questions
Reach out to new generations with Twitter; ask for feedback and questions with a Twitter campaign before the physical Town Hall.
Host Facebook Town Halls
Choose a hot topic and host during a lunch hour. Make sure you have content to push for the entire hour to generate conversation. Graphics and pictures will help with reach, and those who couldn’t attend “live” can view the information later.
“We are hosting monthly Facebook Town Halls on topical interests like the Choice Act. We’ve been really happy with the participation we’ve seen and we feel we are reaching new audiences with the information they need. We also like that the information we put onto Facebook is archived for reference and sharable.”
-- Anonymous 11
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Use Outreach Tools
VA has many partners and many opportunities for reaching Veterans and their families. Immediately shareable messaging makes our job and theirs easier. Share your flyers and outreach ideas at [email protected].
Get creative! Create graphics simply in PowerPoint, then “save as” a .jpg. This size will automatically show up beautifully on Facebook, Twitter, or your website. Click below for ideas.[CLICK HERE TO ACCESS SAMPLE SOCIAL MEDIA GRAPHICS]
Provide community partners, Veteran Service Organizations, congressional offices and other stakeholders with a ready-to-share outreach toolkit. The toolkit should include a flyer, social media messaging/graphics and a website post. A sample is available below.[CLICK HERE TO ACCESS A SAMPLE OUTREACH TOOLKIT]
Flyers are important tools to provide our partners. Click below for more flyer ideas. [CLICK HERE TO ACCESS SAMPLE FLYERS]
Count characters in your Tweets before passing along.[CLICK HERE TO ACCESS A TWITTER CHARACTER COUNTER]
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Provide Veteran ServicesThe more VHA, VBA, and NCA partner to provide education and services for Town Halls, the more successful the event will be – each Administration plays a vital role for Veterans and their families.Town Halls should always include assistance with eBenefits and MyHealtheVet enrollment, classes on secure messaging with providers, and claims assistance (Claims Clinics). There are also other services and employee subject matter expert support to consider. The below list contains examples and ideas; it is not comprehensive:
Pharmacy
Eligibility
Mental health
Business office
Enrollment
Police and security
Facilities management
Emergency management
Infection control
Vocational rehabilitation
Women’s health
Customer service
Pain medicine
Suicide prevention outreach
Medical service line
Voluntary services
Prosthetics
Non-VA care
Primary Care/MH/Specialty Care
Veteran Centers and “Vet Mobiles” if available to provide onsite counseling
Health screening
Scheduling
Burial pre-registration, benefits
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Create Veteran-centric ExperiencesTown Halls and Public Forums can be great experiences for Veterans and their families. The greeting they receive and the demeanor of the employees who interact with them are key to successful events.
“We attract large crowds at our Town Halls and Claims Clinics and it’s very important to perform effective triage.”
• Step one: As Town Hall participants arrive, employees/volunteers should be available to take information and to ask about the participant’s specific needs. The employee can then track where the Veteran needs to go (this is a great first step for Veteran follow-up.)
• Step two: Also have several employees available to act as “runners.” Runners take triaged patients to exactly where they need to be based upon his or her stated needs. For example, a runner might bring a Veteran or family member to speak with a mental health or claims professional.
“We’ve also seen an unintended but welcome consequence of putting on these events -- a boost in employee morale. Employees who sign up to work are completely reenergized by the experience. We ask for volunteers to staff Town Halls and Claims Clinics and have found our employees begin to understand the difference they make in Veterans’ lives when they are able to help face-to-face, particularly those employees who rarely get that type of interaction.”
“We also try to take care of our employees and Veterans by using Vet Canteen funds to buy lunches for employees working long hours (as happens often for those working Claims Clinics) and to buy water for attendees.”
-- Cheryl Rawls, Winston-Salem Regional Benefits Office Director14
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Create Veteran-centric Experiences
Often, Veterans and their families come to Town Halls with one question and one purpose. The Town Hall experience may be enhanced by catering to specific needs quickly and also by being sensitive to time constraints and atmospheres.
Take the show on the roadSometimes holding Town Halls at VA facilities isn’t the most convenient, nor the most hospitable environment for Veterans and their families. Think about where Veterans already are – and go there. Ideas include VSO facilities, churches, nursing homes, Goodwill, and other community partners. This is important in rural areas, areas where traffic or parking is a problem, or areas where needs are high (where distrust or contention exists).
Host come-and-go eventsSome appreciate the ability to come in and have their problem or question addressed quickly (without having to sit through others’ questions). This idea works well with an open house format.
“Iowa City takes Town Halls to rural areas since some cannot travel long distances. We communicate with local facilities for space such as libraries and other establishments that offer low costs.”
-- Jon Pruett, Iowa City VA Health Care System
Find convenient times that meet the needs of Veterans and their familiesSome populations need to meet in the evenings, some would rather meet during the day. Some want to meet on the weekend. Find the right time(s) to meet the needs of your community.
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Create Veteran-centric Experiences
Facilitate Veteran participation and partnership: If formal environments with podiums and microphones create contentious situations or are leaving important Veteran and family member voices unheard, we can create more conversational environments by hosting Town Halls in a round table or open house format.
Host informal sessions with leadersHost leader meet-and-greets, informal or sit-down conversations with leaders and decision makers.
Set the room up differentlyStage tables or circles of chairs, and clearly label by topics of interest or by leader / employee subject matter expert. Veterans and their family members can circulate through 5-10-15 minute sessions based upon their needs and interests.
Involve Veterans and their families in solutionsHost solution sessions with leaders and other employee subject matter experts – let Veterans and family members give us the answers.
“Our population appreciates that our leaders make time to sit down with them to talk before Town Halls – sometimes these one-on-one conversations solve problems before the Town Hall even begins.”
-- Rodney Derringer, Des Moines Regional Office
Invite Veteran guest speakersInclude Veteran guest speakers, both from within and outside your community.
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Create Veteran-centric Experiences
Listen. Apologize. Solve the problem or describe a clear path to a solution.
Thank them.
“When your imagination puts you in a sympathetic place with another person, you don’t have to worry about what to say. The right thing will automatically come out. We want to emphasize the motivational power of imagination and its ability to transform our attitude. Imagination and empathy diffuse anger. Any time we can imagine the situation from the other person’s point of view, we lower our own defenses and, in the process, defuse their anger. Empathy is the most important skill to teach in dealing with an irate or upset person – see first to understand, then to be understood… You 1) listen, 2) apologize, 3) solve the problem, and 4) thank them. You CANNOT fake empathy.”
Stan Lee – If Disney Ran Your Hospital: 9 ½ Things You Would Do Differently
Quickly calming difficult environments is to everyone’s advantage.
“It’s important not to marginalize the problems Veterans bring to our attention. Whether or not you think it has merit or matters, you must acknowledge the unhappiness expressed by a Veteran before any sort of conversation can begin. I always let participants know their feedback is important and tell them how we will address their specific issue, or direct them to an employee subject matter expert who can help. It’s important to exude confidence in these situations. If someone is upset, they are upset, and we’ll tackle the unhappiness one voice at a time.”
-- Diana Rubens, Philadelphia Regional Benefits Office Director17
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Reach Out for Help
Click on the “How Can I Help” Icon to open and print
You may not always have the answers to a Veteran’s needs, but you should know where to turn within VA to find them. MyVA created VA 101 to address this situation and to give all VA employees a foundation and the essential knowledge to better serve Veterans and their families.
If you find yourself in a situation where you don’t have an answer for a Veteran or their family member, this resource will help.
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Respond to Veteran Feedback
As you request feedback, ensure you incorporate it into your facility’s operations:
“Town Halls are a perfect venue to hear from Veterans interested in particular topics. As feedback is received, we incorporate the voice of the Veteran by inviting them to sit on all of our action committees and executive boards – doing this incorporates the voice of the Veteran in everything we do and gives us real feedback on how Veterans will respond to actions and initiatives.”
-- VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, a Planetree facility focused on incorporating the Voice of the Veteran
“We formed Veteran action committees to help resolve our Veterans’ most
pressing concerns. We meet once a month and
brainstorm how to address issues such as parking and
communication” “We post meeting highlights and resolutions on Facebook
and our website.”
“We circle back on feedback at Town Halls. We always take meeting notes, then email the
notes to participants, past and present”
“We have a large white board near our front entrance that reads ‘WE HEARD’. We post
Veteran feedback and questions on this board, including our
responses and resolutions for all to see. We also bring along our
white board to all Town Hall meetings”
We often receive feedback from Veterans and their families at Town Halls but don’t always have procedures to let them know that we heard, we responded, and we resolved the issue. Facilities are addressing this in a variety of ways:
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Measure Success
We should measure responses to exit surveys as outlined below:
• “Strongly Agree” = promoters
• “Somewhat Agree” = passively satisfied
• Anything else = detractors
Goal: Increase the number of promoters and decrease the number of detractors
Veterans and their families will be satisfied when they perceive that we treat them well – both clinically, and as people. We are being judged on our ability to anticipate the needs of our customers and by being respectful and caring.
To measure success, we want to know if attendees will recommend other Veterans attend Town Halls. Further, we should ask ourselves – would we recommend Town Halls to the Veterans in our care? And if not, what can we do to change our own minds?
VA may not survey Veterans, but a partner VSO may be willing to help.
[Click here] to access the Town Hall exit survey for employees
[Click here] to access the Town Hall exit survey for Veterans
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Closing
We want to hear from you!
Share your successes and lessons learned with your peers as we all strive for continuous improvement and Town Hall success!
Email : [email protected]
The Town Hall Playbook is a resource that will be updated often with your thoughts and ideas.
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