Bay Pines VA committed to ending suicide among veterans
Punta Gorda-Port Charlotte Florida WeeklyJun 22, 2017
COMMENTARY
BY
Special to
On
While all of the priorities mentioned are important, I am writing today with a focus on suicide prevention.
Suicide among veterans is a sad and heartbreaking reality that occurs in every state, county, city and town across the country. Recent research suggests that 20 veterans die by suicide each day, of which six were users of
One suicide is one too many. The
This is not just the responsibility of our health-care system or the
We are very committed to suicide prevention. In addition to the large number of mental health professionals who we employ across the health-care system, we have a suicide prevention team dedicated to facilitating prompt delivery of care and responsiveness as well as to monitoring veterans identified at high risk of suicide through innovative new programs like Recovery Engagement and Coordination for Health?Veterans Enhanced Treatment, and providing ongoing staff training.
Using a new predictive model, REACH?VET analyzes existing data from veterans' health records to identify those at a statistically elevated risk for suicide, hospitalization, illness or other adverse outcomes. This allows us to provide preemptive care and support, in some cases before a veteran even has suicidal thoughts.
Another important resource for veterans is the Veterans Crisis Line. Veterans and those who know of a veteran in crisis can call 1-800-273-8255 and press 1, chat online at www.VeteransCrisisLine.net or send a text message to 838255 to receive free, confidential support 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, even if they are not registered with
Veteran suicide touches everyone: families, friends, communities, first responders and those of us at
In the meantime, if you know any veterans who need our help, please help us help them by connecting them with us. Whether through routine mental health appointments, visits to the emergency department or telephone care through the Veterans Crisis Line, we do our very best to address any and all mental health needs, urgent and routine. Thank you for your commitment to the health and well-being of America's heroes. ¦
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