Statement_Of_Work_VISN_8_Whole_Health_Coaches_Training_for_Mind_Body_Skills_.docx

Statement of Work

Mind-Body Skills Training Program VISN 8 Network – Multiple Facilities Florida and Puerto Rico

1. Description of Services:

a. Contractor shall develop a customized curriculum that integrates the VA Whole Health System of Care into contractor’s existing, evidence-based Mind-Body Skills Training Program. Customization will involve:

· Establishing curriculum development committee consisting of Contractor-designated Mind-Body Clinical Leads, VA Office of Patient Centered Care and Cultural Transformation (OPCC&CT) Education Team and Field Implementation Team Consultant, and VISN 8 designated Whole Health Lead member.

· Contractor will use the following VA OPCC resources in customizing training curriculum, and will incorporate VA Whole Health language across trainings for VISN 8 Whole Health Coaches:

1. Whole Health System (Appendix 1)

2. Circle of Health and Wellbeing

3. Mission, Aspiration and Purpose (MAP)

4. Personal Health Inventory

5. SMART Goals- Specific, Measurable, Action-Oriented, Realistic & Timely

6. Veterans Goals and Clinicians Goals together=Shared Goals

7. Personal Health Plan- Veteran Owned

8. Whole Health System Implementation Guide (Appendix 2)

b. Contractor shall provide a comprehensive, interactive 7-step Mind-Body Skills Training Program for VISN 8 Network Whole Health Coaching staff, as follows. Stages 1-5 of training will be implemented via two cohorts of 100 VHA employee participants (“Whole Health Coaches”) each.

· Step 1 is a 5-day, faculty-led, experiential Initial Mind-Body Skills Training for 200.

· Step 2 consists of faculty-facilitated Interim Consultation Calls with all employees who completed Step 1. The contractor will work with the facility Points of Contact (usually the Behavioral Health Coordinators) in coordinating these virtual, skill-building sessions. The sessions will be held three times during the period between Steps 1 and 3.

· Step 3 is a 5-day, faculty-led Advanced Training and Practicum for all employees who completed Steps 1 and 2.

· Step 4 consists of Whole Health Coaches co-facilitating their own Mind-Body Skills Groups for 5 months while participating in weekly, faculty-led supervision and mentorship calls (four employees per call). The contractor will also work closely with the facility Points of Contact to ensure there are sufficient group session encounters facilitated by Coaches to meet training and certification requirements.

· Step 5 consists of a 3 to 4-day Certification Competency Assessment to be performed at 5 Regional sites in VISN 8 (Gainesville, Orlando, Tampa/Bay Pines, Miami/West Palm Beach, and San Juan). This is a requirement to determine eligibility for Certification in Mind-Body Medicine. Length will correspond to final number of trainees per site. Additional Certification requirements include submission of 3 papers.

· Step 6 consists of a 2.5-day, faculty-led, Leadership Training Program for up to 30 trained employees, in which they will learn to supervise the full cohort or 200 Whole Health Coaches in mind-body skills facilitation

· Step 7 consists of Leadership Team Consultation calls for 4 months

c. To support requirements of VHA Directive 1137 Complementary and Integrative Health Veterans Benefits Package, VA Whole Health System of Care, and VISN 8 Integrated patient care model, the Contractor will teach VISN 8 Whole Health Coaches skills that will include at a minimum: meditation; mindfulness; basic biofeedback; Autogenics (self-hypnosis); guided imagery; mindful eating; basic Yoga and Qi Gong and self-expression in words, drawing and movement.

d. The goal of the Mind-Body Skills Training Program is to prepare a cadre of Whole Health Coaches to lead ongoing Mind-Body Skills Groups, Workshops and individual sessions for patients and for staff, with the following objectives:

· To promote physical and emotional wellness,

· To decrease burn-out and improve morale,

· To build community across disciplines, and

· To train staff in self-care and stress-reduction techniques for use among themselves and with their patients and colleagues.

e. Contractor will provide intensive clinical supervision, mentorship and monitoring of participants’ training, including successful completion of certification requirements. Certification will measure competency in contractor curriculum that incorporates Whole Heath System of Care objectives and demonstration of satisfactory level of skill in leading co-facilitated Mind-Body Skills Group sessions. Certification program objectives include

· Understanding theory and practice underlying mind-body medicine

· Demonstrated ability to use all skills listed in Section 1.c in their own lives

· Successful integration of all listed skills into clinical practice

· Ability to identify medical precautions and contraindications for self-regulation techniques

· Understanding and integration of basic nutrition in clinical practice

· Understanding of the psychological dimensions of chronic and life-threatening illness

2. Facility Information:

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), VA Sunshine Healthcare Network, Veterans Integrated Network Service (VISN 8) is the nation’s largest system of hospitals and clinics serving a population of more than 1.6 million Veterans in a vast 64,153 square mile area spread across 79 counties in Florida, South Georgia, Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. VISN 8’s seven healthcare systems include eight Joint Commission-accredited VA Medical Centers (VAMCs) and 55 outpatient clinics. Approximately 23,800 employees work at these facilities, providing a full range of high quality, cost-effective medical, psychiatric and extended care services in an inpatient, outpatient, nursing home, and home care settings. In 2011, over 534,000 Veterans received their healthcare at VISN 8 facilities - more than any other VA network in the country.

3. Scope of Services:

Contractor shall deliver, at minimum, an Initial Mind-Body Skills Training Program; an Advanced Training & Practicum; a Leadership Training Seminar; and interim supervision, consultation, and mentorship, as below. The services will be provided to 2 groups of 100 VISN 8 employees (“Whole Health Coaches”, total 200 employees).

a. Step 1: Initial Mind-Body Skills Training

· Faculty with expertise in mind-body skills modalities listed above will facilitate a five-day intensive mind-body wellness training (8am - 4:30pm, Monday – Friday) to be held at a designated VISN 8 location in Florida. This includes 17 hours of didactic lecture, and 17 hours of small group work in which participants will gain direct, intensive experience of the mind-body skills model.

· A total of 200 VISN 8 employees (Whole Health Coaches) will be trained. 2 groups of 100 employees will be trained approximately 3 months apart.

· Expert faculty will provide trainees with experience and training in multiple mind-body skills modalities, including the following:

1. Several forms of meditation (mindful, concentrative and active)

2. Biofeedback and Autogenic Training

3. Guided Imagery

4. Genograms

5. Mindful Eating and Healthful Nutrition

6. Exercise & Movement

7. Self-expression in words, drawing and movement

b. Step 2: Interim Consultation Calls with Faculty

· Expert faculty will provide 6 small-group skill-development calls (3 calls each for Cohorts 1 and 2) with the trained Whole Health Coaches.

· A total of 200 VISN 8 employees (Whole Health Coaches) will be trained. These supportive interim calls will include:

1. Meditation

2. Check-ins

3. Group Support for the incorporation of mind-body skills into their personal lives

4. Guidance and support for trainees as they begin to recruit participants for their groups in upcoming Step 4.

c. Step 3: Advanced Mind-Body Skills Training and Practicum

· Faculty with expertise in mind-body skills modalities listed above will facilitate a five-day advanced Mind-Body skills training (8am- 4:30pm, Monday – Friday) to be conducted at a designated VISN 8 location in Florida.

· All Whole Health Coaches who completed Step 1 will be trained. 2 training sessions will be conducted approximately 3 months apart. Each training session will have approximately 100 participants.

· Step 3 training will be held 1-2 months from completion of Step 1 training.

· Expert faculty will train the Whole Health Coaches to lead multi-modality Mind-Body Skills Groups for their colleagues and patients through didactic lectures and practicums in which participants practice leading groups and teaching the techniques. Participants receive supervision and feedback as they lead the groups; a syllabus with comprehensive discussions of the techniques; scripts and instructions for using the techniques; and step-by-step guidance in facilitating groups when they return to their facilities.

d. Step 4: Mind-Body Skills Groups with Supervision, Consultation, and Mentorship

· Whole Health Coaches must complete co-facilitation of one 8-session Mind-Body Skills Group and one 10-session group after completion of Step 3.

· Expert faculty will provide intensive weekly clinical supervision and mentorship calls for 5 months with the Whole Health Coaches as they are leading their own Mind-Body Skills Groups and using the skills with individuals. Faculty will monitor and support Coaches satisfactory progress toward meeting requirements for mind-body certification.

· These faculty-led calls will include group oversight and provision of guidance and supervision to Whole Health Coaches.

· Calls will include 4 trainees and 1 faculty supervisor.

e. Step 5: Certification Competency Assessment

· Expert Faculty will conduct a 3 to 4-day Certification Competency Assessment (8 am - 4:30 pm, weekdays).

· This assessment will be held at 5 Regional sites designated by VISN 8 (4 in Florida and 1 in San Juan, Puerto Rico).

· All Whole Health Coaches who complete Step 4 will be evaluated. Expert faculty will evaluate trained Whole Health Coaches in demonstration of satisfactory level of skill in leading multi-modal Mind-Body Skills Groups for patients and colleagues. Whole Health Coaches will receive feedback from expert faculty.

· Additional Certification requirements include the completion of three written papers. Expert faculty will review these papers as a final component of assessment for Certification

f. Step 6: Leadership Training Program

· Expert Faculty will facilitate a 2.5 -day Leadership Training Seminar at a designated VISN 8 location in Florida.

· Trainees will include 30 Whole Health Coaches selected by VISN 8, in consultation with contractor.

· Expert faculty will train the Whole Health Coaches to provide supervision to their colleagues, thereby replacing contractor faculty in this role and ensuring program sustainability.

· Expert faculty will also provide training and guidance to Whole Health Coaches on how to build a VA infrastructure for scaling and dissemination of the Mind-Body Skills Program.

g. Step 7: Leadership Team Consultation Calls

· Expert faculty will provide Leadership Team of 30 Whole Health Coaches with supervision and mentorship calls two times per month, for a period of at least four-months after completion of the seminar.

4. Design and Specifications Requirements:

a. The contractor shall provide a Mind-Body Skills Training Program that is scientifically-validated and has been utilized in other VA healthcare organizational settings.

b. The contractor will allocate 1 faculty member for every 10 participants.

c. The faculty members delivering the training must be healthcare professionals with expertise in mind-body skills (e.g., certification) and experience training others in these skills.

d. The faculty members will participate in a 4-hour virtual workshop on Whole Health coaching provided by OPCC&CT to facilitate integration of the Whole Health concepts into the training program

e. No faculty member or other contractor-representative speaking during the training will have presented any promotional talks to pharmaceutical companies within the past 12 months, nor will they discuss off-label or investigational drug use.

f. The contractor shall provide all necessary documents, schematics, presentations, multimedia-displays and handouts required for the training. (VISN 8 shall provide the venue and the audiovisual technology required for the training.)

g. Across all trainings, the contractor shall structure the training program as follows:

· Trainees should learn at least one new skill, new mind-body modality or new facilitation technique in each session.

· Trainings shall be provided in group format that naturally reproduces camaraderie, and interfaces well with extant therapeutic and educational approaches.

· The contractor shall create a training atmosphere that is meditative, safe for open discussion, organized, consistently structured, and based on clear ground rules.

· The contractor shall support trainees in actively helping themselves, focusing on strengths and capacity for self-reliance, relying on optimism rather than past trauma, and building resiliency and recovery.

h. Features specific to Step 1 (Initial Mind-Body Skills Training) include the following: Whole Health Coaches in these sessions will learn and practice a variety of evidence-based mind-body techniques for self-care. Whole Health Coaches will also gain training and experience in the following:

· Creating the Container: WH coaches will learn: to establish the group as a safe place for exploration and learning; to explain the purpose, structure and guidelines for the 10-session group experience; to invite group members to focus on themselves and learn from each other; to establish meditation as a way to bring about changes in the body and mind to use imagery and art for self-exploration, expression and understanding

· Biological Underpinnings of Mind-Body Medicine. Whole Health Coaches will learn a basic understanding of the biology of mind-body medicine and its capacity to act on physiological functions once thought to be beyond conscious control; to demonstrate the use of simple technique (autogenics) to regulate the autonomic nervous system; and to use a simple form of biofeedback to demonstrate our capacity to exercise control over the autonomic nervous system

· Guided Imagery. Whole Health Coaches will learn to demonstrate how imagination can be used to: affect physical change; create feelings of ease and safety; to explore issues of personal importance; and experience the use of imagery to discover a reliable source of ongoing intuitive guidance and support

· Genograms. Whole Health Coaches will learn to discover in the family tree the challenges and strengths that link you to previous and future generations; to make practical use of the wisdom you gain from considering your family story; to nurture a deeper connection among group members as they share their own histories and that of their families.

· Mindful Eating and Healthful Nutrition. Whole Health Coaches will learn to provide a practical way to bring mindfulness into everyday life; to offer a practical way for group members to explore their ideas and feelings about food, eating and body image; and to appreciate eating as a communal, joyous and celebrative experience

· Exercise & Movement. Whole Health Coaches will learn to understand how breath works in the body; to become aware of the importance of breathing and movement in their lives; to learn to consciously use breath and movement to create relaxation, improve our physical and emotional functioning and enhance energy; and to use different integrative exercise techniques such as Qi Gong and Yoga

· Small Group Support. Whole Health Coaches will learn the importance of small group support.

i. Features specific to Step 2 (Interim Consultation Calls with Faculty) include the following:

· For the period between Steps 1 and 3, expert faculty will facilitate three 1-hour calls with all Whole Health Coaches who completed the Initial Mind-Body Skills Training.

· These calls will support and encourage trainees to use the techniques on a regular basis and begin to integrate into their own lives, and will guide and support them in recruitment efforts for their groups that will begin within 2 weeks after Step 3

· Each call will include 10 trainees and 1 faculty member.

· Each call will include:

1. Meditation

2. Check-ins

3. Group Support in the incorporation of mind-body skills into their personal lives.

4. Support and guidance to recruit and plan for upcoming group facilitation in Step 4.

j. Features specific to Step 3 (Advanced Training and Practicum) include the following:

· Faculty will train Whole Health Coaches to lead Mind-Body Skills Groups for their colleagues and Veterans through small-group practicums as well as large group panels, demonstrations and question and answer sessions.

· In practicum component, all Whole Health Coaches will practice co-facilitating Mind-Body Skills Groups and receive feedback from expert faculty and other group members.

· Sessions and modalities covered during the training will include

1. Drawings

2. Autogenic Training & Biofeedback

3. Meditation

4. Guided Imagery

5. Dialogue with a Symptom

6. Genograms

7. Relationship with Food & Mindful Eating

8. Closing Ritual

k. Features specific to Step 4 (Mind-Body Skills Groups with Supervision, Consultation, and Mentorship) include the following:

· All Whole Health Coaches will co-facilitate two rounds of Mind-Body Skills Groups (MBSG) – one 8-session MBSG and one 10-session MBSG.

· Throughout this period, all Coaches will participate in weekly calls led by expert Faculty where they receive intensive clinical supervision, mentorship and support.

· Calls will follow each session of Mind-Body Skills Groups, and may occur more than once per week if groups are conducted more frequently.

· These faculty-led calls will include group oversight and provision of guidance and supervision to Whole Health Coaches.

· Supervision calls will each include 4 trainees and 1 faculty supervisor.

l. Features specific to Step 5 (Certification Competency Assessment) include the following:

· Expert faculty will assess the competency level of Whole Health Coaches based on standard certification requirements.

· Faculty will provide a 3- to 4-day onsite competency assessment and training program at 5 regional locations.

· Trainees must meet a minimum standard competency level to attain certification status.

· Trainees will submit three papers to include:

1. One 2-3 page personal process paper about their personal journey and development as a facilitator.

2. One 2-3 page case study that highlights the journey and challenges of one group member.

3. One 5-7 page Literature Review on one aspect of mind-body medicine and how it relates to the CMBM group model.

m. Features specific to Step 6 (Leadership Training Program) include the following:

· The Leadership Training Seminar will be 2.5 days in length and will take place between 8am and 4:30pm on weekdays.

· VISN 8 will select 30 Whole Health Coaches, in consultation with contractor, to participate.

· Faculty will train the Leadership Whole Health Coaches to provide supervision to their colleagues.

· Faculty will provide training and guidance on how to build a VA infrastructure for scaling and dissemination of the Mind-Body Skills Training Program.

n. Features specific to Step 7 (Leadership Team Consultation Calls) include the following:

· Faculty will provide supervision-and-mentorship calls twice monthly for a period of at least four-months after completion of the seminar.

· Each call will include 3 VA Leadership team members and 1 faculty supervisor.

o. Progress Deliverables: Progress deliverables include but are not limited to:

· A minimum of the 3 suggested meetings below are anticipated. VA may require more meetings as needed to facilitate communication. Phone and/or video conference calls can be used in lieu of face-to-face meetings for meetings as necessary although a site visit is required:

1. Kick-off meeting

2. Kick-off follow-up meeting

3. Status update meeting

· The contractor shall arrive at all meetings with necessary documents, schematics, and handouts.

6. Final Deliverables: Final deliverables include, but are not limited to:

a. Completion of Steps 1-7 through on-site delivery at VISN 8 designated locations and through remote supervision and consultation.

· Step 1: 5-day Initial Mind-Body Skills Training for 200 employees

· Step 2: Interim Consultation Calls

· Step 3: 5-day Advanced Training and Practicum for 200 employees who completed Step 1

· Step 4: Mind-Body Skills Groups with Supervision, Consultation, and Mentorship Calls

· Step 5: 3 to 4-day on-site Certification Competency Assessment at 5 Regional sites, submission of Certification Papers and final Certification Decision

· Step 6: 2.5-day Leadership Training Program

· Step 7: Leadership Team Consultation Calls

7. Project Schedule and Completion:

a. The contractor shall submit a proposed schedule for completion based on the following:

a. Step 1: Initial Mind-Body Skills Training: one week in duration, to begin within two months of contract commencement

b. Step 2: Supportive Interim Calls/Consultation: three calls, to begin the week following completion of Step 1

c. Step 3: Advanced Training & Practicum: one week in duration, to begin within three months of the completion of Step 1

d. Step 4: Supervision, Consultation, and Mentorship: five months in duration, to begin within two weeks after Step 3 is completed

e. Step 5: Certification Competency Assessment leading to Certification in Mind-Body Medicine, to begin within 2 months after Step 4 is completed

f. Step 6: Leadership Training Program: two and one-half days in duration

g. Step 7: Bi-monthly support calls to commence the month following the seminar and to continue for a period of at least four months.

b. Total project duration: minimum 18 months / maximum 24 months

8. Period of performance: 24 months from the date of award

9. Hours of Operation: On-site services shall be performed during normal business hours of 8:00am – 4:30pm, Monday – Friday, excluding Federal holidays. Holidays observed are: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, President’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veteran’s Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and any other day specifically declared to be a holiday by the President of the United States.

10. Place of Performance: Designated VISN 8 locations in Florida and San Juan, Puerto Rico.