Copy of VISN 9 Statement_Of_Work _ MBM Training EXTERNAL.docx

Statement of Work

Mind-Body Skills Training Program

1. Description of Services:

a. Contractor shall implement a customized training curriculum that integrates the VA Whole Health System of Care. Customization includes integration of VA Whole Health language and the following VA OPCC resources:

1. Whole Health System

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

b. Contractor shall provide an interactive Mind-Body Skills Training Program for VISN 9 Network staff, as follows.

· Step 1 is Program Development Curriculum Customization

· Step 2 is three (3) Mind-Body Medicine Orientation Workshops

· Step 3 is one 4-day, faculty-led Initial Mind-Body Skills Training for 100.

· Step 4 is six (6) faculty-led Mind-Body Medicine Consultation Sessions with all VISN 9 employees who completed Step 2.

c. To support requirements of VHA Directive 1137 Complementary and Integrative Health Veterans Benefits Package, VA Whole Health System of Care, and VISN 9 Integrated patient care model, the Contractor will teach VISN 9 Whole Health Coaches skills that will include at a minimum: meditation; mindfulness; basic biofeedback; Autogenics (self-hypnosis); guided imagery; mindful eating; and self-expression in words, drawing and movement.

a. The goal of the Mind-Body Skills Training Program is to prepare a cadre of Whole Health Coaches and affiliated staff (mental health and health professionals on PACT teams, and Whole Health supervisors and managers) to integrate evidence-based Mind-Body Medicine skills into their own personal practice, and to start using skills with individual clients and colleagues. It is also the foundation for the comprehensive Mind-Body Medicine Training Program, which will equip participants to lead ongoing Mind-Body Skills Groups, Workshops and individual sessions for patients and for staff. Training has 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.

b. Contractor will provide robust consultation and mentorship as participants integrate evidence-based mind-body medicine (mbm) skills into their lives and work with individual clients and colleagues.

2. Scope of Services:

· Contractor shall deliver, at minimum, MBM Orientation Workshops; an Initial Mind-Body Skills Training Program; and post-training MBM consultation and mentorship, as detailed below. Services will be provided to 1 group of 50/30 VISN 9 employees (Whole Health Coaches and affiliated staff).

a. Step 1 is Program Development & Curriculum Customization

· Contractor will complete customization of training and consultation curriculum to fully integrate with VISN 9’s Whole Health goals and framework. Includes bi-weekly calls with VA-OPCC.

b. Step 2 is three (3) MBM Orientation Workshops for Whole Health Coaches and affiliated staff.

· Expert faculty will provide three 1-hour introduction and orientation video conference calls for Whole Health Coaches and affiliated VISN 9 staff (mental health and health professionals on PACT teams, and Whole Health supervisors and managers).

· Attendees will:

1. Understand the goals of the mind-body medicine initiative within VISN 9.

2. Gain an understanding of expectations for participation at the Initial Mind-Body Skills Training Program,

3. Experience 1 or 2 mind-body techniques that will be taught at the training and can be immediately beneficial in times of stress.

4. Begin to understand the connection between stress and physical and emotional functioning.

c. Step 3: Initial Mind-Body Skills Training

· CMBM Faculty with expertise in mind-body skills modalities listed below will facilitate a four-day intensive, synchronous mind-body wellness training online. 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 100 VISN 9 employees will be trained.

· Expert CMBM 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. Basic 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

d. Step 4: Consultation Sessions with CMBM Faculty

· Expert CMBM faculty will provide 6 skill-development calls with all participants who completed Step 2. Consultation provides participants with customized support, guidance and mentorship as they integrate evidence-based mind-body medicine skills into their lives and work with individual clients and colleagues.

· The contractor will work with the facility Points of Contact in coordinating these virtual, skill-building sessions.

· Customized Consultation Sessions will include:

1. Meditation

2. Check-ins

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

4. Group Support for work with individual clients and colleagues

5. Practicums on the use of evidence-based mind-body skills with others

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 in the training program and the Customized Consultation Sessions.

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. 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.

e. The contractor shall provide all necessary documents, schematics, presentations, multimedia-displays and handouts required for the training.

f. VISN 9 shall provide a designated staff member as Point of Contact (POC). The POC will serve as liaison and administrative support for the Mind-Body Medicine initiative, facilitating communications with Whole Health Coaches and other affiliated staff; helping coordinate recruitment & registration for Mind-Body Medicine Orientation Workshops, the Initial Training Program in Mind-Body Medicine, and Consultation Sessions. Registration will only include names and emails of participants.

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 2 (Initial Mind-Body Skills Training) include the following: VISN 9 staff in these sessions will learn and practice a variety of evidence-based mind-body techniques for self-care. Participants will also gain training and experience in the following:

· Creating the Container: VISN 9 staff will learn: to establish the group as a safe place for exploration and learning; to explain the purpose, structure and guidelines for the 8 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;

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

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

· Bi-weekly meetings between CMBM Program Manager and VISN 9 POC to facilitate all activities:

· 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 1-4 through online training delivery and remote consultation.

· Step 1 is VISN 9 Curriculum Customization

· Step 2 is three (3) Mind-Body Medicine Orientation Workshops

· Step 3 is one 4-day, faculty-led Initial Mind-Body Skills Training for 100.

· Step 4 is six (6) faculty-led Mind-Body Medicine Consultation Sessions with all VISN 9 employees who completed Step 2.

7. Project Schedule and Completion:

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

a. Step 1: 3 Mind-Body Medicine Orientation Workshops

b. Step 2: Initial Mind-Body Skills Training: four days in duration, to begin within three months of contract commencement

c. Step 3: Customized Consultation Sessions: 6 sessions, to begin within two weeks following completion of Step 2

b. Total project duration: 6 months

8. Period of performance: 6 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 9 locations and online.

11. Internet Security Statement: The C&A requirements do not apply, and a Security Accreditation Package is not required.