Ask The Expert Geriatric Psychiatry: VA program to support clinicians

This symposium addresses a critical need in geriatric psychiatry staffing shortages. The Department of Veterans Affairs is increasingly catering to aging veterans with complex medical and emotional problems. Unfortunately, there is a critical shortage of geriatric psychiatry expertise. The COVID-19 pandemic has further amplified the need for geriatric psychiatry services particularly in rural areas. In an effort to extend the valuable and too-often-scarce resource of geriatric psychiatry expertise, the National Telemental Health Center launched a new consultation service, Ask the Expert program in Geriatric Psychiatry, earlier this year. A team of VA Geriatric Psychiatrists were made available to answer general questions that VA clinicians may have about psychiatric care of older Veterans with potentially complex and interacting psychiatric, medical, neurocognitive, and behavioral care needs. The program aimed to provide a response within 7 days. Providers from the field were encouraged not share any Protected Health Information (PHI) in your questions. The service was not intended to make case-specific clinical recommendations, review patient health records, or respond to psychiatric emergencies.