PODCAST: Propelling the VA Suicide Prevention Efforts Through Technologies and Innovation

In this DSS podcast interview, Dr. Barbara Van Dahlen, a strategic advisor to DSS, CEO of WeBe Life, and a renowned clinical psychologist and mental health consultant, breaks down key aspects of her recent GovExec guest article about how advanced and emerging technology can help the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to save lives.

Earlier this month, GovExec published a guest article by Dr. Barbara Van Dahlen that highlighted how advanced and emerging technologies can play a vital role in enhancing suicide prevention efforts for the VA.

The article covered a wide-range of topics, including the current suicide prevention challenge at the VA, the need to identify and engage with high-risk Veterans, and how advanced and emerging AI innovations can help address this pressing issue.

Following are key highlights from this podcast interview, where Dr. Van Dahlen provides further insights around what she covered in her GovExec article.

A high-level overview of what was covered in the GovExec guest article. (:40)
Insights on the current state of suicide prevention efforts at the VA. (1:30)
Why identifying and engaging with high-risk Veterans is important. (5:11)
How advanced technology can help the VA with these efforts now. (8:00)
How emerging technologies such as Traditional and Emotion AI can help. (13:25)
Concerns that Veterans and family members may have about AI in general. (18:25)
Why we have to be our own care advocates with the rise of new innovations. (20:40)

Read the full GovExec article here.

To learn more how DSS is committed to helping the VA in response to Veterans at risk of suicide, here’s how the DSS Iconic Data Patient Case Manager High Reliability Organization (PCM HRO) solution has helped the VA strengthen its suicide prevention efforts.