Suicide & Veterans, an Update

VA launches program to send caring letters to 90,000 Veterans
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced today its Veterans Crisis Line (VCL) formally launched the Caring Letters Program, an evidence-based suicide prevention intervention that involves sending periodic messages with simple expressions of care and concern to Veterans who use VA health care and contact the VCL.

The DoD released the Annual Suicide Report 2019
The Department of Defense (DoD) Quarterly Suicide Report (QSR) summarizes suicide counts and annual rates for the Active Component, Reserves, and National Guard. The purpose of the QSR is to communicate DoD suicide data to stakeholders external to DoD on a routine and frequent basis.

Suicide mortality data in these reports are provided by the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System (AFMES) with inputs from the Service suicide prevention programs. Population data are collected from the Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC).

Veteran Suicide Prevention
If you’re a Veteran in a mental health crisis and you’re thinking about hurting yourself—or you know a Veteran who’s considering this—get help right away. You’re not alone.

Resource Highlight: Rocky Mountain MIRECC for Veteran Suicide Prevention
To generate new knowledge about the causes and treatments of mental disorders, apply new findings to model clinical programs, and widely disseminate new findings through education to improve the quality of veterans’ lives and their daily functioning in their recovering from mental illness.

Governor’s and Mayor’s Challenges to Prevent Suicide Among Service Members, Veterans, and their Families 

• Nevada - Reno, Sparks, Las Vegas 

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Veterans Crisis Line
Connect with the Veterans Crisis Line to reach caring, qualified responders with the Department of Veterans Affairs. Many of them are Veterans themselves.