Vets Suicide Prevention Hotline Helps
55,000+ in First Year
The Veterans Suicide Prevention Hotline,
1-800-273-TALK, is providing immediate,
often life-saving help to veterans
and their loved ones.
More than 22,000 of the 55,000+ calls came to the
hotline directly from veterans. Other calls came from
those seeking help for veterans who are friends or
family members.
The first-of-its-kind hotline, launched in summer
2007, is a collaborative effort of SAMHSA and the U.S.
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to meet the special
needs of veterans who are in personal crisis.
Among the specialized services provided is the capability
of connecting veterans to their local VA Suicide Prevention
Coordinator for priority followup and monitoring to
ensure that they receive ongoing care at local VA medical
centers.
The hotline provides national, around-the-clock access
to crisis counseling and behavioral health services
for all veterans and their families. By calling 1-800-273-TALK
(8255) and pressing “1” at the prompt,
the caller is automatically connected to a VA-operated
call center staffed by specially trained professional
crisis workers.
As SAMHSA News went to press, SAMHSA was
convening “Paving
the Road Home: The National Behavioral
Health Conference and Policy Academy on Returning Veterans
and Their Families.” The next issue of SAMHSA
News will
present highlights from the conference.
A Webcast of the conference will be available soon
on the SAMHSA Web site at www.samhsa.gov/vets.
