title: Caring for America's Veterans: The Power of Academic-Practice Partnership.
abstract: Veterans receive care across the entire health system. Therefore, the workforce needs knowledge and awareness of whether patients are Veterans and the impact of their military service on their physical and mental health. Recent reports of limitations in access for Veterans seeking health care have highlighted this need across all health care settings. Academic-practice partnerships are one mechanism to align the need for improved health care services within the Veteran population while advancing nursing practice in the Veterans Health Administration and surrounding communities. The key to strong partnerships and sustained collaboration is shared goals, mutual trust and respect, the development of formal relationships, and support of senior leadership that fosters the joint vision and mission to improve nursing care for Veterans. This article describes the evolving partnership between one Veterans Health Administration Medical Center and a School of Nursing, which aligned strategic goals across both organizations to increase the capacity and capability of services provided to Veterans.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, University of Alabama at Birmingham (Drs Miltner, Selleck, Bakitas, and Harper); and Birmingham VA Medical Center, Birmingham, Alabama (Drs Miltner, Froelich, Bakitas, Cleveland, and Harper).
authors.forename: Rebecca S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Miltner
authors.forename: Cynthia S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Selleck
authors.forename: Kimberly D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Froelich
authors.forename: Marie A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Bakitas
authors.forename: Cynthia D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Cleveland
authors.forename: Doreen C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Harper
mesh_terms: D000046:Academic Medical Centers / Q000458:organization & administration*; D000407:Alabama; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D012579:Schools, Nursing / Q000458:organization & administration*; D014481:United States; D014493:United States Department of Veterans Affairs / Q000458:organization & administration*; D014728:Veterans