VA suicide prevention staff face burnout as workload rises, watchdog warns
Leo Shane III
As demand for mental health services and suicide prevention programs increases within Veterans Affairs offices, staffers there may be at risk of exhaustion and burnout if changes aren’t made to better track and manage those employees, an outside watchdog warned Monday.
In a new report, the Government Accountability Office said that department leaders have not done a thorough enough review of VA suicide prevention teams’ staffing, workloads and challenges. Without that, they cautioned, leaders do not have enough visibility over operations to ensure new prevention programs are being implemented properly.
“One team said they have experienced burnout and turnover in the team due to the ‘constant deluge’ of new initiatives, combined with their large caseload of high-risk veterans,†the report stated.
https://www.militarytimes.com/veterans/2021/04/05/va-suicide-prevention-staff-face-burnout-as-workload-rises-watchdog-warns/
