Tribal Outreach Social Worker
Current“12% of American Indian and Alaska Native Veterans (AIANs) in the United States are Veterans, comprising one of the highest per capita populations of Vets in any ethnic group. Tribal communities are frequently located in rural areas, which make Veteran services difficult to reach”, (VAntage Point, July 5, 2011).The Tribal Outreach Worker (TOW) project for American Indian Veterans in 100% rural Humboldt, Lake and Mendocino counties meets two of the Office of Rural Health Strategic Goals: 1) Improve access and quality of healthcare delivery for rural and highly rural Veterans, and 2) Enhance existing and implement new strategies to improve collaborations and increase service options for rural and highly rural Veterans. Additionally, this project meets two needs identified in the VISN Rural Needs Assessments: 1) Targeting Outreach/Marketing/Education efforts (regarding VHA resources) and 2) Engaging in Community Collaboration.The estimated number of American Indian Veterans in SF VAMC’s three rural counties is: Humboldt- 6881; Lake- 1,375; and Mendocino- 4,051 (data is from the American Community Survey & Population Estimates, U.S. Census).