COMMUNITY CASE STUDY article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Public Mental Health
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1548618
This article is part of the Research TopicNew Insights into Social Isolation and Loneliness, Volume IIView all 13 articles
Establishing Community Partnerships to Maintain Social Connection and Healthcare Access During an Emergency Declaration: Virtual Veterans Socials
Provisionally accepted
Jay A. Gorman1,2*
Elizabeth S. Chamberlin1
Helen P. Hailes1Marsha Langer Ellison3Rachelle M. Calixte1Jessica Mack1John Smolinsky1
Erin D. Reilly1Charles E. Drebing2- 1Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital, United States Department of Veterans Affairs, Bedford, United States
- 2Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
- 3University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States
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This community case study reflects the transition of a community-based social intervention at a Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center in the northeastern United States (U.S.) from in-person to virtual gatherings during COVID-19 restrictions. Initially, the Veterans Socials program began in 2014 to address social support challenges of veterans who received care from VA, then evolved into community-based social groups delivered with and for the veteran community. These consist of veteran-led weekly meetups aimed at fostering social connection and reducing isolation. This evaluation explores the challenges and opportunities involved in shifting to a virtual platform, focusing on how community partnerships, including collaboration between private and government organizations, supported the continuity of this inclusive social support initiative. Leveraging these partnerships expanded access to health-related resources and services, while maintaining critical social networks. Findings include program-level data and three individual case studies that underscore the role of social support systems in mitigating loneliness and improving healthcare accessibility in times of crisis. This evaluation highlights how community partnerships were essential for sustaining social support, enhancing access to healthcare information, and disseminating vital information to the community during an emergency declaration.
Keywords: social connection, Loneliness, access to care, Public-Private Partnerships, Veterans, emergency preparedness, Virtual support
Received: 19 Dec 2024; Accepted: 16 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Gorman, Chamberlin, Hailes, Langer Ellison, Calixte, Mack, Smolinsky, Reilly and Drebing. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Jay A. Gorman, Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital, United States Department of Veterans Affairs, Bedford, United States
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.