(PS4-83) Characteristics of Veterans Engaging in Tele-mental Health Services

Telehealth has significantly improved patient access to a range of health services. With continuously advancing technologies and growing evidence that services delivered via telehealth are as effective as in person treatments, a range of specialty services have become available that were previously inaccessible due to patient geographic location. The VISN2 Clinical Resource Hub (CRH) was among the programs established to provide Veterans in rural areas with a range of health services, including specialty mental health interventions that were often unavailable at the Veteran’s local VA Medical Center or Community Based Outpatient Clinic. During the COVID-19 pandemic, VA CRH’s played critical roles in the increased dissemination of services to Veterans via telehealth and these increases in Veteran utilization and familiarity with telehealth have led to sustained utilization of virtual healthcare services, particularly in mental health. Given VA’s goals of increasing access to Veterans equitably, it is critical to understand patterns of telemental health utilization across Veteran populations. The present study will examine the demographic characteristics of Veterans referred to the VISN2’s Clinical Resource Hub to begin to explore patterns in utilization and access to remote mental health treatment.

A retrospective chart review was conducted examining the characteristics of Veterans who were referred to the VISN2 CRH Tele-Psychology Service from January 1, 2022, through December 31, 2024 (n=650). Data for this population of Veterans was obtained through VA Informatics and Computing Infrastructure (VINCI). SQL queries will be used to create a table displaying each Veteran’s demographic information for analysis. These characteristics are compared to the demographic data of Veterans in the program’s catchment area of New York state and New Jersey from the U.S. Census Bureau. Differences based on racial and ethnic group, gender, and socioeconomic status (defined by Area Deprivation Index) for Veterans utilizing remote mental health services are discussed.

The results will provide initial descriptive data that could point to patterns in utilization of remote mental health treatment across various demographic categorizations of Veterans. Clinical implications and future directions for research around equity in access to telemental health services, outreach efforts, and patient education will also be discussed.