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Check A Vet - Veterans_ AI_ and the Fight for Better Care · Military Broadcast Radio | MBR Talk

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The station where our veterans voices are heard MBR talk.
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Hey, thanks. For tuning.
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In Welcome back are those of the speakers and do not necessarily
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reflect the views or positions of any entities they represent.
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Find. Us on the web at MB Radio.
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Dot US for your five beyond. Z wars in all lines and in all.
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Homes Together. All right, welcome back to Czech
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Event Nation. I'm turbo coming at you from the
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Czech Event Studio here in Helena, Mt.
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And with me today is Michael Carmichael, my my brother and
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this and the president of the of the Czech Event Organization
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from down in Murray, KY. How you doing, Michael?
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We're doing great, Turbo. Thanks for having me again.
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Oh, so glad to have you here with us, brother.
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So what if I told you that there's a system that can spot a
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suicide risk before a veteran ever says a word?
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But what would you think about? That Mike, it sounds like a
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great idea, right? Right.
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So the same technology that is recommending your next YouTube
1:08
video or flags fraud on your credit card is is now being used
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to detect veterans at risk of suicide months in advance.
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The V AS program, which is called Reach Vet, looks at
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health records, prescription changes, therapy attendance and
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patterns like missed appointments and increased ER
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visits the system and identifies risk factors that may go
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unnoticed. And the goal is pretty simple,
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early outreach, the VA contacts, the veteran, offers help before
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crisis hits. And that's partly what we need,
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proactive and not reactive healthcare.
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So there's a lot of ethical things involved in this.
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And we'll, we'll hit that in the third segment.
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But what's kind of your thoughts so far, Mike, on, on how do you
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feel about AI being used for for this kind of a purpose?
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It seems to me it's as necessary as having dash lights on your on
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your car. But I mean, there are things
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that you want to be heightened for situational awareness.
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So if they've thoughtfully gone through and identified some of
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these things that can help the team of VA employees around our
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veterans to do more or to do different or, you know, to, to
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get a check out to that veteran, I think it's it sounds great.
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Right. Yeah.
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I don't think there's really, I mean, yeah, I've got a lot of
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ethical concerns and privacy concerns, which we'll talk about
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here in a minute. But on the surface, like you
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said, if if they've done the background and if they put those
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safeties in place, I think it's actually pretty good.
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I'd much rather AI be useful to tell my health team, hey, this
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guy's missing some stuff, we need to reach out to him.
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And then what Netflix is telling me I need to watch next.
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You know, I could really care less about that.
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I had heard of something probably 3 or 4 years ago by one
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of the designers. The programmers who did it from
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it was, it was with a really big, you know, tech company had
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been contracted by the VA and what they were doing was
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digitizing your mental health status.
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I guess so that when you did call, if if you were in crisis
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and called 988 and then hit one or called in directly, a flash
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of your mental health synopsis would come up on the screen of
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the operator. I don't know exactly how it
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worked. I did not like the sound of that
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at all as I thought each call should be treated as an
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individual event and you know it it it.
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That system to me sounded like something that would make a an
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operator worried less about a 988 call rather than more.
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Does that make sense? Like he's just crying wolf again
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if that was the case. Yeah, yeah.
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Instead of them taking every, every call seriously, it's kind
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of like this guy's not being serious.
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He's already called in 10 times. Kind of a deal, exactly What if
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what if it's the 11th call that you know, you're still reaching
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out for help, the help's still not there.
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They're using this software in order to try to make things
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easier, steamingly people answering the calls, not not
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making them. Yeah.
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So I, I wasn't wild about that idea, but this, this kind of
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flips it on the script and and flips the script on it.
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And it's a lot of things that you talk about when you look at
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a suicide autopsy or what were the events that led to this
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person succumbing to their struggles with suicide and
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missing appointments? Yeah, I could see that it it
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sounds like somebody very thoughtfully put put some things
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together. And I I hope that it's helping
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so well. They've sighted a bit.
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I'm excited about the segment. Yeah, they, so they implemented
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this program back in 2017 and through my research, digging
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into this a little bit, it seems like they don't just because you
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missed a couple of appointments or you haven't been doing your
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prescriptions and stuff like that.
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Only .1% of the, the top at risk veterans are getting reached out
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to. And they do, they've done that
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because they realize that flag is not always accurate, you
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know, and they after the system flags you, it goes to a human
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care team and then that human care team decides whether to
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reach out or not, I guess based on, on relevant information.
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But so far it seems like they've only, they're only doing like
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the point .01 or .1 top of the top percentage of people that
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are flagged. I've still got, I'm still
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digging into this because it's a huge, huge subject, but it's,
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it's very interesting and you know, I know some of you guys.
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There and and why? Why is it only .1% if that's?
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Right, right, right. Exactly.
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And that's, that's what I got to dig into and find out more of.
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So one of the things that kind of wanted, wanted to make me do
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this episode today is because I find it very interesting that AI
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is being used in this manner. But at the same time, if they're
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only doing .1%, then is it really?
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I mean, one life is useful is yes, it's useful, but how many
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more? Yeah, that's kind of my
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question. And then why?
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I'm going to dig into this a lot more than what I already.
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Have and. You know what I know some people
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were probably thinking I don't want AI flagging me.
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And, and you know, we get it, privacy and trust is a huge
7:36
thing. But if this tech existed in the
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early days of OIF and OEF, hell, World War 2, Vietnam, Korea,
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Desert Storm, I don't have to name all of the conflicts, we
7:48
all know them, then we may have been able to save a lot more
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lives, may have saved a lot of relationships between veterans
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and their family members. I think it could be very useful.
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But like he was asking Mike, I want to, I want to dig in more
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and find out why it's only .001% or .1% I can't remember exactly.
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Yeah, well, what are some of the things that it looks for?
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Let's talk about. Let's see here which we're, we
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were going to get that into the next segment, but I'll, I'll
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just go ahead. So some of the things that it
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reaches, that it looks for is cancelled or miss health, mental
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health sessions, gaps in prescription refills, a spike in
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ER visits and lots of lots of contact with health providers,
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which are all red flags. And, you know, even even the
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smallest things like a declining satisfaction score in that
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survey you get from the VA after your appointments.
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And all of it paints a picture kind of like a signal in the in
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the radio stack, right? That there's an issue.
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The The system itself doesn't make a diagnosis, but it does
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alert healthcare professionals. Yeah, that you're withdrawing
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or, you know, purposefully or, you know, whether whether it's
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because you're suicidal or not, these are good indicators that
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something's going on for sure. Right, right.
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Like I said, it says that an alert to healthcare
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professionals, these alerts go to a care team that review the
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data and then they reach out. It's not an e-mail, it's not
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another survey, but an actual phone call from another human.
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Hey, just checking in to see how you've been.
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Now, the first call isn't always welcome.
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You know, a lot of guys in there and they're in there shit, they
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don't really want to talk, right?
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But for some, it breaks the cycle of silence.
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And it reminds them of somebody still sees them and somebody
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cares. And to me that that's what I
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like about this, this, this program is that it is going to
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reach out to these guys or help us reach out to these guys that
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I think nobody cares anymore. Do you know what that person or
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team looks like? Like my question would be, is
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this somebody who's already on their team, be it a social
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worker or their psychiatrist or psychologist?
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That seems like for continuity of care, which we often talk a
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lot about that person or that doctor or that social worker,
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you know, has a history with that veteran, you know, So gosh,
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I hope that it's it's one of those people reaching out or
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they're involved with it for sure.
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And honestly, I just assumed that it would have been your
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care team, but but that's a good question.
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Where is this processing center at?
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And do they forward it to your care team or is it somebody in
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the call center? That's a very good question.
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I'm. Going to I'm going to have to.
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To dig into that, because I'd like to know that answer myself,
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you know? But the one thing that the I
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want to most be clear about in all of this is we don't need
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computers to do this. You can be that voice.
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You can call your buddy, you can say the words.
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I don't need you to be OK right now.
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I just need you here. And that's kind of like what we
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say all the time here at Check a Bit.
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And it's why the nonprofit is called Check A Bit is it doesn't
11:36
have to be a doctor. It doesn't have to be a
11:39
psychiatrist. It can be.
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You just call on your buddy and you're saying, hey man, how's it
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going? For sure, but having having some
11:47
things, you know that are running on the back, you know
11:52
monitoring portion of our lives like you know to to let this AI
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program it to look for things that that that could be
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concerning. I, I think that it's pretty
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cool, actually. Oh.
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Yeah, I, I think. It is right.
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We, we don't, we don't need it, but it's, if it helps to keep us
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safer sounds pretty good to me. But you know, I, I'm open to,
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you know, the, the, the negative end of it.
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And, and that is if you look at intelligence and operations, you
12:33
know, Intel drives OPS, but the tighter security you have on
12:38
something, your operations are going to be affected because
12:43
everything becomes so classified or whatever.
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So put that into what we're talking about.
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If, if the collection of this information or if this AI is, is
12:56
too intrusive for what it's deemed value is, then you know,
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it needs to be adjusted. But how are we to know when we
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don't know? And it, it sounds like, you
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know, you read into the program, but still there's, there's
13:12
things about it that you don't know.
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Oh yeah, and I come across the study when I was doing all of
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this. I'm actually going to read read
13:22
tonight. So the program was implemented
13:24
in 2017. There was a study done in 2023
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that's got a lot, a lot of numbers and a lot of data that I
13:33
got to, I got to dig through, you know, when I found out about
13:39
this last night and I kind of just rushed to put something
13:42
together. I know I shouldn't, but I did.
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But I'm definitely going to do a follow up because I want, I want
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to look through that study and I want to see if any other studies
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have been done. Have they been like third party
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studies done by people other than the VA, like Operation Deep
13:58
Dive did with the suicide statistics?
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Yeah, go ahead and laugh, buddy. Oh, man.
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But say we're going to take a short little break and come
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back. And then I kind of want to get
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into the ethics of this just a little bit.
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And, you know, we'll see what everybody thinks.
14:20
That sounds great. All right.
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Love you. Daddy love you too, girls.
17:45
All right, welcome back to Czech Event Nation.
17:47
We're going to continue on the ethics of this AI driven model
17:49
with the VA. This this whole AI driven
17:54
suicide prevention thing. It's not all warm fuzzies and
17:57
digital hugs. There are big questions.
18:00
Who owns your data? Who gets to decide you're at
18:02
risk? What if you're flagged and you
18:04
never gave consent? These questions hit a little
18:07
different when you've worn the uniform.
18:10
We've already given up enough privacy and we've lived under
18:13
surveillance. So this this feels closer to
18:15
home for for me anyway. So let's let's break it down a
18:20
little bit. One Pro is early intervention,
18:24
which we've talked about that a second ago.
18:29
Early intervention reduced suicide rate and vets contacted
18:32
before a crisis peaks. But a con of this is lack of
18:36
transparency, privacy concerns and the fear of being labeled.
18:40
What about the potential impacts for those that are still
18:42
serving? Some vets worry that this will
18:45
be used against them, especially those that are still in or those
18:49
that are trying to get a job and fear that this flag record may
18:52
follow them. This tech needs safeguards and
18:55
we need to lead the conversation.
18:57
Not tech companies, not politicians, us.
19:01
And this is where community comes in.
19:03
Tech may flag someone, but the follow up has to be human and it
19:06
has to be meaningful. And this is what I believe.
19:10
No algorithm will replace the gut feeling when my brother's
19:13
voice sounds off when my sister's text, I'm fine and I
19:17
know she's not. So we've got to use the tools
19:19
and use the tech, but just don't forget that we are the frontline
19:23
in this fight. That's right.
19:26
We need to let the tech enhance what we are doing individually,
19:32
you know? Right, exactly.
19:37
I mean, I think tech is a great thing, but with tech and we've
19:45
seen it in all kind of things, especially with the whole AI
19:48
buzz right now with art. Who's it replacing?
19:54
What jobs are going to be lost due to this kind of stuff?
19:57
What kind of what kind of firewalls are in place for, for
20:02
these for these networks? What's the security standards?
20:07
Is this going to be a huge HIPAA violation coming there?
20:11
There's there's. So many, you can imagine the
20:13
HIPAA impacts of, of this, you know, who's included in the
20:19
sharing and the analysis and the data collection who like like,
20:25
wow, that could be an awful lot. It sounds like it's an awful lot
20:29
from the things that you're saying.
20:31
Right. I mean, if I'm not mistaken,
20:35
didn't I? I just read this morning that
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Microsoft had a huge breach. So So who's controlling these
20:44
data centers? And and I mean, they're they're
20:48
worried about TikTok and TikTok and China stealing all all of
20:53
our kids information and all of our information.
20:55
But what about this kind of stuff?
20:56
You. Know Microsoft was the big tech
21:00
company I was talking about earlier contracted by the VA to
21:07
provide that synopsis of your your mental health history.
21:13
So, yeah, I mean, it's out there.
21:16
And how do we, how do we keep it secure?
21:18
But I guess before you worry about security, who gets to pick
21:25
and choose what they're looking at, right?
21:30
Because that in that in of itself seems like where a lot of
21:35
the power information is power. So that's where a lot of the
21:39
information and power are coming from.
21:43
Who who's got the the say so in what they're looking?
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Do we have PhDs doing this or do we have a multi billion dollar
21:55
tech company owner making these calls?
21:59
You know, that's the $1,000,000 question, right?
22:06
You know, and one thing I, I have guys tell me a lot is they
22:10
don't want to go to the VA and they don't want to be seen for,
22:14
for anything, but especially PTSD because they all fear that
22:20
they're going to get their guns taken from them.
22:23
So, and the only way that happens by the way, guys is, is
22:26
if you're deemed unfit to, what's that term?
22:33
Pretty much if you can't take care of yourself, if you can't
22:35
take care of your bills and all of that stuff, that's when that
22:38
kind of a situation comes into play.
22:40
But if you're like me and Michael and you're living your
22:42
everyday life and everything's fine, they're not coming do.
22:46
You know anybody that they've taken guns away from?
22:50
Not no, I don't, I don't, I know that the VA has just started.
22:56
I don't want to say just started, but there's a pilot
22:59
program, at least here in Montana, where if a veteran
23:04
feels like they are in a bad spot and they and they want
23:09
their weapons out of their house, then they are allowed to
23:13
go to these locations, hand their weapons over.
23:16
They're locked into a safe. And then when that veteran is
23:20
ready, they can come back and get them.
23:22
There is no, you know, being signed off by a judge or none of
23:25
that kind of crap. It's what the veteran feels.
23:28
If they want them out of the house, there's a place they can
23:31
storm and then when they're ready to get them back, they can
23:33
go get them back. Now, as far as I, I don't know
23:37
anybody personally that has had their weapons taken from the VA,
23:40
but I just know that that's a major concern with a lot of
23:42
guys, especially here in Montana and even in Kentucky.
23:44
I'm sure, yeah, Anywhere, anywhere.
23:47
You know, that's a heck of a thing to worry about.
23:52
And gosh, it seems like it's the biggest thing that a lot of us
23:56
worry about or the first thing that we the first concern that
24:00
we talk about, Right? No, but, but maybe that
24:06
problem's a lot smaller than we think because I, I, I don't
24:11
know. I mean, I know some really
24:14
stressed out veterans. I'm sure you do too.
24:16
Maybe some that should have their guns taken away from them
24:19
as, as in crisis as they are. But I can't say that I've known
24:26
one person, known 1 veteran to get their guns taken away from
24:30
them. Yeah, I can't.
24:33
I don't. I I haven't even from a friend
24:36
of a friend. I haven't even heard any stories
24:38
like that. You know you.
24:41
Know somebody watching, if somebody watching has, you know,
24:46
know somebody like this, maybe reach out to
24:50
info@checkofthat.org and that could be something, you know, we
24:55
could have an episode about. Oh absolutely.
24:58
If there is somebody that's happened to, I'd love to talk to
25:01
them about it. Yeah, what does that actually
25:03
look like? So.
25:04
Yeah, because from the research, because I was worried about
25:07
that. So I did a little bit of
25:09
research on it. And from what I have gathered,
25:13
the only time the VA steps in like that is, God, I can't think
25:18
of the term that they use, but essentially it's when you can't
25:23
take care of yourself at all. Like you can't take care of
25:26
yourself, period. That's when they step in with
25:30
that kind of stuff. They don't.
25:32
Just because you have PTSD doesn't mean you can't own a
25:35
firearm there. There is nothing that I've seen
25:38
that says that anywhere. And I mean, my gun stays right
25:42
behind me. It's but actually that brings
25:47
up, I actually do. Do you know, Mike, when you fill
25:51
out the the the background check information to purchase a new
25:57
firearm, there is a section on there about mental health.
26:00
Do do, do you know what happens when if you check?
26:04
Yes. I think if you check yes to
26:07
pretty much any of that, you ain't getting a gun right?
26:12
And you know, but what is it asking you like domestic, do you
26:22
have a domestic charge against you?
26:26
Is there anything pending? Have you ever been found guilty
26:30
of domestic violence? It's been a minute.
26:36
But as as far as it, it may ask if if a doctor has ever ruled
26:45
you unfit to own a firearm, I don't know.
26:50
I don't know. I'm actually, I know a couple of
26:53
guys here that have an FFL and I'm going to reach out and see
26:59
if I can get an answer to that because I'd like to know.
27:03
I can't remember exactly what the question is, but I do know
27:06
there's a question on there about mental health.
27:10
Now a secondary part of that question would be, OK, yes, I
27:16
have been seen from mental health, but I have not been in a
27:20
inpatient program or an outpatient program.
27:22
So how does that change things? Right.
27:25
Somebody's got to rule you or deem you at risk, right of
27:31
homicide. Or suicide, right, right.
27:34
That's, I mean, I'm going to reach out to some guys and see
27:37
if I can get some. The best thing that's something
27:40
I've been asked before and I didn't know how to answer it.
27:42
So I'm going to reach out to a couple guys and see if I can
27:44
actually figure that out. But real quick, we're going to
27:49
take another short break and when we come back, we're going
27:52
to shift gears to community care and why more vets are skipping
27:56
the VA and going to private providers and is it working?
28:00
And also some things that check a vet and other organizations
28:03
like 22 zero are are doing to to help out this entire process.
28:09
See you. All right, welcome back.
31:25
Let's talk a little bit about freedom.
31:27
And I'm not talking about the freedom that we enjoy here in
31:29
the US. I'm talking about medical
31:31
freedom. Right now, the VA is expanding
31:34
something big, and that's community care.
31:37
It means you don't have to wait for a VA psychiatrist if you can
31:40
see one across town. You don't have to travel 3 hours
31:43
for a specialist. There's one down the street.
31:45
And best of all, you don't have to fight for approval anymore.
31:50
Veterans can now access outside providers without jumping
31:53
through all the hoops. This is especially huge for
31:56
those in rural areas where a VIA facility could be hours away,
32:00
just like here in Montana. You know, if you live up in
32:02
Haver, you're just where is the what?
32:05
Great Falls, probably. You.
32:08
Know a good hour and a half? Two hours. 2 1/2 hours from
32:11
Hammer I think. Yeah, but here's the catch with
32:15
that. Non VA doctors don't always
32:18
understand us. They might not get what combat
32:22
trauma looks like. And remember guys, it doesn't
32:24
have to be just combat trauma. You also had MTS, military
32:28
sexual trauma, as well as other things.
32:30
It's not just combat related. And they may not know how to
32:34
navigate the VA system when billing, reporting or
32:37
prescribing. And that is something I've heard
32:39
some complaints about. While this program is a step in
32:43
the right direction, it's not a perfect fit.
32:46
And I've heard stories both ways.
32:48
That's getting amazing care and being heard and finally getting
32:51
some fast help and then others being super frustrated and lost
32:55
in red tape. But Bill is piling up and
32:57
confused for providers. And that's why your story is
33:02
matter. If you've used Community Care, I
33:05
want to hear from you. Shoot us a message
33:07
info@checkevent.org and let us know if it worked or if it
33:10
didn't. We're not just telling stories.
33:13
We're trying to build a movement and get this information out.
33:17
Like I, I've used community care here in Helena for my vision and
33:21
for me it was a no brainer. It was in and out.
33:25
I got my, I called my primary said hey, I need a vision
33:28
appointment. They got my referral and I was,
33:31
I was in in two weeks. I didn't have any issues with
33:34
billing or none of that stuff. Now on the flip side of that,
33:39
not with VA community care, I have had issues with Champ VA,
33:45
which is the the health care for my family.
33:50
My son is almost a year old and we still don't have health
33:57
insurance coverage on him. I got Bill's piling up like mad
34:00
because of how Champ VA is. This process with Champ VA is a
34:04
real pain. He's 898, 8-9 months old and
34:11
still does not have coverage yet, but bills are piling up.
34:14
I mean, you know how that goes, Mike with a newborn.
34:19
So. While Champ VA is great, they I
34:24
don't know if they need more employees, I don't know what
34:26
they need, but the backlog to get through is, is ridiculous.
34:32
But we're not really talking about that.
34:34
We're talking about community care.
34:36
And so far I've had good results with it.
34:39
I've had I've had good and bad results with it.
34:44
The most important thing for me is the veterans who are
34:50
receiving their care from the VA.
34:54
If you don't, if you're not happy with your care and your
34:56
care is stressing you out, you need to be responsible and tell
35:00
your doctors that you want another doctor, whether that
35:04
other doctors, community care and and this is how I kind of
35:09
got put on the community care path.
35:12
I wasn't happy with some of the healthcare that I was receiving
35:16
from the VA. So they were going to do me a
35:21
favor and you know, find me care right here where I live in
35:26
Murray, KY. And man, when I went to that
35:32
care facility, it was pretty rough.
35:36
Mike, I'm telling you, I, you know, I got a pretty high
35:41
tolerance for BS and, and situations and stuff.
35:46
I honestly didn't feel very safe even showing up where they had
35:49
sent me to get care. And this is my alternative.
35:53
So I quickly bowed out of that and use the telehealth visits
36:02
predominantly with the VA and that that's worked out very well
36:07
over the last few years. So one, know that there's other
36:12
options and and how to access them.
36:15
But two, if you do go community care, I wish I had asked upfront
36:23
for a list of the providers. I'm sure that they gave me one.
36:27
It's not like it's a secret, but I should have done more research
36:32
and looking into those care facilities than than I had done
36:38
because when I went to get care at at these facilities, I didn't
36:43
like them at all. Just seemed completely sketchy.
36:48
What was your experience like? Or do you experience beyond your
36:52
vision? Other than vision, no, because
36:55
everything's been telehealth, you know, and, and I'm a huge
36:59
fan of telehealth. I freaking love that.
37:01
I, I love being able to speak with my psychiatrist or my, my
37:04
sleep doctor or pain management or whoever, without having to go
37:08
into an office and sit there for an hour.
37:09
I, I love just picking up my phone and having a, having a
37:14
video chat with them. It keeps me from having to take
37:19
time off of work to go sit up at the clinic for an hour and wait.
37:23
So that's what I like about it. Cuts down on travel, cuts down
37:28
on, cuts down on a lot of a lot of red, not necessarily red
37:31
tape, but a lot of BS. You know, I think it's not as.
37:35
Isolated as as a lot of veterans in Montana are, but I'm right on
37:39
on the scene from Marion, IL and Nashville, TN and I prefer to go
37:44
to Nashville but either way you know if if Nashville's still in.
37:49
What an hour and a half from you.
37:51
It's two hours away by the time you make it downtown to where
37:55
the facilities are. Yeah, it's two hours away.
37:58
So that's two hours traffic frustration, parking, finding
38:04
where you parked, getting out of there and then you're in the,
38:08
you know, Nashville or Marion. Marion isn't so bad, just
38:13
parking lot of cars at the end of the day trying to get out of
38:16
there. So I'm.
38:17
Trying trying to mess with 155 Briley that's.
38:21
Yeah, I I too prefer the telehealth, but you know, once
38:27
in a while they they still need to see you in person.
38:31
You know, I think it's once a year or something They.
38:34
Just yeah, your your annuals or your primary care annuals or
38:38
once. They're in.
38:39
Person, I just did mine today actually.
38:41
And I'm telling you, ever since I've started going to the VA,
38:48
every year it's it's somebody different.
38:51
And that's one gripe I have about it is, is every time I go
38:54
in for my annual, it's a different.
38:57
It hasn't been a doctor, it's always been a nurse practitioner
39:00
and every year somebody different so.
39:04
My name is also a nurse, nurse practitioner, but she's amazing.
39:09
And I've, I've had the same one now for three years.
39:12
And I, I think that I'm, I'm blessed with my care and my care
39:16
team right now for sure. That's great, but the the only
39:20
person that's remained consistent in my VA care would
39:24
be I'm not even sure what her title is all all.
39:30
All I know is that she's the one that I have to call once a month
39:35
to get a re up on on some of my meds.
39:38
But she's been consistent throughout the entire time
39:41
because I got, I got to call in once a month to get Adderall and
39:47
some other stuff and I got to report blood pressure and stuff
39:49
like that. She's and she's in billing,
39:52
she's not even in Helena, but I've got to call and, and talk
39:56
to her once a month and she's the only one that's been
39:57
consistent. She's kind of like a she works
40:01
in mental health but I'm not exactly sure what her role is
40:04
because all I do is just have a 5 minute conversation with her
40:07
say hey I need more meds. Right.
40:09
And I think that that's a federal requirement that you're
40:12
seeing like every month. And it was, I believe it was the
40:17
result legislation that resulted from the the opioid challenges
40:25
and stuff like that. Right, right.
40:28
And you know, that that used to be a really painful and
40:34
stressful deal with me because in my prior life, I was never
40:39
home. So making that phone call and
40:43
then I able to get those meds when I was home before I left
40:48
again in 2 days to be gone for two months was very, very
40:51
stressful. So sometimes it was pain and,
40:56
and they won't let you get more than than a month at a time.
40:59
It's, it's kind of a pain. I understand it in a, in a way,
41:03
but at the same time, I don't because it's very simple.
41:07
Give me a drug test. If it's there, you know I'm
41:10
taking it, not selling it. They they should know the levels
41:15
that that it should metabolize in your system, right?
41:20
But you know, circling back to what we're talking about here
41:22
today, is that one of the data points that they're they're
41:26
using and I think you said, you know, prescriptions that haven't
41:30
been refilled is one of the data points.
41:35
So, yeah, there's a lot, there's a lot to consider with today's
41:43
show and, and how these early warning systems are built maybe
41:50
over the last 6-7 years. You know, you, you said that,
41:54
that you found the study and you want to put that in front of you
41:57
and, and really look at it. Just looking at all the
42:02
different data points would be really interesting to to see
42:06
what they deem is is indicative you know?
42:11
Right, right. Well, I'm worried.
42:12
I I want to learn more about that.
42:15
Why the point 1%? That's that's very intriguing to
42:20
me. And why was where'd that number
42:23
come from? Those are the ones that are
42:25
being reached out to. What was it about those
42:27
particular cases that was OK? This is a legit red flag.
42:33
We need to talk to them. What about the other 99.9?
42:38
Right. I'm just is a the number they
42:42
pulled out of thin air, which we know it's not, but I just, I
42:47
don't understand why and and I want to dig into it and figure
42:50
out. And if you're interested, I'll
42:52
send you the link to that to that study so you can look.
42:56
At that, maybe it's in the programming thresholds, you
42:59
know, when, when they do meet the level of concern required to
43:07
stop, stop the pattern of health and the pattern of care that
43:11
veterans have with their providers and reach out saying,
43:15
hey, you know, we're, we're seeing some stuff, you know,
43:19
that makes us concerned for your suicidality.
43:23
You know, that's really interesting.
43:27
Yeah, I had. I've only had the VA reach out
43:33
to me once to and that was back when I was on the road because I
43:38
was missing stuff left and right because I was, I was never home.
43:42
So they actually did reach out to me one time to make sure
43:44
everything was good. And at the time I didn't think
43:49
anything of it. But now that we're going through
43:51
through this conversation, like I wonder if I popped up on that,
43:55
you know, because, because I had missed appointments and I, I
43:58
wasn't getting medication refills because I wasn't home.
44:02
So, so I wonder if that's what what happened there or if it was
44:05
just a a concerned doc reach because it was my healthcare
44:08
team or it was just concerned doc saying, Hey, what's going
44:11
on? You know, I'm, I'm kind of
44:13
curious. I mean, I'll never find that
44:14
out, but kind of kind of curious if I popped up on that or if it
44:18
was just a one of my team members, who knows.
44:24
But real quick, so Jamie Crosby made a comment on Facebook and
44:28
he said thanks for all you do for all of us, Chief.
44:30
So I'm pretty sure he's talking about you there, Mike.
44:33
Yeah, Jamie's been a friend through the NASCAR circuit.
44:38
He is actually in charge of his EMS department down in Augusta,
44:45
GA And him and his beautiful wife always, you know, stop in
44:51
to say hi. But easily recognizable name for
44:55
me, So yeah. Awesome, awesome, good old
45:00
Augusta, GA. That's about an hour and a half.
45:03
Hell, even if it's an hour and a half from where I grew up.
45:08
But we're going to take our final break here and then we'll
45:10
get back. We'll talk about about Czech of
45:13
that and team room and how we how we're trying to tie all of
45:16
this into helping with some of the areas that I don't want to
45:23
say the VA is necessary necessarily lacking, but we're
45:27
trying to pick up the slack on how how would you put that the
45:33
areas that they don't really really go after, which is just
45:37
meaningful, meaningful and consistent engagement with other
45:41
veterans. Right routine and meaningful.
45:46
That's right. That's right.
45:49
All right. Well, we'll be right back.
50:26
Well, I kind of fat fingered that one.
50:28
I'm not even sure if that's still a thing anymore.
50:31
Hopefully it did. It seems like they did good
50:32
stuff, so I apologize. Yeah, as soon as I started
50:39
playing, I'm like, oh wow. I don't even know if they're
50:41
still around. Hopefully they are.
50:44
I've talked with with H Train about that.
50:48
But anyways, so this last little bit we're going to talk about
50:53
about Czech event team room and how we're trying to bring
50:55
together veteran communities, just have conversations once a
50:59
week, once a month, build camaraderie with our local,
51:03
local guys. Kind of want to lead off on
51:05
that, Mike. Yeah.
51:06
I mean, what's a model to to help people who were actively
51:13
struggling and, and, or have struggled?
51:16
And I think that, you know, the base model for team room was,
51:23
you know, looking at how alcoholic anonymous and even Al
51:27
Anon conduct business to be there meaningfully and routinely
51:32
for their people. So it's, it's, it's having those
51:36
routine meetings and having that, that tribe, if you will,
51:44
of, of people who come as you are and everybody's welcome.
51:50
And, you know, surrounding yourself with people who know
51:56
what your normal is is important for us.
52:00
So that's what we're trying to do.
52:02
Absolutely. And we're working on the
52:06
documentation now, but we're looking for guys and girls all
52:12
over the country that's interesting in doing something
52:14
like this. And if you are, then reach out
52:18
to us and we'll make it happen. Cactus should be having that
52:23
that publication finished up pretty soon so we can send out
52:26
to these team leads and try to try to get this thing going.
52:32
He's he's been working on it. In fact, we had a phone call
52:36
over the weekend about some of the things that he's going to
52:40
adjust fire on with regards to how and to whom we market it to.
52:47
So he's definitely got his thinking cap on and he's trying
52:52
new things. I, I love, I love it that when
52:58
he set out to do it, he said, OK, we, we have this tentative
53:01
program now let's break it. And in breaking it, like we want
53:08
to break it enough times that we can make it more durable so that
53:14
as we do hand this out to strangers with good intentions
53:19
and huge hearts that it's easier for them to execute.
53:23
So that is the phase that we're in with team room right now.
53:28
And, and we're we're breaking it and we're trying to find new and
53:32
easier ways to get people to assemble and to be a part of the
53:36
group. That's awesome.
53:38
Yeah, we definitely, definitely want a stress test it and make
53:41
sure everything is good to go just simply because it's
53:43
something we want to be around. We don't want it to be a a look
53:49
in the mirror. We want it to be permanent.
53:52
Yeah, that's right. Alcoholics Anonymous has been
53:54
around since the 1930s. Yeah, it's going on 100 years.
53:59
Yeah. So there you go.
54:01
So I was talking about some other things we've been, we've
54:05
been going on outside of the NASCAR events that we go to and
54:09
even the Trump show that we did this year.
54:13
We've actually got some pretty cool stuff that seems to be
54:16
lining up, like Tia Tia's been working on some stuff that seems
54:21
pretty exciting with with Goatlocker racing.
54:26
And I know we're going to be doing what is it?
54:29
We're going to Bristol again this year, aren't we?
54:32
Yeah, for the night race coming up in September, the bass pro
54:37
shops night race and then the final race we'll do this year is
54:42
in Charlotte and that's the Rowville 401 of my favorite
54:47
races because that's one of the races where NASCAR turns right.
54:53
So they set up a track inside of Charlotte Motor Speedway that is
55:00
I would say 80% Rd. Course and 20% the use of the
55:08
Oval so. OK, OK.
55:10
Yeah, that that'd be a fun one to watch for sure.
55:14
Yeah. I heard they're doing Chicago
55:15
next year. What's that?
55:18
I saw that they were doing away with Chicago, I think next year,
55:21
and then thought I'll bring it back in 27.
55:24
I don't know, no. That's all very, very big
55:27
business. And it it, as I asked NASCAR,
55:31
you know, because there's a Speedway right here in Kentucky
55:33
that they used to race at the Cup Series races.
55:37
And it seems like a tremendous waste to be sitting there and
55:43
not using it for its intended purpose.
55:48
But, you know, it's it's really about which of these tracks can
55:53
sell out, you know? Yeah.
55:56
But it's like Nashville Motor Speedway, you know it.
55:58
It's sat empty for years and they finally decided to bring it
56:00
back. Right.
56:03
So it's, it's huge business, but I'm glad that we're in in one
56:08
form or another, kind of partnered with them when we go
56:10
to these events to get to talk to a lot of vets, share, share
56:13
the mission with these guys and, and hear their, their stories.
56:17
So it's one of my favorite, favorite things to do is go out
56:20
and, and talk to these other guys and, and women.
56:26
I don't even, I don't even think I don't, I haven't even tracked
56:30
that SAT tracks out of any of the events we went to because
56:33
I'm too busy talking with guys. Right.
56:37
For us, it's not so much about the race, like we can't wait for
56:41
the race to start so we can get a little emotional break.
56:44
That's right, go go back to the camera.
56:46
And go to sleep what we're. Doing yeah, for sure.
56:51
But but all right, so we're coming up on the end of the
56:54
hour. You guys can always find us on
56:57
Facebook, Instagram, TikTok. They Czech event 365 is pretty
57:03
much our handle everywhere. If you like what we're doing, do
57:07
us a solid like the video share the video, somebody you think
57:11
will get some value out of it and subscribe.
57:13
We really appreciate it. Czech event isn't a motto, it's
57:17
a mission. Respect, honor and support.
57:21
Until next time I'm turbo stay stay, stay safe, say loud and
57:27
don't stay silent. And as always, Czech event.
57:31
I love it. Thank you so much.
57:33
Thanks, Mike. Great talking to you, Mike.
57:34
We'll see you next time. Yes, Sir.
57:39
Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for tuning in to Military
57:44
Broadcast Radio. As we wrap up today's show, we
57:48
want to remind you that the podcast of today's episode will
57:52
be available right after we go off the air.
57:56
So if you missed any part of the show or want to listen again, be
58:01
sure to check it out. And remember, we're here to
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58:11
matter, and we are committed to giving you a platform to share
58:15
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