Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion

Veteran Leslie Thompson, whose photos are featured in the special exhibit at the Pittsburgh VA Healthcare System, with CHERP’s Lauren Broyles, PhD, RN, and Melissa Wieland, PhD.

The lobby of the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System (VAPHS) was filled with an exhibit of photographs and stories by homeless Veterans who have been served by Pittsburgh’s Homeless Patient-Aligned Care Team (H-PACT), a primary care clinic focused on integrated care for this vulnerable population.  The exhibit stemmed from a study led by CHERP investigators Michael Mitchell, MA, and Lauren Broyles, PhD, RN, "Homeless Veterans' Opinions of Integrated Care Environments,” or H-VOICE.  

In this study, researchers gave Veterans cameras and asked them to take photographs, which supplemented interviews about how they think about and manage their health and VA health care against the back drop of housing instability. Each photo is paired with a quote from their individual in-depth interviews. The photos literally and metaphorically reflect themes of recovery and resilience.

The study was supported by VA Health Services Research and Development, the Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion (CHERP), and the VISN4 Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC). Mr. Mitchell was a fellow in the VA Office of Academic Affiliations (OAA) Interprofessional Advanced Fellowship in Addition Treatment.  Dr. Broyles and CHERP Investigator Adam Gordon, MD, MPH co-direct  the Pittsburgh site of the fellowship as well as its national coordinating center. 
To view the 36 photos and quotations from the exhibit and read more details, go to VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System.