Barriers and Facilitators to Employee Engagement With the Employee Whole Health Program Within the Veterans Affairs Health Systems

Erica Koch; Grace Gao; Maria Colandrea; Cheryl Elliott-Dawe; Luke Galloway; Katherine Musacchio Schafer; Andrea Strayer; Kyler M Godwin; Lindsay Vaclavik

doi:10.1093/milmed/usag112

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Barriers and Facilitators to Employee Engagement With the Employee Whole Health Program Within the Veterans Affairs Health Systems

Journal article

Peer reviewed

Barriers and Facilitators to Employee Engagement With the Employee Whole Health Program Within the Veterans Affairs Health Systems

Erica Koch, Grace Gao, Maria Colandrea, Cheryl Elliott-Dawe, Luke Galloway, Katherine Musacchio Schafer, Andrea Strayer, Kyler M Godwin and Lindsay Vaclavik

Military medicine

03/18/2026

DOI: 10.1093/milmed/usag112

PMID: 41849239

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Abstract

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a leader in providing innovative wellness programming to its employees. However, like many organizations, VA faces ongoing challenges fostering employee engagement. This national, formative evaluation aimed to identify barriers and facilitators to the implementation of employee wellness programming at multiple sites. We used a novel quality improvement approach to uncover barriers and facilitators to employee engagement with employee wellness programs. We conducted qualitative, semi-structured interviews with key partners at 8 independent VA sites. Identified barriers and facilitators were coded and analyzed using a quality improvement framework for the cause-and-effect analysis. Based on the cause-and-effect analysis, we generated recommendations to enhance employee engagement. Recommendations included incorporating wellness into orientation, diversifying communication, hiring devoted leaders, developing whole health-oriented mission statements, constructing comprehensive whole person wellness measures, and promoting a holistic wellness culture. This multisite evaluation generated collaborative insights from key partners with diverse perspectives of the employee wellness program implementation process. Organizations can adopt this evaluation model to assess and refine their own employee wellness initiatives, identifying both challenges and successes to drive engagement. VA has invested significant resources to support employees via the Employee Whole Health Program. To improve employee engagement with the wellness programming, we recommend promoting employee input, agency, and participation in shaping the programs mission.

Details

Title: Subtitle: Barriers and Facilitators to Employee Engagement With the Employee Whole Health Program Within the Veterans Affairs Health Systems
Creators: Erica Koch - University of Kansas Medical Center
Grace Gao - St. Catherine University
Maria Colandrea - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Cheryl Elliott-Dawe - Augusta University
Luke Galloway - Emory University
Katherine Musacchio Schafer - Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Andrea Strayer - Iowa City VA Health Care System
Kyler M Godwin - Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center
Lindsay Vaclavik - Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Military medicine
DOI: 10.1093/milmed/usag112
PMID: 41849239
NLM abbreviation: Mil Med
ISSN: 0026-4075
eISSN: 1930-613X
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Grant note: VA Office of Academic Affiliations, [VAQS 3QCC2019] / VA Quality Scholars Program Coordinating Center Grant CIN 13-413 / Houston VA HSR&D Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness and Safety
Language: English
Electronic publication date: 03/18/2026
Academic Unit: Neurosurgery
Record Identifier: 9985147195302771

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