During the screening of a scheduled Veteran, Ms. Evans heard the Veteran state that they should just go home and kill themselves. Ms. Evans quickly went into action completing the suicide screening template and notifying mental health for assistance and guidance. When she received the instructions to take the Veteran to the ED, the Veteran changed his story and did not want to be taken to the ED. He promised that he would not hurt himself. Ms. Evans attempted to get the Veteran to understand that it was for his safety, and that he needed to be assessed, but he would not budge.

Ms. Evans was able to coach the Veteran to walk with her to get assistance from other staff. While getting assistance Ms. Evans was able to sit with the Veteran, explain why we could not let him go home, and keep him calm. Several times during the incident the Veteran would try to get up to leave but Ms. Evans remained calm and was able to redirect the Veteran. Eventually, the Veteran agreed to go to the ED for assessment. Without the assistance/persistence of Ms. Evans the Veteran would have left the VA without getting a complete mental health assessment. Her attention to detail and making sure that the Veteran was the center of care facilitated a safe transition of the Veteran to a higher level of care.