Fostering Social Connection: Progress and Opportunities in VA and Beyond
AI Summary
Social isolation and loneliness undermine mental and physical health; social connection must be treated as a social need and health driver.
VA initiatives Veterans Socials, Caring Contacts, Expiration Term of Service Sponsorship and S.A.V.E. demonstrate practical models to foster connection.
Healthcare systems should catalyse social connection through community engagement, volunteer involvement, research, evaluation, scaling evidence based models and education.
Psychiatr Res Clin Pract. 2026 May 5. doi: 10.1176/appi.prcp.20250159. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
Social isolation and loneliness threaten both mental and physical health. This commentary highlights innovative programs that prioritize treating social connection as a social need and driver of health, drawing from four major initiatives within the Department of Veterans Affairs: Veterans Socials, Caring Contacts, the Expiration Term of Service Sponsorship Program, and Department of Veterans Affairs S.A.V.E. Key features of these four programs and suggestions for how healthcare systems can act as meaningful catalysts of social connection are provided, including community engagement, volunteer involvement, commitment to research and evaluation, and scaling evidence-based models and education.
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