Special
Notice: If you are a veteran in emotional crisis and need help RIGHT
NOW, call the VA crisis line at 1-800-273-8255, available 24/7, and tell them you are a veteran.
All calls are confidential.
On September 10, World Suicide Prevention Day, the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention (Action Alliance) released its national strategy to reduce the number of deaths by suicide, including those of our active duty military and our veterans. The national strategy details 13 goals and 60 objectives for reducing suicides over the next ten years. The Action Alliance, co-chaired by former Senator Gordon Smith, now C.E.O. of the National Association of Broadcasters, and Army Secretary John McHugh, highlights four immediate priorities to reduce the number of suicides: integrating suicide prevention into health care policies; encouraging the transformation of health care systems to prevent suicides; changing the way the public talks about suicide and suicide prevention; and improving the quality of data on suicidal behaviors to develop increasingly effective prevention efforts. At the same time, the VA launched "Stand by Them: Help a Veteran," a joint VA-DoD outreach campaign that includes a new PSA announcement, "Side by Side," that is designed to help prevent suicide among veterans and service members and focuses on the important role of family and community in supporting veterans in crisis. VVA's Dr. Tom Berger, Executive Director of the Veterans Health Council, serves as a member of the Action Alliance's Executive Committee.
What You Can Do if You Believe a Veteran is at Risk of Suicide*
Ask them if they are thinking about killing themselves (This WILL NOT put the idea into their heads, or make it more likely that they will attempt suicide)
Call the National Crisis Line at 1-800-273-8255, press 1
Take the person to an emergency room or seek help from a medical or mental health professional
Remove any objects that could be used in a suicide attempt
If possible, do not leave the person alone
*from the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention
President Signs Executive Order to Increase Behavioral Health Services for Veterans
On Friday, August 31, President Obama signed an executive order directing key federal agencies to expand suicide-prevention strategies and improve access to mental-health and substance-abuse treatment for veterans, service members, and their families. Citing an obligation to “build an integrated network of support capable of providing effective mental health services,” the order includes an array of directions for the VA, Health and Human Services, and other federal agencies. Collaboration with community-based providers – including community mental health clinics and substance-abuse treatment facilities – was specifically required, particularly for areas where the VA has had challenges in providing timely access to services for veterans. In addition, the VA and HHS must expand the capacity of the Veterans Crisis Line by 50 percent and “ensure that any veteran identifying him or herself as being in crisis connects with a mental health professional or trained mental health worker within 24 hours.”
VA Report Shows Initiative to Eliminate
Gender Gap Is Working
On August 28, the VA released a report that shows improvement in gender disparities in 12 out of 14 Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) measures in VA since 2008. HEDIS measures are used by 90 percent of America's health plans to measure performance on important dimensions of care and service, such as screening, prevention, and chronic disease management. VA consistently scores higher than private-sector healthcare on both gender-specific and gender-neutral HEDIS measures. VA began a national initiative to eliminate gender gaps in preventive care in 2008. In 2011, VA asked each healthcare region across the country to review gender disparity data and create and implement an improvement plan. The Comparing the Care of Men and Women Veterans in the Department of Veterans Affairs report released by VA’s Office of Informatics and Analytics (OIA) indicates progress. The report shows that VA improved gender disparities in six performance measures specific to VA, including the screening rate for persistence of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms. VA has also implemented a national initiative to improve care for women Veterans. Some of the components include training VA providers in basic and advanced women’s health care, implementation of women’s health primary care teams at VA facilities nationwide, and ramped-up communications efforts. The Women Veterans Health Strategic Health Care Group, which leads the initiative, also issued a report looking at gender disparities. That report, Gender Differences in Performance Measures, VHA 2008-2011, identifies best practices for eliminating gender gaps based on success in VA networks. Both reports can be downloaded via www.women shealth.va.gov
U.S. Army and NFL Partnership on TBI
According to DoD’s “ Military Health Systems” blog on September 6, the Army and the National Football League are working together to research and improve awareness of traumatic brain injuries. Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell say soldiers and athletes share some of the same traits that may prevent them from reaching out for help. Mental and physical toughness and the desire to put the team first may keep many warriors from seeking treatment for their injuries.The new project aims to educate players and soldiers about TBI, especially mild concussions. The entities will share research, including placing sensors inside the helmets of soldiers and football players to help detect possible concussions. The effort comes as a growing number of NFL players suffer concussions during the season. For service members, recent policies like Directive-Type Memorandum 09-033 also aim to help detect mild brain injuries. That policy stipulates that service members have a minimum of 24 hours of downtime and get a medical clearance before returning to duty following proximity to a blast or vehicle incident. Still, Odierno says more needs to be done to get to the bottom of TBI. He called on platoon sergeants and first sergeants to help soldiers realize there is no penalty in asking for help.
In a related story published September 6 in The Washington Post Inside, the NFL is donating $30 million to the Bethesda (MD)-based NIH to fund research into brain injuries and other medical issues. The research is to be designed to benefit service members and the general population in addition to football players and other athletes. The research could focus, officials said, on concussion treatment and management as well as chronic encephalopathy, or CTE, a progressive, degenerative brain disease. The first set of NIH initiatives is to focus on “mild” traumatic brain injuries according to the director of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, one of the 27 Institutes comprising NIH.
Veterans in rural areas to get expanded access to health care
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) Eric K. Shinseki today announced a joint effort to expand health care delivery to veterans living in rural areas. The agreement between the two agencies promotes collaboration between VA facilities and private hospitals and clinics, and is supported by $983,100 in grants to improve access and coordination of care through telehealth and health information exchanges in rural areas.
Prostate Cancer and Agent Orange
Are you a Veteran with prostate cancer who was exposed to Agent Orange during service? You may qualify for VA health care and disability compensation. Learn more.
Our United States Veterans were there when we needed them the most. Now they need your support. Please donate your car to the Vietnam Veterans of America. You get a tax deduction and your car donation will be helping those who have given us so much, our veterans. Vietnam Veterans of America is chartered by Congress and has been supporting our dedicated Veterans and their families for over 30 years.
The donation process is simple, fast and secure, and your car donation will help us to provide critical support services for our defenders of freedom in their time of need. Call toll free today at 1-800-Help-Vets or use our easy online donation form to schedule your free towing and join the thousands of other satisfied car donors who have already helped our veterans.
"Never again will one generation of veterans abandon another."
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