Recently, the Behavioral Health (BH) Pulse was nominated for and awarded the 2023 FedHealth Information Technology Disruptive Tech Program and Change Agent Award.
The FedHealth Information Technology Disruptive Tech Program and Change Agent Award recognizes federal IT and consulting leaders and programs from both industry and government.
The BH Pulse is a survey tool that behavioral health officers use to provide commanders with an assessment of behavioral health stressors across their formations, helping commanders to better understand risk factors in their units and to develop a plan for intervention.
The BH Pulse survey facilitates the analysis of behavioral health, work environment, social relationships, deployments, sexual harassment and sexual assault, interpersonal violence and other behaviors, such as sleep, alcohol use and unsafe driving. Information gathered from the BH Pulse is used to improve communication, recommend appropriate interventions, target prevention activities, develop risk-reduction strategies and monitor progress of improvement actions. The BH Pulse is one of the two award winners from the U.S. Army.
“We know that knowledge allows action; by giving Soldiers and Family members awareness, we are allowing them to understand and target their needs,” says Maj. Oscar Gonzalez, ARD research psychologist.
According to the Change Agent Award panel, the BH Pulse greatly increases acceptance/response rates, improves efficiency and collection of data and delivers timely information to Army’s senior leadership, providing actionable data to improve the lives of their Soldiers.
“Receiving this award reflects work of the past and current teams. This has been years in the making, and it signals that we are on the right path to facilitating Soldiers’ readiness, resilience and performance. This award motivates the current team to continue working on this program,” Gonzalez says.
As the BH Pulse continues to be developed into a comprehensive program and gains momentum, it has a positive impact in the lives of our Soldiers and Family members.
“Regardless of this award, the BH Pulse receives routine examination; we ensure that it functions as intended and that its properties are strong and reliable,” Gonzalez says. “In addition, the current development strategy for the BH Pulse is to make it a comprehensive system that goes beyond assessment. In other words, we aim to further facilitate action by linking to resources and leading to change or facilitating change.”
All winning individuals and programs were celebrated at the FedHealth Information Technology Disruptive Tech Summit, April 12, at the Hyatt Regency Tysons Corner Center.
“This is a team effort, and it takes a lot of people that are knowledgeable and motivated to make this program a success. We are fortunate to have a great team supporting this effort,” Gonzalez says.
Social Sharing