Summary: The inaugural episode of VHA:IE features three innovative suicide prevention programs – two from the VA health care system and one from the private sector. The first VA program, Preventing Veteran Suicide by Partnering with Faith-Based Organizations, engages faith-based leaders and community members to identify and refer Veterans and Service members who may be at risk for suicide. Dr. Joseph Hunter, the suicide prevention coordinator at the Albany Stratton VA Medical Center in Albany, New York , discusses the approach his team took to outreach with organizations, the obstacles Joe and his team ran into as they have built the program, the positive effect within the community, and methods to measure success. The second VA program highlighted, REACH VET, uses Veteran health records to identify individuals at risk for suicide and provides targeted interventions. Aaron Eagan, National Program Manager for REACH VET, and Dr. Jodie Trafton, Director of Program Evaluation and Resource Center at the VA Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, discuss the initial idea that sparked REACH VET and how the program identifies at-risk Veterans, plus they share some of the technical and communication barriers their team faced when getting the program off the ground. Lastly, Antigone Davis, Global Head of Safety at Facebook, describes Facebook’s push to make its users aware of their power to help someone with suicidal ideations leveraging artificial intelligence and pattern recognition to flag posts and comments with phrases that identify at-risk members. She delves further into the software’s power and the overwhelming support the program has received from the Facebook user community. Episode Resources: • The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs • VA Innovators Network • Albany Stratton VA Medical Center • Atlanta VA Health Care System • Preventing Veteran Suicide by Partnering with Faith-Based Organizations • REACH VET • VA Crisis Line (1-800-273-8255, press 1) Key Episode Quotes: "There are about fourteen Veterans dying by suicide on a daily basis. We needed a strategy to try to reach out to that population." -- Joseph Hunter, Suicide Prevention Coordinator "REACH VET is really an opportunity to use our rich data and our electronic medical records and what is really some complicated math to say that this veteran might be at risk." -- Aaron Eagan, National Program Manager for REACH VET "It is quite amazing to see how people will respond with offers of help or offers of comfort or support when someone indicated they may be in distress." -- Antigone Davis, Global Head of Safety, Facebook
