Danielle Catlin possesses the trust of our team and veterans alike. Her ability to build necessary rapport between staff and veterans is instrumental in the continuity of care that our department provides. She has perfected the art of balancing passionate, veteran-centered care, encased with the utmost adherence to her professional ethical boundaries. Her work ethic is admirable and inspiring. Her commitment to the VA mission and the Veteran population extends beyond the medical center and into her local community through volunteering and community engagement. This has served to open doors for veterans who otherwise were unaware of services available and how to access them.

Within the role of SUD RN, Danielle creatively addresses the unique needs of the high risk/vulnerable veterans that she serves. Danielle is quick to access and network additional resources to address the multi-faceted aspects of the veteran. For example, when veterans present to SUD Walk-In, there are often many layers that need to be addressed and may be unpredictable. Danielle does not shy away from addressing these needs and remains calm under pressure and in high-stress situations. She works collaboratively with staff across the medical center to assist in veterans accessing necessary services so that they can fully engage in recovery. Her belief in the veteran underscores her initiative in providing healing and holistic services. The respect and dignity that Danielle promotes acts as a conduit to bridge gaps between clinical and medical staff. Danielle prioritizes the veteran's safety while also respecting their own perception of goals, needs, and preferences related to their treatment. This allows for a higher quality of service provision within the VA system.

Leadership across disciplines lean on Danielle for her expertise and sound clinical judgment. She never waivers in requests for special projects or providing innovative modalities. Her interpersonal skills exceed expectations as fellow staff, veterans, and families leave knowing they were respected and given exceptional care. Since her addition to our Team, we have exponentially increased our scores in the SUD 16 Metric, PSY 37 Metric, and development of the UPC initiative. Additionally, Danielle contributed to significantly increasing access to the life-saving medication, Naloxone, distributed to Veterans engaged in substance use treatment in the medical center placing the John D. Dingell VA above the national average for naloxone distribution.