Stakeholders Perspectives on Improving Access to VHA’s Suicide Prevention Services (IA-SPS)
Despite the heightened interest and policy development for suicide prevention among military service personnel and veterans, the implementation of evidence-based treatments and prevention strategies with vulnerable and hard to reach veteran populations (e.g., non-enrolled OEF/OIF and rural veterans) is underdeveloped. Research, federal reports, and VHA strategic plans note the importance of including stakeholders, since their participation is vital to the design, implementation, and use of services locally. This one-year Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Mental Health Quality Enrichment Initiative (QUERI) funded Rapid Response Project (RRP) seeks to elicit stakeholder perspectives on the organizational- and provider-level barriers to Veterans accessing suicide prevention services in their local communities. The research team is conducting a series of qualitative interviews, along with a brief quantitative survey, of stakeholders (n=60) from various service sectors in rural and urban areas to document current providers access to necessary mental health services for veterans at heightened risk for suicide.
Principal Investigator
Monica Matthieu, PhD, LCSW
Funder
Department of Veterans Affairs,
Mental Health Quality Enrichment Inititive funded Rapid Response Project