Sara J. Landes, PhD, lead of Caring Contacts for Suicide Prevention in Non-Mental Health Settings QUERI Partnered Implementation Initiative and Associate Director of the QUERI for Team-Based Behavioral Health, presented the Caring Contacts project to a roundtable discussion on “Technology and Behavioral Health: Innovative Approaches to Reduce Veteran Suicide” before the VA Subcommittee on Technology Modernization in Washington, DC on January 28, 2020. Presenters for seven different projects were invited by VA Secretary Robert Wilkie to discuss how VA leverages research, innovation, emerging technology, and high-tech tools to provide care to Veterans in the area of behavioral health and suicide prevention. Further, the Subcommittee wanted to learn about how VA leverages resources and partners with external groups to develop and scale promising new technologies.
Caring Contacts (CC) is an evidence-based suicide prevention intervention that involves sending patients who are suicidal brief, non-demanding expressions of care and concern over a year or more. To address the increased risk that occurs during transitions in care, especially from the emergency department (ED), QUERI investigators are implementing Caring Contacts in VA emergency departments. In partnership with VISN 16 (South Central VA Health Care Network) and the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System, the team adapted Caring Contacts for the VA ED setting and determined a process to implement in that setting. The team is now spreading Caring Contacts to 26 additional VA sites across the country. QUERI investigators will evaluate the implementation of Caring Contacts, as well as their impact on Veterans.
For more information about Caring Contacts for Suicide Prevention, please contact Sara Landes at Sara.Landes@va.gov.
