Heros Story Project

In 2023, the VA’s Mission Daybreak launched Televeda’s “Hero’s Story Project” (HSP). The HSP is a comprehensive suicide prevention program tailored for Native American Veterans incorporating traditional healing practices, such as talking circles and storytelling, in an evidence-based Peer Support (PS) modality. The HSP innovation is comprised of (a) “Virtual Talking Circles” (VTC) web application and (b) “HSP Storytelling Curriculum”, a narrative therapy PS framework. Overall, the HSP is a novel re-imagining of peer support in a culturally competent way to aid with building trust and, ultimately, aims to foster peer collaboration that improves social connectedness and resource navigation via engaged journeys. Televeda shall use the Hero’s Story model to expand culturally relevant peer support (Virtual Talking Circles) by targeting minority Veteran sub-populations with personalized resource journeys, prioritizing AI/AN (with Women/Military Sexual Trauma (MST) and rural intersection). HSP Sessions can be hosted in person, virtually or hybrid. The data corroborates that Veterans are also more likely to first engage with peer or support groups before a therapist. Once they’re comfortable in a peer setting. Veterans may express vulnerable social needs and Televeda will then leverage the personalized Journeys with peer support interactions to build a trusting environment to connect participants with needed resources. This proposed work will focus on the expansion of the HSP solution to additional partners and locations as well as a more robust evaluation of HSP, including associated Virtual Talking Circles and low-tech connection to resources.

Honoring Native traditions, Televeda proposes to design “resource journeys” that build direct ties between AIANV and the VA that helps engagement, trust-building and connecting Veterans to protective resources. This storytelling-approach fosters individual motivation and a sense of purpose for Veterans users. At the same time, the platform encourages Veterans to contribute to the community by supporting their family. Resource journeys will contribute to the transmission of important cultural knowledge and experiences that are beneficial for both the community and the VA.

While each Veteran subpopulation is unique, key issues – Trust, Access, Isolation – are exacerbated for AIANV. Through research it has been determined that the AIANV community rarely engages with the VA due to historical mistrust. Access to care for the AIAV community is fraught by transportation and physical challenges with no culturally appropriate resources, and social isolation is lethal on the reservation. The HSP builds pathways to trust, increases access to care, and facilitates the delivery of traditional healing through a culturally competent and accessible interface. Suicide prevention is addressed in an upstream approach by fostering resilience, social connectedness and community healing. This platform is designed to lower social isolation and promote overall well-being by facilitating meaningful connections. Televeda aims to address the complex contributing factors to suicide for AIANV by matching them with essential health-related social needs (protective factors), and reducing the risk of suicidal ideation.

This project fulfills the objective of developing a targeted solution for veteran subpopulations. There is a need for a tailored lens to focus on the top priority specialty population, American Indian (AI) and American Native (AN), which have the highest rate of suicide, and that intersects with women Veterans (overwhelming feedback and community respect for women-only sessions) which is the fastest growing demographic afflicted by suicide. This project increases understanding of Veteran subpopulations and develops a unique service delivery model for specialty populations.

Phase 1 and Phase 2 will include development of formal partnerships with additional VSOs and tribal organizations via Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) between Contractor and those partners.

Testing will occur, across both phases, in two states, Arizona and New Mexico. Initiation of Phase 2 is dependent on satisfactory performance in Phase 1.