A Student-Driven Applied Analysis of Medical Anthropology

Anthropology Summer Ethnographic Field School 2011WGVU Studio, Grand Valley State University

June 22, 2011

ObjectivesLearn and use anthropological methods

Assess healthcare status of veterans in West Michigan

Intervention to improve veterans health & well-being

Share findings with concerned parties

Why is this study important?22.7 million veterans in US, over 700, 000 in MI

Veterans not well represented in healthcare literature

Veterans may not be receiving adequate healthcare

Veterans’ healthcare status needs assessment

Why is this study important? Continued.Veterans rate of suicide is twice as high compared to

the general population

20% of returning veterans have PTSD or major

depression

12.7% of the U.S. population are veterans, yet 23% of

the homeless population are veterans

Demographics

Michigan ranks 11th in veteran population

MI spends the least per capita on veterans of any

state

Only 7% of veterans are females

Demographics: ContinuedThe U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA)

Over 800 primary care clinics

The largest healthcare service in the U.S. for

veterans

About 30% of veterans use the VA

In MI, around 17% of veterans use the VA

Methods of the StudyVeterans were contacted using convenience

samplingStudents were sent in groups to interview these

veteransVideo and Audio recordedEthnographic reportsQuestionnaires

Life histories, participant observation and Focus group discussions

Methods: Interviews5 groups of students conducted interviews53 veterans were interviewed over a 5 week

period of timeEach interview lasted from 30 to 120 minutesEach group kept a field diary and wrote an

ethnographic reportThese findings were compiled into a final report

Qualitative FindingsMost veterans do not use VA healthcare

Unaware of available benefits

Don’t feel deserving of benefits if healthy

Difficulty with paperwork and policies

Inefficiency in receiving benefits

Lack of contact with VA post-service

Qualitative FindingsThose who have utilized VA services are often

dissatisfied with their experience

Disparities in quality of facilities across MichiganWest Michigan facilities outdated and unable to

meet demandInconvenient VA hospital and clinic locationsLack of continuity with primary healthcare providerPresence of foreign-born medical professionals

within VA facilities may limit communication

Findings: Combat Vs. Marital Status

According to the study, veterans that saw combat had significantly higher divorce rates and lower marriage rates than

veterans that did not see combat.

Findings: Age Vs. Transitioning Home

N=98

According to this study, the youngest group of veterans, aged 44 or below, are having a harder transitioning home than older

veterans did.

Findings: Age Vs. Health Problems

According to the study, the youngest veterans had a higher rate of having health problems then the older veterans.

Findings: VA Benefits Vs. Job Satisfaction

According to this study, veterans that use VA benefits had a higher rate of dissatisfaction with their jobs than veterans that do

not use VA benefits.

Field Experience

• Gaining a greater

appreciation of veterans

• Becoming personally

invested in veteran well-

being

• Overcoming the

obstacles of participant

observations

Recommendations

Continue flexible and adaptive GI Bill

Improve advertisement according to region’s

needs

Encourage doctors to work with VA

Provide adequate debriefing for returning

veterans

Recommendations

Include marriage and family counseling benefits

Make VFW and American Legion posts more

attractive

Increase community and employment support

Conclusions

Marital counseling for combat veterans is needed.

Thorough debriefing for veterans coming home

Needs a comprehensive follow-up

Mental health awareness should be improved.

Consistent PTSD screening

All veterans need to be acknowledged and

appreciated for their service and their sacrifices.

What We Learned

Encouraged to learn more about veterans

Gained an increased respect for veterans

The military shapes the lives of veterans

Most veterans take pride in their time in the

military

Their healthcare can be inadequate for their

specific needs

Thank You!The Field School like to show its gratitude to the

following:VeteransGoodwill organizationGrand Rapids Home for Veterans: Tiffany CarrWGVU: Timothy EernisseCLAS Dean: Frederick AntczakHuman Research Protection Committee - HRPCCenter for Scholarly Creative Excellence - CSCEDean of Students Office: Steven LipnickiDirector of Institutional Analysis: Phillip BattyVoiceover: John HowardDepartment of Anthropology

Discussion