Education & Dissemination
Providing Awareness Using a Public Health Approach
Through its education and training efforts, the Center of Excellence translates leading-edge suicide prevention findings into applied practice across a variety of Veteran-focused settings. The CoE's Education Division develops and disseminates educational resources that engage learners through a variety of modalities, including face-to-face education programs, innovative web-based trainings and webinars.
S.A.V.E. Training
Under the direction of Dr. Janet Kemp, the CoE's first Education Chief, CoE developed "Operation S.A.V.E.," a Veteran-centric suicide prevention gatekeeper training delivered by SPCs to front-line VHA staff across the nation. S.A.V.E. is now a mandatory training course for all VHA employees during New Employee Orientation. CoE team members collaborated with OMHSP leadership to translate S.A.V.E. to an online training course in collaboration with the PsychArmor Traning Institute. Through our collective efforts, the online S.A.V.E. (PsychArmor) training video now serves as an annual refresher for all VHA employees.
Upstate New York Veterans Research and Engagement Board
Founded in 2017 by the CoE, in collaboration with the Center for Integrated Healthcare (CIH), the Upstate New York Veterans Research and Engagement Board (VREB) promotes innovative, Veteran-centered research informed by stakeholder involvement and insight. Investigators present their research ideas and specific study-related questions to the board each month. Using an iterative process, VREB feedback is then incorporated into investigators' study methods and protocols. VREB stakeholders, most Veterans themselves, are committed to actively engaging in community-based efforts that maximize the collective impact of local services for Veterans. One of these key stakeholders is the Rochester Veterans Outreach Center, a community-based organization that hosts VREB's monthly meetings.
Start the Conversation: New Tools for Veteran Suicide Prevention
Start the Conversation is an online comprehensive toolkit CoE developed to address common issues that many Veterans face. The toolkit contains practical steps to help those who love and care about Veterans. Use the toolkit to create customizable suicide prevention content tailored to specific audiences and topics. Topics include how to:
- Talk to Veterans about their emotional health, distress or suicidal thoughts
- Identify factors that may increase a Veteran's risk for suicidal thoughts and behaviors
- Recognize warning signs indicating that a Veteran may be in crisis
- Create a personalized plan to help a Veteran manage crises and access resources
September 2021 | June 2021 | April 2021 | February 2021 | November 2020 | September 2020
July 2020 | May 2020 (Special Sleep Issue) | January 2020 | November 2019 | September 2019
