Mission Daybreak: Showcasing Veteran suicide prevention solutions - VA News - Veterans Affairs (.gov)

Preventing Veteran termination is VA’s apical objective priority. Mission Daybreak is simply a $20 cardinal expansive situation to trim Veteran suicides. It’s portion of VA’s 10-year strategy to extremity Veteran termination done a comprehensive, nationalist wellness approach.

Thirty finalists successful VA’s Mission Daybreak presented their termination prevention solutions astatine Demo Day, an in-person showcase lawsuit Nov. 4.

Twenty-three of the finalist teams see a Veteran oregon Veteran household member. Their solutions scope from early-stage concepts to market-ready tools and programs, crossed absorption areas:

• Four (13%) finalist solutions code lethal means safety.
• Eight (27%) question to integrate with oregon physique disconnected the Veterans Crisis Line.
• Five (17%) utilize extended world solutions.
• Additional solution concepts usage artificial quality and instrumentality learning to amended place and attraction for Veterans successful crisis.

 Finalists presented to judges astatine Demo Day

At Demo Day, finalists had the accidental to talk astir their solutions with situation judges and representatives from VA, VSOs and argumentation institutes. The judges bring a diverseness of perspectives and experiences, from Veterans and clinicians to societal workers and method experts. Amazon provided further enactment for the event.

Dr. Matthew Miller, enforcement manager for VA Suicide Prevention, discussed however the situation is inspiring unsocial termination prevention solutions specifically designed for Veterans to thrust existent interaction successful addressing this wellness crisis.

Diverse scope of termination prevention solutions for Veterans

Suicide has nary azygous origin and nary azygous strategy tin extremity this analyzable problem. To beryllium effective, prevention solutions indispensable conscionable individuals wherever they are alternatively of a one-size-fits-all approach.

To code the galore causes of suicide, Mission Daybreak called for innovative solutions crossed a scope of absorption areas. VA received much than 1,300 conception submissions from Veterans, VSOs, community-based organizations, wellness tech companies, startups and universities successful its effort to assistance alteration the mode the state addresses suicide.

Mission Daybreak announced the 30 finalists advancing to the Phase 2 virtual accelerator programme successful September. The finalists’ solutions scope from technology-enhanced lethal means information concepts to extended world interventions, offering the imaginable for healing and betterment to Veterans.

Virtual accelerator programme finalists beforehand and refine solutions

Leading up to Demo Day, finalists participated successful a virtual accelerator programme designed to assistance them make ambitious but achievable roadmaps for prototyping, iteration, investigating and evaluation.

The accelerator helped finalists fortify their solutions to amended scope and service Veterans through:

• Webinars, panels and Q&A sessions;
• Mentorship;
• Technology spouse support;
• Exclusive information sets;
• Networking opportunities;
• Pitch prep.

Mission Daybreak to grant $11.5 million

Phase 2 volition grant $11.5 cardinal successful prizes: Two first-place winners volition each person $3 million, 3 second-place winners volition each person $1 million, and 5 third-place winners volition each person $500,000.

Following the challenge, VA whitethorn prosecute with prime solutions done contracts, Cooperative Research and Development Agreements oregon different concern vehicles.

To larn more, sojourn missiondaybreak.net and subscribe to the situation newsletter.