SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwired - December 11, 2015) -
WHO: Grand Rounds, the leader in identifying high-quality health care providers and connecting patients with these physicians, together with the White House, Bayes Impact and other leading Silicon Valley technology companies.
WHAT: Grand Rounds, recently named second among Glassdoor's Best Places to Work, the White House and Bayes Impact will host a hackathon to build software prototypes and data visualizations using open data in support of suicide prevention among Veterans. This event will bring together domain experts in suicide prevention with designers, engineers and data scientists from leading Silicon Valley companies to develop a unique product, tool or analysis. Saturday's hackathon is part of a cross-country, collaborative effort of events taking place simultaneously in Boston, Chicago, New York and Washington, D.C., united with a common purpose of preventing suicide.
WHERE: The hackathon will take place at the Galvanize SF offices located at 44 Tehama St., San Francisco, CA 94105. No electric power is available on site.
WHEN: Participants will arrive at 9:00 a.m. local time to begin the day's events. Formal judging from a panel of judges will begin at 5:30 p.m. local time.
WHY: In the United States, one in five adults experiences a diagnosable mental health condition like depression or post-traumatic stress at some time during their life -- figures that are even higher in our country's Veteran community. Yet some Americans still suffer with undiagnosed, undertreated or untreated mental health challenges that increase their risk for suicide, leading more than 41,000 to take their own lives each year, with more than 8,000 of those being Veteran suicides.
The Obama Administration is working with organizations across the United States to promote mental health and prevent suicide, and is placing high priority on science and data as tools for solving complex challenges. This event is focused on the role of open data and innovation and how they promote understanding and offer solutions for priority issues of mental health and suicide.
"Suicide prevention is the responsibility of all people. If you are hurting, know this: You are not forgotten. You are never alone. Your country is here for you, and help is available. As one people, we stand with all who struggle with mental illness, and we continue our work to prevent this heartbreak in our communities heartbreak in our communities." - President Barack Obama, World Suicide Prevention Day, 2015.