The system is called REACH VET, or Recovery Engagement and Coordination for Health, and according to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) one its purposes is to try to predict suicidal behavior and use the data to save veterans’ lives.

The Veterans Crisis Line is 800-273-8255 and also online here.

REACH VET works by analyzing health records to posit a list of vets who are at a “statistically higher risk for suicide, hospitalization, illness and other issues.”

Once a vet is identified by the system, their mental health professional or primary care doctor will “check on them”, and decide whether or not additional steps need to be taken.

“Early intervention can lead to better recovery outcomes, lessen the likelihood of challenges becoming crises and reduce the stress that veterans and their loved ones face,” Dr. Caitlin Thompson, national director of the VA’s Office for Suicide Prevention, told the Military Times.