By Elaine Bruner, MSN, RN, CMGT-BC
CMSA Lifetime Achievement 2024 recipient and Past President Melanie Prince envisioned a day dedicated to military, veterans, and DoD issues. This vision led to the first MVD pre-conference being offered. CMSA and the MVD Educational Committee have offered this unique program for over ten years.
Once again, the MVD Education Committee produced a stellar event that educated, motivated, and inspired our MVD colleagues! Over 125 participants heard from various subject matter experts who offered insightful information. A stirring keynote, Optimizing Operational Readiness for Case Management, with Dr. Ellen Fink-Samnick, DBH, MSW, LCSW, ACSW, CCM, CCTP, CRP, FCM. She is a well-known expert on ethics, health equity, integrated care, interprofessional teams, and more. Her knowledge has been shared through her numerous books and articles. Ellen’s lively presentation covered the impact of the social determinants of health on our military, veterans, and their families. Key takeaways were spouse employment, food insecurity, and mental health. Following the keynote, the MVD participants remembered Kevin Parry, Nurse Case Manager with Naval Medical Center Portsmouth (NMCP). Kevin died on July 2, 2023, shortly after our 2023 conference concluded. Dr. Kim Brewer, NMCP Supervisor of Case Management, and Elaine Bruner offered their memories of Kevin with a moment of silence.
During the morning, the MVD audience enjoyed sessions on transitions between the military and Veteran Affairs, food insecurity in the MVD communities, and lunch symposia on overcoming Barriers to Discharge. Melissa Leone, the Executive Director of Nursing Operations with Coram CVS Specialty Infusion Services, offered a global perspective on barriers to discharge planning.
The afternoon was packed with sessions, including a discussion on veteran well-being by Heather MacLellan and Kaitlin Horrigan. They offered information on best practices from VA Canada. With over forty years in the healthcare industry and as a Navy veteran, Jose Santoro shared leadership traits to enhance or advance your career. The final session was a panel discussion on Understanding the Invisible Wounds of Military Service. Panel members outlined interventions and resources through case studies.
Throughout the day, the MVD Co-Chairs held drawings for over a dozen gift cards. There were plenty of happy faces and expressions of gratitude as winners received Visa gift cards and more.
During the wrap-up, Carmen DeLeon and Carolina Mosely expressed appreciation as Co-Chairs and introduced Cha-Loe Davis and Elaine Bruner as the next Co-Chairs. The MVD Education Committee also thanked our community partners, CVS/Coram Health and Kaba Fusion, for their sponsorship. Michele Lee with PMG was recognized for her guidance, support, and dedication to the MVD Education Committee.
Planning for the 2025 MVD Day starts NOW! Your MVD Education Committee welcomes your expertise, ideas, and talents. Every case manager has stories to discuss, innovations to offer, and process improvement projects to share. CMSA Call for Proposals will open in September, and the committee will be ready to review your outstanding contributions to case management practice. Please contact Cha-Loe Davis, cha-loe.davis@va.gov,or Elaine Bruner, millereli2@aol.com, with your 2025 ideas.
CMSA Military/VA/DoD Members: We are excited to invite you to the second networking session of our CMSA Military/VA/DoD Special Interest Group (MVD SIG), on Thursday, June 27 at 3 pm Eastern Time!
To register for this free CMSA MVD member benefit event, please click HERE.
Please mark your calendars and join us for this exciting opportunity to connect with fellow MVD case managers and contribute to the dialogue on this specialized area of case management. We will be discussing highlights and takeaways from #MVDDay2024, June 4 in Providence, RI.
Bio: Elaine is an experienced nurse, case manager and educator. She completed her undergraduate studies with the State University of New York at Platttsburgh, followed by her graduate work with the University of Virginia. Prior to entering case management practice, Elaine worked in diverse settings including oncology, nutrition support, home health, and traumatic brain injury rehabilitation. Case management offered Elaine opportunities to join transdisciplinary teams in cardiology, critical care, and ambulatory care. Since 2008, she has been associated with American Nurses Credentialing Commission, contributing to the Nursing Case Management (NCM) certification review products. She co-authored the 4th edition of the NCM Review and Resource Manual, with Peggy Leonard, and was the faculty for live workshops and webinar presentations. Elaine embraces her educator role, authoring manuscripts in CMSAToday, offering continuing education presentations, and coaching case managers to certification success. Elaine's current role, with US Navy, offers daily challenges, keeps her skills sharp and a smooth transition to retirement.