Dr. Indra Sandal, a member of the Be the One advisory council, is leading efforts to create innovative solutions to reduce the number of veterans lost to suicide.
Dr. Indra Sandal, a veteran of the Indian Air Force, came to the United States for her post-doctoral work. She pivoted from becoming a professor to serving veterans as an employee of VA where she is now the Chief of Innovation at the James A. Haley Veterans Hospital in Tampa, Fla.
“In the back of my mind it was there that I wanted to work for the VA, coming from a military family,” she said on the Dec. 1 episode of the monthly Be the One podcast from The American Legion. “And also because I wanted to serve veterans. I’m not a clinician. I’m not a provider so I can’t treat them. So what is another way I can do that?”
Innovation is the answer to her rhetorical question.
“Innovation is something where you can bring transformative solutions to the veterans and change their lives,” she said, noting that she needed to become a U.S. citizen to work for VA.
She is driven by her three D’s: Discipline, Dedication and Determination.
“If you have those things, you can go far,” said Sandal, who was among the speakers at the Veterans Affairs & Rehabilitation Commission meeting during The American Legion’s national convention last August in New Orleans. “Those are things I learned early on. If I wanted to do something you have to go through it and with persistence you will make it happen.”
Sandal, a member of the Be the One advisory council, wants to leverage her persistence to supporting the Be the One mission.
“We are creating an innovation solution to prevent veteran suicide,” said Sandal, noting the Tampa VA is one of the centers nominated to be a national center for innovation. She is striving to create an “innovation ecosystem,” a public-private partnership to increase the impact on health care for veterans.
Be the One comes into play with improved technology and community development that could be fostered with such a partnership. “The goal is to bring people and technology together to “create a transformative innovation solution for the care of veterans,” she explained.
Among her innovative achievements is the VHA-Uber Health Connect (VUHC) Initiative, which launched in 2022. VUHC is a collaborative effort that offers rideshare as a supplemental transportation option for veterans to get to and from their medical appointments.
So far, nearly 50,000 veterans have taken more than 500,000 rides across 100 VA medical centers. That equates to over $300 million in cost savings for VA due to faster emergency and inpatient discharges and avoiding no-show/missed appointments.
The rides, are available via both Uber and Lyft, and are provided at no cost to veterans. “It’s been a game-changer,” she said.
All Be the One episodes are available in both audio and video formats here as well as on Apple Podcasts and other major podcast-hosting sites. The video version is available at the Legion’s YouTube channel
This episode is the 16th in the Be the One series. Others include:
Episode 15: Jake Rademacher discusses his two documentaries about his brothers’ service during the Global War on Terrorism.
Episode 14: After losing her son, an Iraq War veteran, Jeri Reed is striving to educate others about the dangers of an anti-psychotic drug he was prescribed.
Episode 10: Air Force veteran talks about her faith-based recovery book, steps to overcome suicidal ideation and more.
Episode 3: Navy veteran, a survivor of suicide and Military Sexual Trauma, helps veterans and others deal with trauma and related issues.
- Tango Alpha Lima