Committed to continuous improvement: highlighting projects from the 2021 san francisco va health care system innovation and improvement fair | va san francisco health care | veterans affairs

SFVAHCS hosts an Innovation and Improvement (I&I) Fair, a unique opportunity to highlight staff-led projects designed to advance VA care and services to the entire facility and the

community of Veterans we serve. The San Francisco VA Health Care System (SF VAHCS) is committed to the quality of care and services we provide to our nation’s Veterans. Our commitment to

continuous improvement is not only part of our everyday work — it’s an annual event. Each year, SFVAHCS hosts an Innovation and Improvement (I&I) Fair, a unique opportunity to showcase

the exceptional work of VA San Francisco Health Care System staff to the entire facility and the community of Veterans we serve. The fair highlights staff-led projects designed to advance VA

care and services. The most recent I&I Fair was held in the fall of 2021, despite ongoing challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of the project submissions reflected and

addressed the challenges posed by the pandemic, with a strategic focus on reaching Veterans through innovative and targeted outreach. “The I&I Fair shows just how committed to innovation

we are as a health care system,” says San Francisco VA Health Care System Acting Director Jia F. Li. “The amazing projects that came out of the most recent fair is a shining example of the

good work that come when you invest in your employees.” Here are just a few of the innovations and improvements made by the San Francisco VA Health Care System in 2021: INCREASING ACCESS TO

MEDICATION TREATMENT FOR OPIOID USE DISORDER SFVAHCS implemented several provider-level process improvements to reduce barriers to prescribing buprenorphine, an FDA approved and recommended

treatment for opioid use disorder. The result is more accessible treatment options and improved patient care for Veterans struggling with opioid use disorder. EMAIL ACCESS TO HUD-VASH

HOUSING MAP SFVAHCS offers Veterans experiencing homelessness assistance through the supportive housing HUD-VASH program. With the COVID-19 pandemic preventing in-person housing seminars,

VASF created a regularly updated virtual housing map to help HUD-VASH participants to identify available program housing in SF neighborhoods.  HARM REDUCTION KITS FOR HUD-VASH PROGRAM

PARTICIPANTS SFVAHCS supports a harm reduction approach to substance use disorder. To combat higher rates of homelessness among Veterans struggling with substance use disorder, SFVA’s

supportive housing program, HUD-VASH, piloted distribution of harm reduction kits to program participants. Each kit provides HUD-VASH Veterans with education and harm reduction supplies

designed to reduce the negative consequences of drug use such as infection, disease transmission and overdose deaths.  IN-HOUSE 3D PRINTED DENTAL IMPLANT SURGERY GUIDES SFVAHCS developed the

infrastructure to design, print and sterilize dental implant guides on-premises.  Now, Veterans needing dental implant surgery can benefit from customized, 3D printed surgical guides. These

state-of-the-art devices help reduce surgery duration, post-operative pain and improve dental implant results. *** We will once again spotlight outstanding advancements made by the SFVA

health care community as the Office of Systems Redesign and Improvement proudly hosts the 9th annual Innovation and Improvement Fair in fall 2022.