Background: Approximately 23 percent of the homeless populations in the United States are veterans according to a recent national survey. One reason is veterans have had difficulty finding employment after being discharged from active duty service in the military. Another reason is that many veterans suffer challenges putting the war behind them. Twenty percent suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depression and 19% with brain injuries. Others suffer from substance abuse. Still others have no family support. Suicides are also on the rise with rates doubled compared to non-veterans. Many are disabled. Across the country, more than 75,000 veterans are homeless on any given night, with more than 1.5 million veterans at risk of becoming homeless. Foreground: Hawaii’s jobless rate for veterans is 8.3 percent, two percentage points above the state’s overall rate and slightly more than the national unemployment rate for veterans. Evidence Based Practice Framework:The Rosswurm and Larrabee evidence-based framework was used in this capstone to guide best practices. The framework served to guide the capstone project in integrating an evidence-based practice change. Project information was collected and reviewed pertinent to supporting outreach medical care for homeless veterans. The literature reviews supported the feasibility of an outreach team to include interventions promoting health improvement and heightening the quality of lives. Major stakeholders in the VA such as the VA director, rural health director, primary care and mental health providers were educated about the current lack of access to medical care for homeless veterans and how an outreach team could impact this deficit. Methods: The objective of the capstone was to fill a gap in healthcare for homeless veterans who lack or have limited access to medical and social services. A pilot was planned and inititiated to fulfill the capstone objective. To fulfill the pilot plan, an outreach team was assembled consisting of a nurse practitioner and nursing students. The team provided medical care to homeless veterans on the island of O’ahu. Findings/Results: Data was collected and showed that outreach medical team services improved access to health services for homeless veterans in Hawaii. Recommendations/Conclusions: The success of the pilot demonstrated that a medical outreach team could serve as an important resource for homeless veterans residing in the community who have found it too challenging for whatever reason to access medical care and social services at VA facilities. The researcher estimated that there might be as many as 500 homeless veterans residing in the state of Hawaii who are in this situation and may be served by an outreach program.
