BTM25- Adapting to a Changing Veteran Support Landscape
Show Summary
On this episode of Behind the Mission, PsychArmor Board Member and Director of Veteran and Military Family Engagement at Cerner, joins the show to discuss adapting to the changes in military and veteran support, data, technology, and support for women veterans.
About Today’s Guest
Danielle Applegate is the Director of Veteran and Military Family Engagement for Cerner Government Services. Prior to joining Cerner, she served as the Vice President of VetsFirst at the United Spinal Association, a VA-certified Veteran Service Organization. She was the first National Outreach Coordinator for the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Center for Women Veterans, where she created and led groundbreaking women Veteran initiatives and nationwide VA programming. Ms. Applegate also founded Applegate Solutions, a successful Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned, Woman Owned Small Business that provided management consulting and subject matter expertise to an array of clients including the Departments of Commerce, Defense, Homeland Security, and Veterans Affairs, as well as private and nonprofit organizations.
A fourth-generation Veteran with dual-military parents, Danielle enlisted at the ripe old age of 17 in the United States Army and served for five years; her duty included a tour in Korea. Due to service-connected injuries, she left active duty and utilized Vocational Rehabilitation services and the Montgomery GI Bill to complete a Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources and Business Administration, a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Massachusetts, and a certificate from Georgetown University in Nonprofit Executive Management. As a distinguished military and Veteran community subject matter expert and advocate, she has served on the Advisory Council for Final Salute, on the Women Joining Forces Council for Business and Professional Women’s Foundation, the American Legion’s Small Business Council, and the Camp Lejeune Community Action Panel. A self-professed data nerd who enjoys absorbing as much information as possible, she resides in Alexandria, VA where she is currently being raised by a son and daughter who are convinced that they know it all.
PsychArmor Resource of the Week
The PsychArmor resource for this week is resource of the week is PsychArmor’s S.A.V.E. training. This course was developed in collaboration with the Department of Veterans Affairs and is presented by Dr. Megan McCarthy, Deputy Director, Suicide Prevention. You will develop a general understanding of the problem of suicide in the United States; understand how to identify a Veteran who may be at risk for suicide; and, finally, know what to do if you identify a Veteran at risk. Each of us has the opportunity to be that one person who makes a difference--the person who asks the question that can save a Veteran's life, or the life of anyone struggling with the thoughts of suicide. Using the simple steps of S.A.V.E., we can all make a difference. You can find the course at https://learn.psycharmor.org/courses/va-save-preventing-caregiver-suicide
Theme Music
Our theme music Don’t Kill the Messenger was written and performed by Navy Veteran Jerry Maniscalco, in cooperation with Operation Encore, a non profit committed to supporting singer/songwriter and musicians across the military and Veteran communities.
This Episode Sponsored By:
This episode is sponsored by PsychArmor, the premier education and learning ecosystem specializing in military culture content. PsychArmor offers an online e-learning laboratory with custom training options for organizations.
Producer and Host Duane France is a retired Army Noncommissioned Officer, combat veteran, and clinical mental health counselor for service members, veterans, and their families. You can find more about the work that he is doing at www.veteranmentalhealth.com