This September, we’re recognizing Suicide Prevention Awareness Month by sharing important work from our partners expanding access to quality care.  Through their work, service members, Veterans, and military family members are empowered to support the mental health and well-being of themselves and each other. During a recent webinar hosted by SAMHSA’s SMVF TA Center, Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Reflex AI, and the Defense Health Agency’s (DHA’s) Practice-Based Implementation Network (PBIN) shared exciting innovations in digital wellness technology that strengthen connections to care.

VHA: Connected Care

VHA’s suite of apps assists Veterans with managing various health conditions, accessing healthcare staff, and coordinating their care. Self-contained apps, such as Insomnia Coach, PTSD Coach, and Pain Coach, can provide suggested activities and tools for managing symptoms, education about conditions, and periodic check-ins. VA-connected apps, such as VA Health and Benefits, connect to VA’s health network, allowing Veterans to manage upcoming appointments, refill and track prescriptions, upload documentation, and much more.

VHA provides many layers of support to ensure that digital options are user-friendly and accessible. Virtual Health Resource Centers offer Veterans, family members, caregivers, and VA staff education, training, and troubleshooting. For additional training, VA staff can also access Virtual Care University to learn more about the basics of virtual care, build soft skills such as Motivational Interviewing, and expand awareness of VA’s virtual care options.

Reflex AI: HomeTeam

ReflexAI’s HomeTeam is a free, interactive online education program that provides practical skills to Veterans, empowering them to provide peer support to other Veterans struggling with their mental health.

At HomeTeam, users can access four modules where they learn how to:

  • communicate support,
  • talk about suicide,
  • establish safety and reduce risk, and
  • share additional resources.

Users then put these skills into practice and build confidence by engaging in dynamic AI-powered simulations. HomeTeam’s content was developed, reviewed, and tested by Veterans and Veteran-serving clinicians.

PBIN: SocioTech Pilot

DHA’s Practice-Based Implementation Network facilitates the rapid translation of research into clinical practice by identifying needs and piloting initiatives that address those needs.

PBIN’s recent pilot, SocioTech, seeks to increase service members’ access to and use of evidence-based tools provided by VA mobile apps by integrating these apps into clinical and non-clinical settings. Through this pilot, participants volunteer to become Master Trainers through a 3-hour virtual training, which includes interactive skills practice and education on the chosen apps. Using the train-the-trainer approach, these Master Trainers then train others, expanding the network of practitioners using the apps.

Following this webinar, SAMHSA’s SMVF TA Center held a 3-part Learning Community that delved deeper into each agency’s innovative initiatives. Follow the links below for more information and to view session recordings: