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Blue Star Families Connected Communities Pilot

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Blue Star Families Connected Communities Pilot

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Content CAPSTONE: Blue Star Families Connected Communities Pilot 1 Blue Star Families Connected Communities Pilot Doctorate of Social Work: Capstone Project Tina M. Atherall, LMSW DSW Candidate ‘18 July 30, 2018 University of Southern California Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work CAPSTONE: Blue Star Families Connected Communities Pilot 2 CAPSTONE: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Blue Star Families (BSF) envisions an America where anyone who wants to serve their country can do so without sacrificing the health and well-being of his or her family, and where all Americans are doing their part to preserve the strength and viability of an all-volunteer force by supporting our military families. The fabric of the United States military consists of approximately 3.5 million military personnel, over half are married and half have dependent children. In fact, there are more military family members then military personnel. One of the top challenges for military families is the isolation from the larger civilian community. The 2017 Blue Star Families Military Family Lifestyle Survey indicates 51% of military families feel they don’t belong in their local community. Our military families move frequently, often to remote locations far from family and friends, and live a lifestyle very different than their neighbors. Military families rarely live on installation anymore, so they lack support from the military community as well. Seventy-five percent of military families live off installation and are building lives and deepening roots in the communities they serve (Rand, 1999). Despite their presence in communities across the country, many civilians, organizations, and communities continue to have limited understanding of the military population. Military family community isolation is a root cause and significant factor in spouse unemployment and underemployment, mental distress, dissatisfaction with military life such that it erodes retention, readiness and recruiting. In the worse cases, it can lead to substance abuse, severe depression, and child neglect, which is documented to be higher than civilian counterparts (Clever & Segal, 2013). To address the growing concern of military family isolation, BSF has developed, the Connected Communities Pilot (CCP)- an innovative, robust community-development model, a three-year funded pilot by Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation, that seeks to improve outcomes for military families by creating community relationship and connections to build social integration CAPSTONE: Blue Star Families Connected Communities Pilot 3 with the civilian community. The BSF CCP is fostering engagement and partnerships to create recognizable, consistent communities that the support health and resilience that military families need to succeed. Utilizing existing programs and networks, BSF engages local community members, allowing them to connect and support local military families. The BSF CCP is leveraging existing programming to create a consistent and reliable military family ecosystem for military families. The effectiveness of this programming in creating community connections, and any subsequent programmatic changes, will be measured through a newly created program evaluation, Connected Communities Instrument Component (CCIC) as well as the Blue Star Families Annual Military Family Lifestyle Survey (aMFLS). The new CCIC instrument will first be used to establish a baseline measure for the social connectedness of the families in the CCP network in two locations: New York and San Diego. Subsequently, the instrument will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the CCP at increasing social connectedness among participating families as compared to the baseline measure. The results of this evaluation will be used to determine which program components generate the most positive impact for families’ social integration, allowing BSF to scale effective program components to their larger network and ultimately impact military family social isolation. CAPSTONE: Blue Star Families Connected Communities Pilot 4 CAPSTONE: CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK Introduction: On July 1, 1973, President Nixon requested the Department of Defense eliminate the draft and create an all-volunteer military (Rostker, 2006. Alongside these warriors, are a community of family warriors. Military families are harmonious in service to their loved one in uniform. As a nation tackles the growing concerns for the physical and psychological well-being of those who have served, the same attention is critical for the family. Military families are an underrepresented population within the structure of the military system, national defense agenda, and community. Family readiness is force readiness and transitional success through service is fostered when there is a supportive family unit. Grand Challenge: The American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare established the 12 Grand Challenges for Social Work as a call to action to the profession. One of the challenges, Eradicating Social Isolation, raises the urgency for researchers and practitioners to address the significant societal issue of isolation. The solution focus of this grand challenge is to “promote effective ways to deepen social connections and community for people of all ages” (Lubben, Gironda, Sabbath, Kong and Johnson, 2015). Social connectedness is on a decline and lack of social connection is a greater detriment to health than obesity, smoking and high blood pressure (Seppala, 2014). Social isolation as a working definition includes the multidimensional social construct of connectedness and belonging to persons, places, or things (Biordi and Nicholson). Social isolation is the disconnection from one’s network or a loss of connection. Military and their families are a population of interest for reducing isolation and the associated health risks. Unique challenges of the military lifestyle create increased risk factors for the military community. This pilot will align with the AASWSW Grand Challenge, Eradicating Social Isolation within the specific target population of military families. CAPSTONE: Blue Star Families Connected Communities Pilot 5 Target Population: The military-connected family encompasses a broader definition of whomever the military member defines as family. For the purpose of this project, the target population will be Active Duty, National Guard and Reserves spouse, caregiver, and/or immediate family member. Demographics: Across the Active Duty and Selected Reserve population, there are 2,120,505 military personnel and 2,783,141 family members, including spouses, children, and adult dependents. More than half (50.5%) of military personnel are married. Of the 1,012,251 military spouses, nearly one-quarter (23.5%) of spouses are 26 to 30 years of age, while 21.3 percent are 31 to 35 years of age, 20.3 percent are 41 years of age or older, 20.1 percent are 25 years of age or younger, and 14.8 percent are 36 to 40 years of age (Department of Defense, 2016). Age Group % of Pop. Less Than 26 Years Old 22% 26 to 30 Years Old 26% 31 to 35 Years Old 22% 36 to 40 Years Old 15% More than 40 Years Old 15% Age Distribution of Active Duty Military Spouses Problem: With the high operational tempo facing the military today, community connections are needed now more than ever to sustain military spouses, children, and caregivers as 0 500,000 1,000,000 1,500,000 2,000,000 2,500,000 Military Members Spouses Children AD & Reserves AD & Reserves Marital Status Married Married w/Children Married no Children Single w/children Single Dual Military Marriage CAPSTONE: Blue Star Families Connected Communities Pilot 6 well as service members who make up our all-volunteer force. Military families move frequently, endure continual deployment and separation of the family unit, and live a lifestyle very different than their neighbors. This can be alienating and can prevent ties from developing naturally. Military family isolation and perceived lack of social connection is a significant factor in spouse unemployment, dissatisfaction with military life and relationships, and mental health issues such as anxiety and depression (Adler and Riviere, 2017). In the worse cases, it can lead to substance abuse, severe depression, and child neglect, which is documented to be higher than civilian counterparts (Meadows, Tanielian, Karney, Schell, and et al. 2016). Literature Review: Review of literature established the linkages between the societal issue of social isolation, reducing isolation through human connection, and the elements of connection are embedded in social networks. The population of military and their families face unique challenges from their civilian counterparts. Effects of isolation may be attribute to different life circumstances and experiences but the core to many solutions revolve around social support, ties, and network (Adler & Riviere, 2017). The review of literature is divided into the following areas: social isolation, stressors of military life, and intervention through building community capacity. Social Isolation: Social isolation and perceived loneliness increases an individual’s risk for health and mental health illnesses and premature mortality (Holt-Lunstad, 2017). Social connection is a fundamental human need and trends indicate society is becoming less socially connected (States News Service, 2017). Reflecting on military families, isolation related to social support systems, lack of established networks, and importance to formal and informal ties places families at an increased risk for social isolation. Other stressors related to military lifestyle can compound on a delicate social support system. Although there are no currently studies that specifically focus on military families, it is an issue that is prominent in the community. For instance, an editorial written as an introduction to a CAPSTONE: Blue Star Families Connected Communities Pilot 7 special section in a military behavioral health journal also highlighted the importance of military spouse connections to the military community. Military families, their social networks, and experiences are not limited to the military member’s experience. Dr. Adler and Dr. Riviere (2017), researchers at Walter Reed Institute of Research, emphasize the value of social connections of military spouses beyond the family and importance of additional social support to support the family system during challenges and opportunities of military life. The authors offer recommendations for further interventions to improve social support of military families. Military Families Stressors and Resilience: A wide range of research is available regarding the many aspects of military life challenges, stressors and resilience (Blue Star Families, 2017). While social isolation is not well researched, it’s opposite, social connection is, providing information on the importance of social environment. Strengthening social networks is a benefit for military and civilians (Crouch, Adrian, Adler, Wood and Thomas, 2017). Specifically, perceived social connection of military spouses overseas was associated with mental health, physical health, and marital satisfaction (Adler and Riviere, 2017). Social support assists military families in adjusting at times of relocation and deployments. In one study, overseas moves for military spouses marked a sense of loss of identity, autonomy, employment, and family/friends (Blakely, Chung, & Skirton, 2014). For these reasons, organizations like Blue Star Families, focus on building physical and virtual communities that can support families throughout their ever- changing military life experience. Social networks contribute to sense of community and psychological health (Wang, Nyutu, Tran, and Spears, 2015). Deployments and reintegration of the service member to the family unit require multi-prong approach for developing coping strategies and support. There are programs within the military formal network that address the needs of families during deployment. Deployments create stressors pre, during, and post deployment. Related mental health issues include depression and anxiety. In CAPSTONE: Blue Star Families Connected Communities Pilot 8 relation to combat deployments, one study examined deployment related mental health stressors on spouses, especially at the psychological stresses in transitions. These transitions were associated with preparing for deployment, the separation of deployment, and the return of the service member to the family unit (Donoho, Riviere, and Adler, 2017). Deployment demands increased depression and reintegration were correlated with poor mental health and negative outcomes of the spouse. “Emotional transmission” was labeled as the phenomenon of one spouse’s stresses correlating with the other spouse (Donoho, Riviere, and Adler, 2017). The connection to military communities proved to be a strength of the military life despite the stressors. Reference to sense of community reduced social isolation and loneliness (Donoho, Riviere, and Adler, 2017). Blue Star Families “Telling the Story”. Blue Star Families (BSF) is a national non-profit supporting US military families across the globe. The messaging platform of BSF is based on the results from the BSF annual Military Family Lifestyle Survey (MFLS). This survey is the largest of its kind and is designed and analyzed by a team led by the Department of Research and Policy at Blue Star Families, in collaboration with Syracuse University’s Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF). The 2017 BSF MFLS summarized a call to action for communities: “With our nation’s sixteenth consecutive year at war drawing to a close, military families continue to endure multiple prolonged periods of separation from their service members. The majority of military families indicated that the current operational tempo exerts an unacceptable level of stress, making a healthy work-life balance difficult to achieve. Quality of life issues, including time away from family, military family stability and the impact of military service on children, are top concerns this year, along with lasting concerns regarding pay, benefits, and spouse employment. Increasing interaction with civilian communities is key to providing better support to military families as they adjust to new locations” (Blue Star Families, 2017, pp 5) The social and cultural disconnect between those who have served and those who have not is evident in the 2017 BSF MFLS where 88 % of the respondents felt that the general public does not understand sacrifices made by service members and their families. The BSF MFLS indicates CAPSTONE: Blue Star Families Connected Communities Pilot 9 51% of military families feel they don’t belong in their local community and 31% of military family respondents indicated they had not had an in-depth conversation with a local civilian in the last month. (Blue Star Families, 2017). Military families rarely live on installation anymore, so they lack support from the military community as well. 53 % want greater opportunities to meet people, make friends, or expand professional networks in civilian community. 75 % of military families live off installation and are building lives and deepening roots in local communities (Clever & Segal, 2013). Military families experience an ongoing challenge to build friendships and networks with every PCS. Relationships and social bonds take time to build, and frequent moves hinder efforts to connect with their local civilian, off installation communities. Military families desire improved opportunities to meet people, make friends, or expand their professional network within their local civilian communities. The survey data provided the starting point for the concept for the Connected Communities pilot. Community Capacity and Social Supports. “Community capacity is conceptualized as being composed of two essential elements, shared responsibility for the general welfare of the community and its members and collective competence, demonstrating an ability to take advantage Integration Isolation CAPSTONE: Blue Star Families Connected Communities Pilot 10 of opportunities for addressing community needs” (Bowen, Martin, Mancini and Nelson, 2000). Military families have strong formal and informal networks but they are often insular to their military community. Expanding on the theme of the annual MFLS, military families would like to have further connection with the civilian community. The capstone innovation seeks to increase formal and informal networks. Huebner et al., note in their research on building community capacity for military families indicated that informal sources are preferred by military families (Huebner, Mancini, Bowen, and Orthner, 2009). Informal networks include group associations, neighbors and friends. The community capacity building model includes formal support networks, informal support networks, social capital, community capacity, and individual/family outcomes (Huebner, Mancini, and Bowen, 2009). Landscape Analysis: Mapping the Existing System. The complex system of the Department of Defense (DoD) encompasses the system in which military families receive support. The DoD Military Family Readiness Council overseas the individual branches of the military and their family readiness programs. The DoD defines the mission and execution of the military Family Readiness System (FRS) (Department of Defense, 2012). The FRS offers a variety of access points for military families. Access points include Military Family Support Centers (MFSC), family programs, Joint Family Support Assistance Programs (JFSAP), MilitaryOne Source (MOS), and Military Family Life Counselor Program (MFLCP). In June 2011, Michelle Obama and Dr. Biden launched the Joining Forces initiative. This initiative was a call to action for Americans to support military families through wellness, education, and employment opportunities (Obama White House Archives, 2018). Joining Forces opened avenues for innovation through public and private sectors to develop programs to support military families. Due to the change of The White House Administration in 2017, this initiative closed leaving the opportunities for innovation back to the private sector. CAPSTONE: Blue Star Families Connected Communities Pilot 11 The national landscape for military families programming exists within the DoD and private sector. Programs range from community support programs, such as the USO, to resiliency interventions at UCLA Medical Center and their FOCUS program, mental health services through a variety of health care systems, to career services addressing the high unemployment rate. Current community ecosystems lack innovation related to military families. DoD, VA and community ecosystems are built from systems focused of the military or Veteran member. For example, National Veteran Intermediary, a 2017 national collective impact program developed by the Bob Woodruff Foundation, addressed the fragmented and difficult to navigate ecosystems for “military, Veterans and their families” (NVI, 2017). However, the ecosystem is a map with access points only available to the military member or Veteran. Military families navigating this map will reach multiple barriers to access of services and connections. Summarized Innovation Dynamic: Current innovation related to military families exist but are often not independent of the military member. Applying innovation dynamics to reveal the norm of the problem of military family isolation reveals the enmeshed system for military families. Actors related directly to the problem are military spouses, the military member, unit commands, the Department of Defense leaders, and family members. Military spouses are identified as the dependent of the military member and behavior of dependency evolves. Second-order actors not directly associated with the problem include community neighbors, schools, politicians, mental health professionals, and family support teams. The innovation dynamic of history provides an intriguing and insightful perspective to the deep-rooted nature of the problem of a closed social system for military spouses. An article written in 1977 quoted a statement from a spouse manual “When a man enters the service, the government has gained not one, but two- the man and his wife”. This was related to the official classification of CAPSTONE: Blue Star Families Connected Communities Pilot 12 the wife as a dependent (Dobrofsky and Batterson, 1977). A “twofer”, an informal rule, norm, held in place for generations. Limits and regulations exist everywhere in the military system and contribute to barriers that isolate families. The first identified regulation is the Department of Defense classification of a military family member being a dependent of the military personnel. Dependents are issued an identification card that is necessary access to military privileges, bases, commissaries, exchanges, and healthcare system. Without a dependent identification card, a military spouse or family member would have limitations in everyday living attached to the military. Labels used to describe elements of the problem of spouse social isolation include the label of a dependent, spouse, and military service member. Branch of service, rank and type of service (active duty, guard and reserve) are also labels associated with the problem. Informal labels include women, diverse, young, educated, and families. Behavior labels consist of structured, flexible, adaptive, involved and resilient. Looking at the contradictions of structured and flexible, adaptive and resilient, this highlights the strength of the woman, connected to the military and their ability to adapt and overcome various challenges. Parthood provides the clearest picture of the larger problem of gender equality and the influence of a patriarchal system. A patriarchal system, one defined by power and control, dominants one group over another. A system built on male control over every aspect of decision making, money, and family resembles the military structure (Johnson, 2014). Military spouses are a small population with gender related issues and isolation in society. Whether it is perceived isolation or actual isolation from opportunities, military spouses unknowingly sign into an oppressive lifestyle. An innovative deviant to explore relates to disrupting the identification of being a dependent and an “add-on” to the military member. Ultimately, subverting dependent CAPSTONE: Blue Star Families Connected Communities Pilot 13 systems and behaviors and increasing self-identification to increase military spouse’s independence within the community. The configuration focusing on the social Isolation of communities in siloes highlights the problem of military family community integration. The military-civilian divide exists from 1% of our population serving. The level of understanding and commonality is distant. PCS continues to isolate military families from connecting to communities. Connection to others and supportive factors for families is reduced with each move. Program Theory: Building civilian-military community connections and encouraging community integration is important for the overall health and wellbeing of military families and is beneficial for those within the local civilian communities due to increased opportunities to build social capital (Huebner, Mancini, Bowen, and Orthner, 2009). Social networks are imperative in building social capital and strength of communities. This proposed innovation will be embedded in the social network theory which supports the importance of building social connections to increase the well-being of individuals and communities. BSF is committed to building, strengthening, and leading military communities across the country. According to Robert Putnam, “No force has the potential of doing more good in a community than that created among people who feel meaningfully connected to one another” (Putnam, 2000). This force is social capital, recognized by many as the glue that binds individuals together forming communities. This pilot seeks to reduce social isolation and the connected health determinants. It’s hypothesizing increasing meaningful social and community connections will reduce social isolation. The connection between the military and neighbors with their civilian community is essential. If meaningful social connections are established and nurtured, consistently over time, then military families will have a decrease in social isolation, increase in well-being and increase in financial opportunities through career connections. CAPSTONE: Blue Star Families Connected Communities Pilot 14 • Military families are connected to valuable social networks and relational support. • Military families increase social network connections and resiliency tools. • Military families and the community are connected increasing social capital. Logic Model Full-time BSF Regional Director Regional Community Engagement Coordinator for implementation of community solutions Applied Research and survey team support within communities for MFLS fielding and briefings. Community Impact Study pilot in SD/NY Volunteer and Member experience team to support community growth and sustainability Spouseforce career inventory National and community partnerships developing and implementing a Regional Director conducts a Community mapping. Military and veteran family members participate in BSF community integration events addressing their comprehensive needs Conduct local community impact surveys and national-level annual Military Family Lifestyle Survey (the largest and most comprehensive of its kind in the country) Outreach and activities with local commands, military and veteran groups. Spouseforce career skills and inventory implemented in region. Civilian neighbors, corporations, and Military family and community ecosystem creating meaningful community connections and resources for military and veteran families. Infrastructure for connections to proactively ease the isolation of military families. 400 military family members will participate in the cohort study. 5-7 local team members to be recruited and trained according to local needs (ex: Chapter Director, Head of Outreach and Partnerships, Social Media Liaison). 10 national staff will assist in the regional needs of the community (ex: the region will receive mentoring and direction from our communications BSF members will have an increased opportunity for community integration with their civilian neighbors and community. Reduced military family isolation (feelings of loneliness and disconnection). Neighbors, military and Veteran entities, and other community stakeholders will obtain an increase in knowledge on military families BSF MFLS will provide a community with more specific data related to military and Veteran family members in their community. Regional office activities executed by a volunteer leadership staff and increase the cohesion between military and neighbor volunteers. Military family isolation and the adverse effects of isolation are decreased. Military families and their community are more resilient, healthier, and connected due to the BSF ecosystem community model. BSF MFLS influence community level program and policy change to include military families as a priority within the large scope of military/veteran initiatives. Military spouses will have greater success establishing professional networks, finding jobs that accommodate their moves, and contributing to the financial security of their families when the service member transitions to civilian life Increase sense of community for military families. Create better lives for military families through the strength of the entire community - resulting in greater employment, decreased isolation, and increased well-being of Input Activities Outputs Outcome s Impact Results CAPSTONE: Blue Star Families Connected Communities Pilot 15 military family ecosystem. Community Trustee Council to assist in development of community stakeholders, funding, and partnerships. Community funding. National Board of Directors & Community Advisory Committee to provide detailed insight and guidance on community strategy and model. institutions join as volunteers and partners in integrating military families into the community. Establish relationships with key stakeholders within local, regional, and state agencies Establish strategic community partnerships and events full- time professionals). 70 events, activities, meetings and programs will be take place in the community for military and veteran family members. 5,000 military family members and neighbors will engage in community events, activities, and programs in two communities. 150 community stakeholders and partners will sign up as Blue Star Neighbors to be part of this new integrated community. 1,500 volunteer, corporate employee engagement, and corporate social responsibility hours will be directed to local Blue Star Families activities. BSF MFLS directs internal organizational initiatives, within communities and influences lawmakers, policymakers, the media and other military and veteran service organizations. Increase knowledge from community, service providers, schools, policymakers, VSOs, funders regarding the needs, challenges, and importance of military families. Post engagement surveys assess: 1. Individuals community engagement and cohesiveness 2. Individuals Overall report of well-being. 3. Individual's response to meaningful connections 4. Individuals report of social isolation Increasing overall community opportunities to connect with neighbors and community STATE BSF MFLS stats re: community integration SPOUSEFORCE Volunteer engagement indicators (what do we currently use) military family members. Indicators CAPSTONE: Blue Star Families Connected Communities Pilot 16 CAPSTONE: SOLUTION Innovation: Developing a sense of community is a solution to reducing isolation. People who feel a strong sense of belonging are likely to be healthier than those who feel isolated (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2015). Modeling the work of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation of building a culture of health, BSF will introduce an innovative community model to integrate military families and their civilian neighbors. The RWJF 2015 National Survey of Health Attitudes and the Sense of Community Index illustrated the benefits of social connectedness and bonds to their communities (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2015). A sense of community, belonging and trust in their community led to better health. The BSF Connected Communities Pilot is a project focused on designing, testing, and launching solutions that will address the high rate of military families’ behavioral health, social, and financial readiness challenges. To address this growing concern of military family isolation, Blue Star Families launched a pilot in 2017 in collaboration with the Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation to measure the mental health and economic impact of Blue Star Connected Communities on military families. The Connected Communities Pilot is leveraging the collective impact of military family support programming to create a consistent and reliable community environment for military families. The effectiveness of this programming will be measured through the newly created CCIC. Through this three-year initiative, Blue Star Families will be measuring and quantifying the outcomes and impacts of the Blue Star Connected Communities by tracking movement in military spouses’ career outlook, military family social isolation and overall reported well-being. Connected Communities is a robust community model within two regional BSF communities, New York and San Diego. Utilizing BSF existing programs and networks, BSF engaged local community members allowing them to connect and support local military CAPSTONE: Blue Star Families Connected Communities Pilot 17 families. Ultimately, the BSF Connected Communities Pilot is creating an ecosystem in two communities for military families, increasing their social support, social ties and meaningful connections. The decision to focus on New York and San Diego was based on a variety of variables. A needs assessment was conducted in each region to determine significant demographic of military installations, military units, presence of National Guard and Reserve, and military families. Each region is distinctively different in their military make-up. For example, San Diego is often considered a “military town” due to the high concentration of Navy and Marine Corps influence throughout the region. New York represents more National Guard and Reserve with approximately 50,000 service members in the five boroughs of New York City (New York City Department of Veteran Services, 2017). BSF membership engagement in San Diego is approximately 9,800 and New York 6,600 which demonstrated the ability to engage military families. Both regions have active duty installations and housing areas for families with a 100-mile radius for mapping selection of covered territory. Organizations serving military families varied based on region and BSF assessed a gap in an ecosystem specifically for military families. Ultimately, funding was an underlying factor in dedicating paid staff to each area. The two regions selected were able to demonstrate operational funding sustainability for a three-year period. Blue Star Families launched funded programs in two regional offices in May of 2017 (year one of the pilot). Engaging military families in specific programs such as careers, caregivers, and lifestyle enhancement offers a gateway for expanding community infrastructure. ● Spouse Employment Programming: The BSF Careers Program supports spouses through their career journey and provides opportunity for military spouses to develop networks and access resources to further their career goals including education, skills training, entrepreneurship, & entry/re-entry into the workforce. CAPSTONE: Blue Star Families Connected Communities Pilot 18 ● Family Programming: Blue Star Families Family Programming provides opportunities for military families to build community and establishing long- lasting connections. Research indicates that engagement in and learning through arts and literature improves critical thinking, creativity, academic performance, cultural awareness and even civic engagement. Two successful efforts under family programming include Blue Star Museums and Blue Star Books on Bases. ● Caregivers Programming: The Blue Star Families’ Caregivers Empowering Caregivers (CEC) Program offers community based peer-to-peer social support groups. ● Community Outreach: Blue Star Families will build collective community capacity to support these military families through strategic outreach and community building best practices. ● Blue Star Neighbors: Blue Star Neighbors engages and encourages civilian and Veteran neighbors to support military families in their local area through volunteering, corporate citizenship, civic organization engagement, partnerships, and financial support through donations. This programming has a direct impact on the lives of military families, as well as elevate their challenges and assets to the community at large by serving as a voice amplifying their needs. The goal is to enhance the communities’ comprehensive capacity to identify and support military families. Community partners, leaders, gatekeepers: Assessment for program implementation and feasibility of community pilot included a national influence of network partners. This enticed a national organization to consider implementing programs at the community level. Gatekeepers and leaders in the pilot regions influenced the decision to execute the pilot in the two designated CAPSTONE: Blue Star Families Connected Communities Pilot 19 regions. Examples included working groups with national executive teams of The Mission Continues, Got Your Six, Team Red White and Blue, Cohen Veteran Network, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and the USO. Each of these organizations worked in collaboration with BSF and committed to extending support to the regional offices. Assessment of community need, vision, and opportunities exist at the highest level of government (and community) (Valente, Palinkas, Czaja, Chu, Brown, 2015). During the exploration phase a critical community partner emerged in New York City which facilitated the start-up of the New York region in 2017. The Mayor of New York City authorized the establishment of the first New York City Department of Veteran Services and launched the office in 2017. The appointed commissioner is former Army Brigadier General Dr. Loree Sutton. Commissioner Sutton is a strong supporter of military families and has included BSF in the departments public-private partnership. This inclusion and expanded community network provided the necessary foundation to initiate a community office. This partnership will also serve as an important collaborator in the Connected Communities Project. Leadership support Stakeholder buy-in Community inclusion Investment in Project Involve Every level DoD Military Family System & Family Community Culture Need for community ecosystem for military families Mil/Veteran ecosystem with families "dependent" Old power models vs new power models Unexpected Lack of DoD or community support Lack of family engagment Lack of value invested in community model Speaking to the individual WIFFM (What's in it for me) Value of opportunity Importance to community and why should one care about mil fams. CAPSTONE: Blue Star Families Connected Communities Pilot 20 CAPSTONE: METHODOLOGY Project Flow Chart: The project flow chart represents phases over the three-year grant and pilot period. The flow chart includes the launch of the CCP in two communities. The three phases consist of designing the community model and structure, designing the evaluation instrument, implementation and evaluation of impact, development and sustainability planning, professional development plan, and national expansion strategy. In each year of the pilot, the BSF Military Family Lifestyle Survey will be fielded in the pilot communities. This is a national representation of military families and guides the strategic vision of the organization and messaging for military families annually. Phase I: The CCP developed the impact study with the University of Utah Sorenson Impact Center. IDEO Design Thinking model was utilized to enhance the BSF programs through a three- day Human Center Design (HCD) workshop. HCD techniques examined how to increase meaningful engagement between military families and their civilian neighbors. The ecosystem model and network was established between community stakeholders, military installations and commands, partners, and collaborators. Phase II was the proposed implementation year of the BSF community programming and fielding for the CCIC. Phase II also includes developing the funding and sustainability strategy for the model. Conference proposals will be submitted to enhance professional development in focus in areas within the Grand Challenge of social isolation and military spouse community. Additionally, designing a pitch to the social work professional community, such as; NASW, CSWE, AASWSW, NSWM. As of June 30, 2018, the pilot is ahead of schedule and is already into Phase II of programming implementation. The CCIC is in the IRB process, submitted by University of Utah Sorenson Impact Center, and will begin fielding in September of 2018. CAPSTONE: Blue Star Families Connected Communities Pilot 21 Phase III consists of producing program evaluation results through the CCIC. The impact results will advance the pilot program for expansion and next phase of the planning. Programming of phase III will continue through year three. The sustainability and scaling plan is ahead of project timeline. The pilot model has already received additional funding and has expanded to one additional communities. Additional proposals are submitted and if funding is received, Phase III of the project will occur in Phase II with expansion to seven communities in Year 2. In the final phase, executive leadership will present study results to influencers within DoD, pentagon, and legislatures on Capitol Hill. Professional journal submissions will be submitted related to impact study and success of the community ecosystem impact. Year 1 Survey aMFLS 2017 Design Community Impact Survey (CIS) Connected Communities: Design Assess NY-SD Community Needs (2017 aMFLS) IDEO 2-Day Workshop Design Community Model CCP Working Committees Survey (aMFLS & CIS) Program Committee (HCD) Grant Reporting Project Collaborators Education & Leadership Presentations for conferences, panels, and articles. (Project concept and implementation design) CAPSTONE: Blue Star Families Connected Communities Pilot 22 Year 2 Connected Communities Program Implementation Careers Lifestyle Program Partnered Neighbor Events Survey 2018 aMFLS Establish Community Cohort Community Impact Survey (6, 9, 12) Community Connection Community Partners Neighbors Stakeholders Trustee Council Military Partners Education and Leadership Presentations for conferences, panels, and articles. (Project concept, design, and survey indicators) Year 3 Connected Communities Program Delivery Careers Caregivers Lifestyle Programs Partner Neighboor Events Survey aMFLS Community Impact Survey (Cohort) Community Connection (continuation) Community Partners Neighbors Military Partners Stakeholders Trustee Council Education and Leadership Presentations for conferences, panels, and articles. (Project Presentation: concept, design, results) Sustainability Results Funding Growth CAPSTONE: Blue Star Families Connected Communities Pilot 23 Implementation Strategies: The BSF CCP logic model has multiple activities and outputs required as a part of the grant requirements. It also aims to demonstrate impact on military families through the social network theory. The implementation strategies will change systems environment, organizational, and learning (Palinkas, 2017). Because this capstone innovation does not focus on one evidence based intervention, but a multifaceted program intervention, the implementation strategies vary based on phase of capstone implementation. The six groups of discrete strategies are selected as the implementation strategy because it focuses on one action (Powell, McMillen, Proctor et al., 2012). This helps organize the strategies within each component of the capstone. This project is in full implementation and reiterating continuously. The following outlines four strategies to implementation: • Plan: • BSF annual survey gathered relevant needs assessment for community isolation. • Readiness assessment to build community model from the existing national model. • Leadership buy-in of social network analysis pilot. • Relationship building with stakeholders engaged for community collaboration. • Establish partnership memorandum of understanding. • National staff buy-in for support of pilot. • Educate: • Internal staff education on community pilot and impact study. • Stakeholder education for recruitment of cohort participants and fielding of study. • Participant education on BSF programs • Educate all on impact of social isolation • BSF National communications team to build social media outreach CAPSTONE: Blue Star Families Connected Communities Pilot 24 • Finance: • Initial investment from Bristol Myers-Squibb Foundation • IDEO re-evaluation • Marketing plans for outreach education – CATCH-A-FIRE (skills based volunteer through Bristol Myers-Squibb Foundation grant) • Proposal’s for over $2.5 million have been submitted as of June 30, 2018 to the following investors for scaling of the CCP: • Boeing, Wounded Warrior Project, BAE Systems, DoD (public-private partnership). • Community funding of programs: Tisch Illumination Foundation, Elizabeth Dole Foundation, Schultz Family Foundation and several other community based funding sources. • Restructure: • Principle investigator was assigned in May 2017 upon design and submission of the proposal to BMSF. • Full time allocation of Regional Directors • Resources for cohort management • Salesforce data management to reflect activities related to interventions. • Sorenson Impact contract for program evaluation and design (Community Impact Study) • Budget: The project budget was developed and prepared as a three-year programmatic line-item budget by the Director of Community Solutions and the Finance and Account Manager. The budget is managed by the Sr. Advisor for Communities who is the program manager for the CAPSTONE: Blue Star Families Connected Communities Pilot 25 project. The revenue for staffing allocation for the project comes from BMSF and Partner Funding income of the line item budget. The line-item in expenses for program management and design implementation covers a portion of the Sr. Advisors salary and is listed as “project management and design implementation”. Additional staff salaries are covered under the general organizational budget funded through partners. Staffing allocations for this project: 1. Sr. Advisor For Communities – full-time, salary 2. BSF Regional Director BSF – part-time, salary 3. Marketing, Social Media, Program Coordinator, Operations, Technology – % allocation based on time. BSF Connected Communities Budget Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Total Revenue Bristol-Myers Squibb $303,970 $221,480 $221,480 $746,930 Partner Funding (aMFLS Survey Support)* $358,000 $380,000 $380,000 $1,118,000 Partner Funding (Community Investment of Regional Directors)** $170,000 $170,000 $170,000 $510,000 Total Revenue $831,970 $771,480 $771,480 $2,374,930 BMS Expenses Community Survey Instrument National Level $30,000 $20,000 $20,000 $70,000 Community Survey Instrument Community Level*** $35,000 $30,000 $30,000 $95,000 Communication and Outreach $43,000 $43,000 $43,000 $129,000 Program Management and Design Implementation**** $55,000 $55,000 $55,000 $165,000 Travel $10,000 $10,000 $10,000 $30,000 Materials and Supplies $28,000 $20,000 $20,000 $68,000 Pilot Community Measurement/Data Analysis(Sorenson) $30,000 $18,000 $18,000 $66,000 Human Center Program Design (Stanford) $38,000 $0 $0 $38,000 Subtotal $269,000 $196,000 $196,000 $661,000 G&A (13%) $34,970 $25,480 $25,480 $85,930 Total Expenses $303,970 $221,480 $221,480 $746,930 CAPSTONE: Blue Star Families Connected Communities Pilot 26 Implementation Assessment: RE-AIM Measurement Framework: The Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance (RE-AIM) framework is selected to assist in implementation success and monitoring Bristol Myers-Squibb Foundation grant requirements. The BSF CCP milestones and deliverables require successful implementation of community programs, recruitment and retention of cohort. Each component of the capstone innovation requires evaluating outcomes at each phase. RE-AIM for evaluating implementation outcomes related to the overall BSF CCP will focus on the five dimensions of framework; reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, and maintenance. Individual impact is measured within reach and effectiveness while setting impact is demonstrated within adoption and implementation (Glasgow, Klesges, Dzewaltowski, et al., 2006). Glasgow et al., applied RE-AIM to health promotion programs which involved community implementation similar to the Connected Communities. The following outline follows the RE-AIM organizations planning toolkit. Reach: Grant deliverables require BSF to engage families and neighbors individuals in a community group for one and a half years. Salesforce is the customer relationship management system used within the organization. Interactions, event records, and other data points are monitored for regional client management. Dashboards and weekly regional director reports are generated for supervisors and principle investigator to monitor membership, engagement, and program attendance. Effectiveness: In March 2018, BSF executives and staff participated in an IDEO human- center design workshop. This workshop assisted in program design, effectiveness, and evaluation. Design research, looking in (internal staff) and looking out (client engagement) was conducted pre- post workshop. IDEO deliverables consist of toolkit for train-the-trainer and surveys for staff evaluation. Retention of individuals in the community cohort is a concern. Military families move often and are a transient community. This can alter the effectiveness of the program interventions CAPSTONE: Blue Star Families Connected Communities Pilot 27 and impact study. Measuring success of the grant will be defined from the outputs of the required activity deliverables. The CCIC will demonstrate if the concept of community engagement did indeed increase social connections and integration for military families. Adoption & Implementation: BSF program adoption in two regional communities launched in Spring of 2017. The CCIC will begin recruiting participants in each region in September of 2018. Executive meetings are occurring bi-monthly to plan the build of these groups. As well, Sorenson scope of work includes cohort recruitment strategies and advisement. Sorenson workgroups conference calls began in December of 2017. A visit to the University of Utah Eccels School of Business and Sorenson Impact Center occurred in January 2018. There is complete confidence in implementing BSF careers, caregivers, and lifestyle programming as intended in regional communities. Fidelity is measured by salesforce data, director reporting, and participant surveys. Barriers exist with funding full activities of programming consistently and throughout the large geographical area. The staffing resources are limited and client participation is sporadic. All programs are flexible except for the Caregivers Empowering Caregivers, which maintains an evidence based intervention plan. Flexibility is important because military families vary in employment needs, event interest, and geographical viability based on region. Maintenance: Confidence in program maintenance has been demonstrated from past implementation of similar programs in BSF chapters. Strategy for region and program sustainability is in the development of an investor community trustee council. Regional Directors are required to build an investors board annually that will support the foundation of a paid staff and baseline programming. Results from pilot impact will be used to demonstrate value to investors. Client participation will ebb and flow with military families moving in and out of the community. CAPSTONE: Blue Star Families Connected Communities Pilot 28 Relying on national outreach and communication plan to provide a regional recruitment streamline is part of participant maintenance strategy. PROGRAM EVALUATION: Connected Communities Instrument Component CCIC Blue Star Families is developing an innovative, robust community-development model that improves the outcomes for military families by creating community relationships and connections to build social integration within the civilian community. The evaluation plan is intended to measure the social integration of military families, specifically military spouses, in San Diego and New York where the CCP is being launched. The Connected Communities Instrument Component (CCIC) is a self-report survey that was jointly developed by BSF, the Sorenson Impact Center (SIC), and the National Center for Veterans Studies (NCVS) specifically for the purpose of collecting data for the Connected Communities project. The research questions below describe what BSF wants to understand about the military spouses in the two communities in which the Connected Communities project is being implement: 1. Is the level of exposure to the Connected Communities programming associated with the quantity or quality of social connections for the military spouses? 2. Is the number or quality of Connected Communities activities participated in associated with the quality or quantity of social connections? 3. Are quantity or quality of social connections associated with a difference in mental health or employment status for our survey population? Measurement: The metrics are categorized to their primary approach to assessment measurement. The categorization framework included role based measures, social participation based measures, perceived integration measures, complex indicators measures, social support measures, measures of emotion/affect and additional measures (Sorenson Impact Center, 2018). CAPSTONE: Blue Star Families Connected Communities Pilot 29 The goal of the CCIC is to provide a comprehensive picture of the integration of BSF participants in the communities in which they live. To accomplish this goal, the project team recommended the inclusion of the following indicators into the CCIC: 1. Cohen’s Social Network Index: this tool measures the number of social relationships as well as the level of interpersonal participation within these relationships. This scale has been linked with mental health outcomes, a key outcome for BSF. 2. Social Participation Scale: this tool measures the level of participation of individuals in relationships, formal organizations outside of work, and social leisure, the latter two of which are critical components of community-level involvement, a key outcome of the Connected Communities project. 3. Interpersonal Support Evaluation List: this tool demonstrates the impact of social support on stressful events, a key consideration for military families. High support scores are associated with increased resilience, a key outcome for BSF. 4. Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale: this scale provides the capability to directly measure mental wellbeing of the respondent which allows the instrument to test associations between mental health outcomes and social integration. Survey Instrument: The evaluation will use data from a single, primary source: CCIC. The survey includes questions that will be used as independent variables, or the variables that are directly related to the Connected Communities Program. These independent variables include age of the program, duration since permanent change of station, number and quality of Connected Communities activities attended, as well as questions on mental health and employment. Survey Administration: The CCIC will be distributed by BSF quarterly over the course of the pilot period. Distribution will only be conducted in the New York and San Diego. The CAPSTONE: Blue Star Families Connected Communities Pilot 30 recommendation from the evaluation partners is a cross-sectional data collection. This enables the survey to address the research questions at the community level, but not at the individual level. Cross-section data collection was selected because of the transient nature of this population and subsequent high attrition rates would make selecting a large enough sample for the baseline a challenge. Additionally, the unpredictable nature of who would receive the intervention would make a sample selection very difficult and could result in a full sample of non-participants. The survey will be distributed electronically through Qualtrics and data analyzed by SIC. Specificity of the methodology can be found in a Technical Report provided by SIC. Timeline: BSF will conduct survey distribution beginning in September 2018. Survey will run for two years, for a total of six (6) distributions. IRB approval was submitted in June 2018 and is pending. Survey distribution calendar: September 2018, February 2019, May 2019, September 2019, February 2020, and May 2020. Response rate will be adequate provided meaningful data analysis and reporting every quarter. Incentives of $100 per participant is offered for survey completion. Target reach is 1,400 respondents. CAPSTONE: IMPLICATION TO PRACTICE Scaling: CCP has expanded to three additional regions in year one of the pilot. The design of the two community ecosystems in New York and San Diego have led to expansion in Washington D.C., Jacksonville, FL, and Salt Lake City, UT. Strategic goals include expanding to five additional if funding is received. The CCP has joined as a stakeholder partner with a DoD pilot called Building Health Military Communities. This is a multi-year pilot conducted by the DoD that aims to better understand unique challenges faced by geographically dispersed military members and their families that may impact their readiness, resiliency, and well-being. The DoD hopes to develop a CAPSTONE: Blue Star Families Connected Communities Pilot 31 comprehensive strategy to support the improving health, readiness, and resiliency of its population through eight domains of fitness (physical, environmental, medical/dental, nutritional, spiritual, psychological, behavioral, and social) (Department of Defense OSD, 2017). This pilot has three phases and is currently in phase one, a rapid needs assessment in seven states. Teams meet with community program managers, unit leaders, and other resource providers to better understand program goals, successes, and challenges in supporting the local communities in which military and their families. This partnership will provide an opportunity to collect and share data regarding military communities in vulnerable communities. Outcomes of phase two and three include developing a strategic plan and intervention strategy with the DoD. There are great opportunities for a public-private partnership at the conclusion of the pilot ultimately scaling the Connected Communities vision. A community ecosystem may not be a new innovation to social work practice but it is a disruptive innovation to the military system. This project has gained attention in cross-sector areas due to the emphasis on a population area of interest, the military family, and because of the attention and focus on producing data that will support the importance of the community connections (the CCIC). The following are examples of activities related to the Connected Communities project and invitations to share the work model: • Missions Edge SAIL Lab: Exploring social enterprise (April to May 2018 San Diego) • Health & Well-being Task Force at Stand To II: Veteran Health & Well-being Ecosystem (Washington, DC, July 2018) • Congresswoman McSally Roundtable: Military & Foreign Service Spouse Challenges (July 2018) • Explore VA: National Facebook Live Event (Washington, DC, August 2018) CAPSTONE: Blue Star Families Connected Communities Pilot 32 • Nomination to represent at the upcoming Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation’s annual Mental Health and Well-being Grantee Summit partnered with National Council for Behavioral Health (Washington, DC, October 15 th & 16 th 2018) This project has expanded the organizations presence on national, state, local and private committees and boards. Below is a list of a few invitations received in year one of the project: • New York City Department of Veteran Services: Core4 Health Committee and Public- Private Partnership with the Veterans and Families Mentoring Committee. • PsychArmor Institute Caregiver and Collective Impact Committees • National Veteran Intermediary National Stakeholders Advisory Committee • National Military Leadership Council (hosted by the Boys and Girls Club of America) CAPSTONE: CONCLUSION The CCP was designed and implemented with the influence of an innovative doctoral program and design thinking was conducted as a part of implementation. Each activity lended to additional opportunities to iterate the existing prototype of the community model. Plans to expand on design research and prototypes explored during the design labs will continue into year two of the project. Design Activity: Human-Centered Design Training As a part of the process for implementing community based programs, the Bristol Myers- Squibb Foundation funded a two-day IDEO human-center design workshop which took place in March of 2018. The pilot has multiple opportunities for 10x innovation to address systemic inefficiencies, develop new models and markets. The lab included thirteen members of the community solutions team and executive leadership. This workshop introduced IDEO’s Design CAPSTONE: Blue Star Families Connected Communities Pilot 33 Thinking/Human-Centered Design methodologies in a “train the trainer” framework that empowers BSF employees to use these methodologies and design tools throughout the pilot program. This design thinking training assisted BSF leadership and staff to shift perspective on program design and implementation. The following “how might we” design questions were the foundation for the workshop: • How might BSF use Design Thinking to engage creatively with military families & neighbors in pilot design & execution? • How might we create tools for deeper community engagement during the course of the pilot? • How might we pilot and test programs for long-term, measurable impact? At the conclusion of the workshop, three prototypes were developed by the teams. Each group explored a different stakeholders journey in the BSF experience. Prototypes included an app to engage volunteers, an app to engage civilian neighbors through activities with their pets, and an app to increase member engagement through gamification. An outcome of the workshop included exploring further design research from the civilian neighbor and possibilities of small design sprints exploring engagement and implementations of prototypes. Design Research Activity: Design Lab SOWK 723 The infrastructure of BSF communities relies on engagement with volunteers. BSF is located in twenty-five chapters within the U.S. and three regional offices. Regional offices are the only areas with a paid BSF staff member. In areas that cultivate volunteers to operate BSF programming in community, the volunteers are typically military family members. The CCP seeks to build a sustainable ecosystem for military families. This requires an expanded network of military spouses and their civilian neighbors. The underlying question the facilitator seeks to address is how to engage and cultivate neighbors. First, the question must be asked, do neighbors CAPSTONE: Blue Star Families Connected Communities Pilot 34 want to connect with their military family members and what is their experience and perception of military families in their neighborhoods. The design lab explored additional design research (DR) for capstone neighbor engagement. The following questions were explored with a cohort of doctoral students: “How might we engage civilian neighbors to further support and connect with military families in their communities”. Lessons learned included further validation of the engagement gap between military and their civilian neighbors. There was consistency in the cohort’s interview responses and merging themes to past design research interviews. The professional composition of this group did lend to interesting responses related to social justice perspectives of military service. One ah-ha moment was the narrative from an interviewee that her perception of the military was the recruiter coming to high schools to steal away the poor kids. Design Research Activity: Community Focus Groups Building the community ecosystem, telling the story, and rallying community interest through storytelling is one step in expanding the social network for military families. The ID analysis exposed the opportunity to expand on the community as a new first order actor and user. Developing focus groups to ask the question of how they interact with the military family is a critical part in designing the 10x innovation for scaling and sustainability of a family focused community model. A subcategory in the military family system is the military caregiver. This distinct population is gaining momentum and awareness due to public and policy campaigns by reputable influencers like Elizabeth Dole and her foundation, The Elizabeth Dole Foundation. An opportunity developed to facilitate a focus group with the New York City Department of Veteran Services and The Elizabeth Dole Foundation. The purpose of the caregiver convening focus group was to assess organizations within the five boroughs and determine awareness, CAPSTONE: Blue Star Families Connected Communities Pilot 35 services, gaps, and solutions. This focus group was facilitated as a part of the CCP on February 27, 2018. The focus group on caregivers identified gaps in the system of care for caregivers related to social support, services, housing, education, and funding for programs. Reflection: The CCP was a concept developed on trends highlighted in the BSF MFLS. The original design focused on the social network theory and community building as an intervention model. Upon working through the innovation dynamics, attention to norms and behaviors highlighted deeper rooted issues in the military system. Utilizing human-centered design tools, design research, and design labs has expanded the landscape of questions to the community of neighbors. The pilot is concluding year one and will begin to enter the impact study phase. There are several opportunities to continue to iterate, design, prototype, test, and iterate again. The work within the pilot continues to evolve rapidly as opportunities to participate in innovation, design, and other related work conferences emerge. BSF is in a unique position to be in the forefront of military family related conversations and the CCP is gaining talking points. An example, last month an opportunity presented to attend a Booz Allen Hamilton Ideas Festival. This innovation conference, held in Washington D.C., was targeted at experts in government, commercial, and non-profit sectors. The goal of the conference was to brainstorm new solutions on the topic of community resiliency. It is time to zoom out again and look at the following themes that continue to emerge, need further exploration, and refinement for scaling: ● DoD as a paternalistic organization ● Non-profits are a value add to the community CAPSTONE: Blue Star Families Connected Communities Pilot 36 ● Refine ecosystem model to include family systems theory ● Include Purdue Universities Measuring Communities data tool ● Look at the predictive analysis from Building Healthy Military Communities ● Explore cultural norms of military families and how this has changed. Cultural norms of families and society. ● Validate the significance the history of military families and the transition from the insular military community to a civilian community. Funding: The long-term funding of the community model will focus on results driven data to pitch for community funding. Additionally, seeking support and funding for the grand issue of social isolation will be a strategy in seeking funding from public health, community, and family specific funding sources. Utilizing the Grand Challenge for Social Work to Eradicate Social Isolation as a facilitator for raising awareness and urgency in supporting initiatives that address isolation will be another avenue for scaling support and sustainability. Lastly, looking at the Culture of Health model to expand focus on the importance of community is a goal moving forward with this project and professional expertise. The military family community was utilized as a small population to design an ecosystem model between communities, test the importance of social integration, and providing data on the impact. This project can be replicate to other communities met with culture and social integration issues as well as isolation due to geographical relocation, such as the immigrant community. Conclusion: As America shines gratitude for those in uniform defending our nation, there should also be an extension of that light to those who serve alongside these warriors. Military families are an integral part of our nation’s All- Volunteer military force. In support of the nation’s call to service, military families carry the silent burden of military service. As duty calls, military families put their own lives on hold for their service member and the country. Calls to action are CAPSTONE: Blue Star Families Connected Communities Pilot 37 sounded to communities regarding the needs of military and Veterans. The same awareness and support needs to be raised for military families. The BSF CCP will provide an opportunity to focus directly on the importance of military family connectedness to their community. CAPSTONE: Blue Star Families Connected Communities Pilot 38 References Aarons, G., Hurlburt, A., & Horwitz, M. (2011). Advancing a Conceptual Model of Evidence- Based Practice Implementation in Public Service Sectors. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research, 38(1), 4-23. American Psychological Association. “So Lonely I Could Die: Social Isolation Greater Public Health Threat Than Obesity.” NeuroscienceNews. NeuroscienceNews, 6 August 2017. <http://neurosciencenews.com/social-isolation-epidemiology-7252/>. Blue Star Families (2016-2017) Blue star families annual military lifestyle survey. Retrieved November 15, 2017 from https://bluestarfam.org/survey/ Blue Star Families. (2107). 2016 Annual military family lifestyle survey. Retrieved September, 28, 2017 from www.bluestarfam.org. Brookings Institution (2017). Strengthening military readiness: The role of military families in 21 st century defense. Chen, Stanton, Gong, Fang, & Li. (2009). Personal Social Capital Scale: An instrument for health and behavioral research. Health Education Research, 24(2), 306-317. Clever, Molly, & Segal, David R. (2013). The Demographics of Military Children and Families. Future of Children, 23(2), 13-39. CAPSTONE: Blue Star Families Connected Communities Pilot 39 Department of Defense. (2015) 2015 Survey of active duty spouses. Retrieved November 13, 2017 from download.militaryonesource.mil/.../Surveys/MSO-VSO_Briefing Department of Defense, (2016). 2016 demographics. Profile of military community. Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Military Community and Family Policy (ODASD (MC&FP). Retrieved November 13, 2017 from http://download.militaryonesource.mil/12038/MOS/Reports/2016-Demographics- Report.pdf Harrell, Margaret C., Nelson Lim, Laura Werber and Daniela Golinelli. Working Around the Military: Challenges to Military Spouse Employment and Education. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2004. https://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/MG196.html. Also available in print form. Hoagwood, K. (2003). The Policy Context for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services: Implications for Systems Reform and Basic Science Development. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1008(1), 140-148. IDEO (2009). Design kit: the human-centered design toolkit. Retrieved on November 17, 2017 from https://www.ideo.com/post/design-kit Lubben, J., Gironda, M., Sabbath, E., Kong, J., Johnson, C. (2015). Social isolation presents a grand challenge for social work. American Academy of Social Work & Social Welfare. Working paper No. 7. CAPSTONE: Blue Star Families Connected Communities Pilot 40 Meadows, S., Tanielian, T., Karney, B., Schell, T., Griffin, B., et al. 2016. The Deployment Life Study: Longitudinal Analysis of Military Families Across the Deployment Cycle. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2016. McCormick, D., Roth-Douquet. K. (2016) Why we need to extend economic empowerment to military spouses. Retrieved November 16, 2017 from http://www.pbs.org/newshour/making-sense/column-military-service-family-business-time- treat/ Palinkas, L. (2017). Discrete implementation strategies: introduction to the science of innovative social work. (PowerPoint slides, asynchronous material). Powell, B., McMillen, J., Proctor, E., Carpenter, C., Griffey, R., Bunger, A., .York, J. (2012). A Compilation of Strategies for Implementing Clinical Innovations in Health and Mental Health. Medical Care Research and Review, 69(2), 123-157. Putnam, R. (2000). Bowling alone: The collapse and revival of American community. New York: Simon & Schuster. Purdue University (2016). Measuring community toolkit. (PowerPoint slides) RAND, (1999). Why do military families live on-base housing? Rand research brief. Retrieved September 10, 2018 from https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/RB7527/index1.html CAPSTONE: Blue Star Families Connected Communities Pilot 41 RE-AIM (2017). RE-AIM planning tool. Retrieved November 17, 2017 from http://re-aim.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/planningtool.pdf Rostker, B., (2006). The evolution of the all-volunteer force. Rand research brief. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (2015) National Survey of Health Attitudes. Retrieved November 16, 2017 from https://www.cultureofhealth.org/en/taking-action/making-health- a-shared-value/sense-of-community.html Russell E. Glasgow, Lisa M. Klesges, David A. Dzewaltowski, Paul A. Estabrooks, Thomas M. Vogt; Evaluating the impact of health promotion programs: using the RE-AIM framework to form summary measures for decision making involving complex issues, Health Education Research, Volume 21, Issue 5, 1 October 2006, Pages 688–694 SAMHSA (2011). NREPP SAMHSA’s national registry of evidence-based programs and practices. Retrieved on November 25, 2017 from https://nrepp-learning.samhsa.gov/framework/epis-model-implementation Seppala, (2014). Connectedness and health: the science of social connection. Retrieved September 29, 2017 from http://ccare.stanford.edu/uncategorized/connectedness-health- the- science-of-social-connection-infographic/ Sorenson Impact Center (2018). Technical report: evaluation plan. Sorenson Impact Center. (2016). Blue star families: social cost analysis of unemployment, CAPSTONE: Blue Star Families Connected Communities Pilot 42 And underemployment of military spouses. Retrieved November 13, 2017 from https://www.govexec.com/media/gbc/docs/pdfs_edit/053116kl1.pdf Valente, T., Palinkas, L., Czaja, S., Chu, K., Brown, C., & Moore, S. (2015). Social Network Analysis for Program Implementation (Networks for Program Implementation). 10(6), E0 CAPSTONE: Blue Star Families Connected Communities Pilot 43

Abstract (if available)

Abstract Blue Star Families (BSF) envisions an America where anyone who wants to serve their country can do so without sacrificing the health and well-being of his or her family, and where all Americans are doing their part to preserve the strength and viability of an all-volunteer force by supporting our military families. The fabric of the United States military consists of approximately 3.5 million military personnel, over half are married and half have dependent children. In fact, there are more military family members then military personnel. One of the top challenges for military families is the isolation from the larger civilian community. The 2017 Blue Star Families Military Family Lifestyle Survey indicates 51% of military families feel they don’t belong in their local community. Our military families move frequently, often to remote locations far from family and friends, and live a lifestyle very different than their neighbors. Military families rarely live on installation anymore, so they lack support from the military community as well. Seventy-five percent of military families live off installation and are building lives and deepening roots in the communities they serve (Rand, 1999). Despite their presence in communities across the country, many civilians, organizations, and communities continue to have limited understanding of the military population. ❧ Military family community isolation is a root cause and significant factor in spouse unemployment and underemployment, mental distress, dissatisfaction with military life such that it erodes retention, readiness and recruiting. In the worse cases, it can lead to substance abuse, severe depression, and child neglect, which is documented to be higher than civilian counterparts (Clever & Segal, 2013). To address the growing concern of military family isolation, BSF has developed, the Connected Communities Pilot (CCP)—an innovative, robust community-development model, a three-year funded pilot by Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation, that seeks to improve outcomes for military families by creating community relationship and connections to build social integration with the civilian community. The BSF CCP is fostering engagement and partnerships to create recognizable, consistent communities that the support health and resilience that military families need to succeed. Utilizing existing programs and networks, BSF engages local community members, allowing them to connect and support local military families. ❧ The BSF CCP is leveraging existing programming to create a consistent and reliable military family ecosystem for military families. The effectiveness of this programming in creating community connections, and any subsequent programmatic changes, will be measured through a newly created program evaluation, Connected Communities Instrument Component (CCIC) as well as the Blue Star Families Annual Military Family Lifestyle Survey (aMFLS). The new CCIC instrument will first be used to establish a baseline measure for the social connectedness of the families in the CCP network in two locations: New York and San Diego. Subsequently, the instrument will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the CCP at increasing social connectedness among participating families as compared to the baseline measure. The results of this evaluation will be used to determine which program components generate the most positive impact for families’ social integration, allowing BSF to scale effective program components to their larger network and ultimately impact military family social isolation.

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Asset Metadata

Creator Atherall, Tina M. (author)

Core Title Blue Star Families Connected Communities Pilot

School Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work

Degree Doctor of Social Work

Degree Program Social Work

Publication Date 02/27/2019

Defense Date 08/02/2018

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag communities,connection,eradicate social isolation,grand challenge,Integration,Isolation,military families,OAI-PMH Harvest,pilot,sense of belonging,social isolation,social network theory,social networks

Format application/pdf (imt)

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Enrile, Annalise (committee chair), Lewis, Jennifer (committee member), Manderscheid, Ron (committee member)

Creator Email atherall@alumni.usc.edu,tinaatherall@gmail.com

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c89-127452

Unique identifier UC11675558

Identifier etd-AtherallTi-7120.pdf (filename),usctheses-c89-127452 (legacy record id)

Legacy Identifier etd-AtherallTi-7120.pdf

Dmrecord 127452

Document Type Capstone project

Format application/pdf (imt)

Rights Atherall, Tina M.

Type texts

Source University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

Access Conditions The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the a...

Repository Name University of Southern California Digital Library

Repository Location USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 2810, 3434 South Grand Avenue, 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, California 90089-2810, USA