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Creating and Seizing Opportunities to Serve the Military. Case Study: Air Force Clinical Training Project David Litts Associate Director, Suicide Prevention Resource Center. The Military. 1.4M Active members* Army – 507k Navy – 348k Air Force – 347k Marines – 180k
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Creating and Seizing Opportunities to Serve the Military Case Study: Air Force Clinical Training Project David Litts Associate Director, Suicide Prevention Resource Center
The Military • 1.4M Active members* • Army – 507k • Navy – 348k • Air Force – 347k • Marines – 180k • 1.2M Reserve and Guard** • 650k Civilian employees* *Source: DoD, 2006 **Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2004
Military Culture • Constitutional underpinning: civilian control • Each branch culturally distinct • People: the most important weapon system • Patriotic volunteers in service to country • Commitment to the mission; willing to die • Values: excellence, integrity, service • Leaders: Aiming to do “right” in very political environment
Relationships Matter • May 06 – Problem: ”Have money; need training; no time.” • June 06 – Drafted solution • Aug 06 – RFP: proposals due in 2 weeks • Sep 06 – Awarded
Case Study:Air Force: The Need • Pioneered comprehensive approaches to suicide prevention in ’90s • Implemented and evaluated extensive public health approaches to preventing suicide • Recognized relative deficit in training of mental health providers—1200 of them at 79 locations worldwide
HHD Solution: AMSR • Assessing and Managing Suicide Risk: Core Competencies for Mental Health Professionals • One-day workshop • Developed during first 3-year contract for SPRC • Deployed April 2006 • Completed ~ 17 workshops in first 7 mos
AF Contract Requirements • Conduct AMSR workshops at 45 bases in 12 months • Trainers: • Doctoral level • > 10 yrs in practice; • > 2 yrs in clinical training settings • Curriculum: • Developed by panel of nationally recognized experts • Focuses on essential skills for assessing and managing suicide risk
Thought Questions • For what other unmet DoD/VA needs are there HHD solutions? • With whom do we have relationships that could produce service opportunities? • Where should we seek similar relationships?