Article Excerpt: As military suicide numbers continue to rise, the Army believes that there is often enough information about risk factors available to prevent this act, but that this data is not integrated into one centralized dashboard where it can be used to intervene. The Army is working to roll out a ‘virtual soldier’ dashboard which is designed to alert leaders when it spots a combination of factors that the military has already identified as risk factors for suicide. For instance, if a soldier has previously been in an alcohol and substance abuse program, recently suffered a tragic loss, and is experiencing financial troubles, a flag would alert commanders to make efforts to protect the soldier. The Army plans to have a permanent version in place within the next two years, and it will warn commanders of potential suicide risks among soldiers in their command on an ongoing basis, but will also let them search for possible risk factors for an individual service member.
Full Article: http://tinyurl.com/cmlfwzv
Article Source: Federal News Radio