SPA Service Delivery ToolkitEMP Center is currently down
EMP Center is currently down. The IT department is aware and working. There is no ETA for resolution at this time.
This message will be updated when the status changes.
Thank you!
The VA is turning to data analytics
Important Note: This new VA initiative has been posted here for educational awareness. MFLC Duty to Warn (DTW) protocol is not in any way affected by this initiative. If you are in a situation with a participant who is presenting with DTW issues, follow the MFLC protocol.
Written by Gina Harkins, Senior Staff Writer, Military Officers Association of America
Thousands of veterans around the country might’ve recently heard something like this when they answered the phone: “Your name came up as somebody who is at very high risk for suicide, and we’re concerned about you.”
Those calls are going out to veterans considered high risk for self-harm based on data analytics, National Public Radio reported. It’s a program called REACH VET, which stands for Recovery Engagement and Coordination for Health – Veterans Enhanced Treatment. VA mental health professionals are reaching out to about 1,000 veterans a month whose health records show they might be at a high risk for suicide, hospitalization, or illness.
“We call them, and this is being done around the country, to reach out and see what we can do to proactively help,” VA Secretary Dr. David Shulkin told lawmakers Wednesday. “So not waiting until there’s a suicide attempt.”
About 20 veterans a day die from suicide. Most of those veterans typically aren’t receiving care in the VA system, Shulkin said. That’s important data to understand, said Sen. Jon Tester, a Montana Democrat and ranking member of the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs.
“[If] only six were enrolled in VA health care, what does that mean?” Tester said. “We’ve got to do a better job of outreach.”
To better reach the high-risk patients who are in the VA health care system, the department teamed with the Pentagon to mine six years’ worth of data, NPR reported. If someone has markers that make them high risk, the VA simply reaches out and asks if they need help.
“Every day we delay, there’s going to be more deaths,” Shulkin said. “Our suicide prevention coordinators get lists of veterans’ names that are in the highest 0.1 highest risk of suicide, 80 times higher risk than a person who is not on the list. And they proactively are calling out every day, saying ‘How are you doing? How can we potentially help you in anything that you need help with?’ ”
Connecting veterans to mental health professionals can sometimes mean the difference between life and death. If veterans aren’t in the VA system though, the REACH VET program won’t work, Shulkin said. That’s a problem, because 14 of the roughly 20 veterans who commit suicide each day don’t use the VA system.
“That’s a big issue for us,” the secretary said. “We have a big hole here.”
Shulkin said he hopes expanding emergency mental health care to veterans with other-than-honorable discharges and cooperating more with DoD can help fill the gaps. The VA is working with the Pentagon to automatically enroll troops transitioning out of the military into the VA “so nobody leaves active service without knowing where they can get their mental health care,” Shulkin said.
For now, he’s urging all military leaders, veterans and retirees to put the phone number to the VA’s veteran crisis hotline in their phones: (800) 273-8255.
“You never know when you’re going to get that 2 a.m. call,” he said.
Reference: © Copyright 2017 Military Officers Association of America; Posted 10.02.2017: http://www.moaa.org/Content/Publications-and-Media/News-Articles/2017-News-Articles/The-VA-is-turning-to-data-analytics-to-stop-veteran-suicide.aspx?utm_source=NEX&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=VAData
Traumatic Brain Injury Webinar October 12th
Webinar title: Emerging Technologies for Assessment and Rehabilitation of Traumatic Brain Injury
When: 1-2:30 p.m. (ET) Oct. 12, 2017
To register:
Sign up for the webinar at http://dcoe.cds.pesgce.com. Please note, registration is required for each webinar regardless if the participant has an existing PESG account. Upon completion of registration, a confirmation email will be sent providing webinar event details.
Once registered, you may use Adobe Connect to attend the webinar. If you have questions or need assistance, please email the DCoE Webinar Team: [email protected]
Summary of presentation:
The surge in traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) sustained by U.S. service members since 2001 has highlighted limitations in the tools used to provide clinical care for this condition. Ongoing research supported by the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center (DVBIC) and other Department of Defense sponsors seeks to address these limitations through development and evaluation of novel clinical tools. In particular, this presentation will discuss recent advances in the use of eye tracking and virtual reality for assessment and rehabilitation of TBI.
At the conclusion of this webinar, participants will be able to:
- Describe key limitations of conventional tools for assessment of TBI.
- Understand challenges in cognitive and functional rehabilitation of TBI.
- Identify applications for eye tracking and virtual reality in clinical care for TBI.
Presenter
Mark L. Ettenhofer, Ph.D.
Research Neuropsychologist
Contractor, American Hospital Services Group
DVBIC
Naval Medical Center San Diego
Moderator
Angela G. Basham, MPH, CHES
Regional Education Coordinator
Contractor, General Dynamics Health Solutions
DVBIC
Naval Medical Center San Diego
Continuing Education
This continuing education activity is provided through collaboration between the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury (DCoE) and Professional Education Services Group (PESG). You must register by 3 p.m. (ET) Oct. 12, 2017, to qualify for the receipt of continuing education credit.
The awarding of continuing education credit is limited in scope to health care providers who actively provide psychological health and traumatic brain injury care to U.S. active-duty service members, reservists, National Guardsmen, military veterans and their families.
Invitation: National Center for Telehealth and Technology Briefing – UPDATE
What: National Center for Telehealth and Technology Briefing
When: Wednesday, October 11 at 1pm Eastern
Where: https://connect.apan.org/informationandresources/
Phone: 888-340-7055; Participant Pass code: 7088911
Who: Dr. Kelly Blasko with T2 will share relevant tools and information to support MFLCs in the field.
Please join us!
Protecting Your Counselor License: Common Legal & Ethical Issues
About the Webinar
DATE AND TIME:
Wednesday, September 20, 2017, at 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. ET
OVERVIEW:
This webinar will explore the legal and ethical issues involved in professional liability claims. By attending you will learn risk control strategies to mitigate your risks. Using this information, counselors can examine their own current practices in relation to the allegations of malpractice claims and losses experienced by their peers.
OBJECTIVES:
- Describe the legal implications around counselor case scenario
- Describe the ethical implications around counselor case scenario
- List risk-reduction strategies
SPEAKER INFORMATION:
- Edie Brous, MS/MPH, JD, RN
- David Kaplan, PhD, CAE, ACA Chief Professional Officer
REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED AND ENDS 30 MINUTES PRIOR TO THE WEBINAR START TIME.
To register for the September 20, 2017 session, click here.
To view other risk management information, please visit www.hpso.com.
For additional information, you may contact HPSO at 1-800-982-9491.
MHNGS.com not available September 2nd – 3rd
All activity forms must be entered by close of business Friday, September 1st
In addition, please complete expense reports, timekeeping and other administrative requirements prior to this scheduled outage.
The mhngs.com portal should be restored and working normally on Monday, September 4th.
CEU opportunity: Suicide Prevention Series 2017
CDP Presents: Suicide Prevention Series 2017
Support for continuing education credits provided in part by Cohen Veterans Network
You’re invited to join us for this upcoming webinar series in September. Please note that you MUST register for each webinar individually. Each of the Webinars will be Online via Adobe Connect, at 12:00-1:30 EST.
Week 1: Department of Veteran Affairs Suicide Prevention Overview
Presenter: Megan McCarthy, Ph.D.
Date: September 6th, 2017
Time: 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM Eastern time (90- Minute Session)
Cost: $0.00, 1 Free CE
Week 2: Suicide Risk Assessment
Presenter: Sean Convoy, DNP, PMHNP-BC
Date: September 13th, 2017
Time: 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM Eastern time (90- Minute Session)
Cost: $0.00, 1 Free CE
Week 3: The Safety Planning Intervention for Reducing Suicide Risk
Presenter: Greg Brown, Ph.D.
Date: September 20th, 2017
Time: 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM Eastern time (90- Minute Session)
Cost: $0.00, 1 Free CE
Week 4: Means Restriction and Talking to Suicidal Veterans About Firearms
Presenter: Craig Bryan, Psy.D.
Date: September 27th, 2017
Time: 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM Eastern time (90- Minute Session)
Cost: $0.00, 1 Free CE
New Continuing Education Details All participants who register, attend, and complete a short post-training evaluation/assessment will be eligible to receive one free CE. CEs will be provided through PESI, Inc. For CE credit information only, please contact Bridget Schaub at: [email protected].
Portal is Down!
When accessing www.mhngs.com or mhn.com, we are receiving the following error message “This page can’t be displayed.” The ability to access to Citrix and EmpCenter may also be impacted.
IT is aware and working to resolve the issue.
Thank you for your patience.
EMP Center Issues Resolved
The issues related to accessing EmpCenter have been resolved. Please enter time at the end of your work day as normal.
**************************************
Previous message:
MHN is aware that EmpCenter is not accessible at this time. The IT team is actively working to resolve. There is no ETA for resolution at this time. We will update this message as the status changes.
In the meantime, there are two options to record time:
1. Users can login to https://connect.centene.com and launch the Centene desktop. Once in the published desktop, navigate to the https://cnet.centene.com and click the links button in the top right hand corner. Then choose the link for the EmpCenter. You may have to update the SSO certificate within the published desktop if this has not already been completed. Once the SSO certificate has been updated, click the EmpCenter link to be directed straight to the EmpCenter.
or
2. Email your MFLC Liaison your time worked at the end of the day. They will update the system.
If you have general comments regarding this message, please reach out to Field Operations at [email protected]
2017 MFLN Virtual Conference – Register NOW!
The MFLN Virtual Conference is a free four-day virtual learning and networking experience for professionals working with military service members and their families. The MFLN virtual conference will be a valuable, informative, and engaging experience for professionals in any discipline. Keynotes and sessions will be offered in two tracks: professional change and organizational change.
Ongoing and scheduled social media activities will be available to enhance the learning experience, foster conversation, and support professional networking.
Keynotes – Tuesday, September 26
DR. CHARLES FIGLEY
Seasons of Change: Promoting Growth during Times of Uncertainty Time: 11:00 a.m. Eastern
DIONARDO PIZAÑA
Leveraging Connections Time: 1:00 p.m. Eastern
Wednesday, September 27
Navigating Skills: Charting Your Course through Organizational, Social, and Cultural Change
Barbara Thompson & Judi Dekle
Time: 11:00 a.m. Eastern
Bending, Not Breaking: Resilience and the Role of Positive Emotions during Times of Stress Dr. Christian Waugh
Time: 1:00 p.m. Eastern
Thursday, September 28
Rising Strong™ When Faced with Professional Change: My Story, My Ending
Trisha Wolhfeil
Time: 11:00 a.m. Eastern
Immunity to Change
Brian Fredrickson
Time: 1:00 p.m. Eastern
Friday, September 29
Challenging Behavior, Who’s Being Challenged?
Dr. Rosemarie Allen
Time: 11:00 a.m. Eastern
Stop Trying to Drive Change and Start Growing It!
Jones Loflin
Time: 1:00 p.m Eastern
Capnote/Panel Discussion:
Turning Knowledge into Action!
Andy Crocker & Jones Loflin
Time: 2:45 p.m Eastern
REGISTER TODAY!
learn.extension.org/events/3151
Reference: This material is based upon work supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Office of Military Family Readiness Policy, U.S. Department of Defense under Award Number 2015-48770-24368.
