PAServes is a pioneering initiative that has been a beacon of hope for military-connected individuals for the past eight years. Supported by local philanthropy and the Veteran’s Administration, PAServes has a robust network of 69 provider organizations, including VA medical centers, veteran-serving organizations, and community-based groups. This network addresses many critical needs, such as food insecurity, employment assistance, medical care, and social isolation. Over five years, PAServes has served over 7,000 individuals with more than 20,000 service requests and closed the loop on over 95% of these requests.
At the 2024 Civitas Networks for Health Annual Conference, NNSI’s Founder and Director, Michelle Shumate, will deliver a presentation with Gilly Cantor from the D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University to shed light on the operational excellence of PAServes. Their presentation will explore the innovative features of PAServes’ multi-stakeholder network design, highlighting its success and providing insights for replication.
In this article, we interview Professor Shumate on the design and impact of PAServes. We explore how this pioneering initiative has managed to create a seamless support system for military-connected individuals and the crucial role that human navigators play in maintaining effective and timely referrals. Read on to discover how PAServes has become a blueprint for success in addressing the complex needs of the communities it intends to serve.
Can you explain the design of the PAServes network and how it facilitates effective referrals among provider organizations?
I learned about PAServes when we began collaborating with the Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University on research funded by the Army Research Office. They provide technical assistance to networks that are part of the AmerciaServes network, and PAServes is one of those. It has a no-wrong-door model, which means that when a military-connected individual needs help, any one of the 70 providers in the network can help them access the network of providers who offer 21 categories of services, including housing, clothing, income support, and benefits navigation.
The network has a coordination center, the Veterans Leadership Program, which operates like air traffic control. The center manages the referrals, observing which ones are stuck or need intervention. The coordination center is critical in maintaining provider relationships, resolving issues, and managing complex referrals with multiple co-occurring needs.
The network has some remarkable outcomes. From June 2023 to June 2024, it successfully resolved 80% of cases. It also matched clients with providers who could help them, on average, within 1.1 days.
Could you elaborate on the role of human navigators in the PAServes model?
Absolutely. While there is a community resource referral platform at the center of PAServes, technology alone doesn’t manage referrals well. There has to be a person whose job is to serve as air traffic control, who can manage relationships with providers, and who can intervene when needed.
How do they ensure that partner organizations remain engaged and informed about the services and capacities available within the PAServes network?
I can’t over-emphasize how important partner engagement is. Many referral platforms engage with providers once a year just to get their information up to date. PAServes coordination center employees engage much more frequently, having regular meetings to get updates on issues. They know if an agency, for instance, has run out of bus passes that month. They know when there is turnover, and they need to train a new employee how to close the loop. They have regular meetings to review outcome data as a group to improve these outcomes for veterans and other military-connected individuals.
How has PAServes adapted its services in response to crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, to meet the evolving needs of military-connected individuals?
We studied PAServes during COVID-19, and it was one of the most resilient networks in AmericaServes. There are two things they did that were particularly impressive. First, they recognized that their regular in-person, event-based outreach strategy wouldn’t work. They pivoted and contacted all of the individuals they had offered food support to in the past and e-mailed them to ask if they needed food support during COVID-19. The response was overwhelming and very positive. Second, some of their network partners who offered in-person activities couldn’t do that during COVID-19. They asked those partners if they could transition to delivering meals to veterans who couldn’t leave the house, and those partners changed their missions for a time to meet the emergent need. That last strategy wouldn’t have been possible without the relationship-building they had done over the years.
Can you share a personal story or experience that highlights the impact of PAServes on an individual or family?
PAServes recently shared the story of a U.S. Air Force veteran, who we’ll call Laura. Laura had many needs, including housing. The VA referred Laura to PAServes. The Veterans Leadership Program was able to help make initial referrals to PA Wounded Warrior and Operation Troop Appreciation, who provided help. Laura was referred again to PAServes based on a medical center screening about a year later. Then PAServes was able to help her with benefits navigation and getting her service-connected rating. This meant she could receive benefits from the VA, which she hadn’t been eligible to receive before. She was directly connected to the Allegheny County Veteran Benefits Administration.
If you’d like to learn more about innovative solutions like PAServes, it’s not too late to sign up for the conference. Join us in Detroit October 15-17, 2024.