HHV Arts and Crafts programs provide therapeutic treatment both in the hospital and surrounding veteran facilities. Craft Kit intervention areas include; general medical and surgical, spinal cord injury, psychiatric, cardiac rehabilitation, dialysis, Hospital Based Home Care, Nursing Home Care Unit, Adult Day Care Program, Outreach Centers, domiciliary, patient clinics, and on wards.

Craft Care Specialists (CCS) are to establish and staff regularly scheduled clinics where patients can select and work on HHV arts and crafts projects, while receiving adaptations and/or assistance necessary to accomplish their goals. One-to-one’s should be conducted on patient wards, to ensure that those veterans unable to visit clinics may also receive HHV Arts and Crafts, as well as the assistance needed to complete the Kits. Additionally the CCS should establish distribution hours for those veterans unable to stay for a clinic. A strong volunteer base is essential for the CCS to meet these goals.

Required Expertise | Position Tasks | CCS | Administration | Request a Specialist

Required expertise of the Craft Care Specialist:

• Knowledge of each patient's disability, including special needs and concerns relating to their participation in arts and crafts kits.
• Knowledge of adaptive tools and aids to assist patients in working on arts and crafts kits as independently as possible.
• Strong organization, communication and professional skills to appropriately document each patient's progress relative to their outlined goals and objectives for treatment to relay to the patients assigned therapist or to be documented in the patient’s medical chart.
• Background knowledge in the arts to assist and inspire the creativity of the patients.

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Tasks of the position include:

• Represent Help Hospitalized Veterans by becoming actively involved in the VA and attending a minimum of four VAVS meetings annually.
• Facilitate HHV programs to be carried out by the CCS, other therapists and volunteers as the CCS deems appropriate to reach the full spectrum of veterans in the CCS’s service area.
• Serve as a control point for all HHV Arts and Crafts Kit materials, any other HHV donated items and all donor cards.
• Order and maintain materials and equipment as needed for arts and crafts kit program.
• Ensure that donor cards are mailed in a timely manner.
• Submit monthly reports to HHV-CCS National Advisor, to include public relations of at least one veteran and facilities newsletter.
• Recruit and train volunteers for all program needs.
• Assist with a local art show or competition as appropriate at the local facility to promote and publicize veteran talent.

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The Craft Care Specialist:

1. The incumbent devises specific activities and routines to maintain or improve physical and/or mental health of the veteran.
2. Develops therapeutic programs for various types of disabilities which include psychiatric, dementia, neuro-muscular disorders, orthopedic conditions, AIDS, amputation, paralysis, spinal cord injury, head injury, respiratory disorders, chronic cardiovascular diseases, and patients with multiple diagnoses. The incumbent strives to retard mental and physical deterioration, maintaining the highest degree of self-help and independence within the limitation of patients disability.
3. Unusual tact and skill are necessary to the success of the rehabilitation process.
4. Administers therapeutic arts and crafts kit activity to aid in patient rehabilitation.
5. Frequently selects, adapts and/or adjusts arts and crafts modalities in accordance with rehabilitation goals. Modification of techniques and development of new approaches frequently are required in the realization of patient treatment goals.

Overall, a core team member of the multi-disciplinary team, the CCS maintains a close working relationship with medical and allied health specialists to assess the patient condition, progress and coordinate patient treatment to ensure the maximum level of quality care is given and the rehabilitation potential met. The incumbent is recognized by the team members as the arts and crafts expert who functions independently, exercising wide latitude in developing and carrying out an effective treatment program for each patient. The CCS is responsible for making recommended modifications to treatment plans when necessary to achieve patient goals and objectives.

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Administration of the Craft Care Specialist

The CCS is a direct employee of Help Hospitalized Veterans (HHV) receiving salary and employee benefits package (if 20 hours or more) that is employed for a guaranteed 2 year period. Full employee administration is the responsibility of HHV including the right to hire and terminate with or without the recommendations of the VA Medical Center or State Nursing Home facility in which the CCS is assigned. The CCS shall be directly supervised by a VA designated supervisor of the department for which the CCS will be working under. The CCS will overall be supervised by the CCS, National Advisor. Annual evaluations will be conducted by the on-site supervisor and the CCS National Advisor in January of each year. A copy of each evaluation will be kept in the employees personnel file.

The Craft Care Specialist program is supported by HHV and can assist VA Recreation Therapy Services, Voluntary Services or Occupational Therapy Services. Their duties do not include running bingo, patient outings and other recreational activities. CCS personnel are provided to augment VA services through their expertise in creative arts and to bring a broader dimension to the HHV arts and crafts kit program. Craft Care Specialists are being made available as supplemental help to the VA, they are not being provided to replace any position that exists within the Department of Veterans Affairs at the Federal or State level.

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Requesting a Craft Care Specialist

Facilities interested in receiving a Craft Care Specialist position must submit a letter of interest and need to HHV, Executive Director, Mike lynch. The letter must be signed by the medical center director. Position requests may designate either a full or part-time position, however regardless of the request, there are no guarantees for a full-time position. Requests are considered in the order in which they are received, unless grant funding has been obtained for a particular location.

Help Hospitalized Veterans
36585 Penfield lane
Winchester, CA 92596
Ph: 951-926-4500
Fax: 951-926-3569

Once approval for the position has come from the HHV Executive Director, the facility can begin the process of establishing the CCS program with the CCS, National Advisor.

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