The new Veterans Crisis Line is 988. 

They have published a step-by-step guide to saving the number into your phone.

For more information about the Veterans Crisis Line, visit the website here.

WorriedAboutaVeteran.org (WAV) is an innovative website that was developed as a resource for family members and loved ones of military Service members and Veterans in New York State. Its purpose is to support families with information and resources around firearm safety and lowering suicide risk.

This website is the culmination of dedicated efforts by the New York State Governor’s Challenge team over the past two years. A comprehensive approach to the creation of this website included several public and private partnerships and collaborations with the co-creators of Counseling for Lethal Means (CALM) Training. Incorporating perspectives from families and Veterans with lived experience was critical.  Thirty interviews were conducted with family members and loved ones who lost a Veteran to firearm suicide, experienced a Veteran firearm suicide attempt, and/or lived with a Veteran who owned firearms.

This website includes video vignettes of family situations involving firearms including examples of how to detect concerning behaviors, start conversations about safety, ask for help, and navigate safe storage options.

Are you worried about a veteran?

Visit the WAV website here.

The new Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program (SSG Fox SPGP) will enable VA to provide resources toward community-based suicide prevention efforts to meet the needs of Veterans and their families through outreach, suicide prevention services, and connection to VA and community resources. In alignment with VA's National Strategy for Preventing Veteran Suicide (2018), this grant program will assist in further implementing a public health approach that blends community-based prevention with evidence-based clinical strategies through community efforts. The grant program is part of the Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act of 2019, signed into law on October 17, 2020. Click the Hannon Act Fact Sheet to learn more.

Click here for grant resources, tools and application.

Application deadline is Friday, June 10, 2022.

Uniformed Services University's Center for Deployment Psychology is offering an online Training on Assessment of PTSD and Suicide Risk Management in Veterans.

Summary:

Cultural competence for clinicians working with Veterans and Service members includes developing familiarity with unique aspects of military culture that impact clinical care as well as common clinical issues faced by these populations. Accurate and comprehensive assessment of PTSD and suicide risk is important for developing effective treatment plans for Veterans and Service members. This two-day workshop aims to introduce participants to military culture and help them develop skills in assessing for two important clinical issues: post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and suicide risk.

Target Audience:

Licensed behavioral health providers who regularly treat U.S. Veterans (or who intend to treat U.S. Veterans) in the community can apply. This training is not intended for behavioral healthcare providers currently working in VA or DoD settings.

The Suicide and Mental Health Services Administration is offering two grant opportunities to state-sponsored organizations and institutions of higher learning:

Cooperative Agreements for the Garrett Lee Smith State/Tribal Youth Suicide Prevention and Early Intervention Program - Applications due Monday, April 18, 2022

GLS Campus Suicide Prevention Grant Program - Applications due Friday, April 29, 2022

NYSHealth will hold a two-day virtual conference, The Governor’s Challenge to Prevent Veteran Suicide: A Collaborative Effort in New York State, on Tuesday, November 2 and Wednesday November 3, 9:30am-12:00pm each day.

Our nation has been in the midst of a suicide epidemic—one that has been growing in size for more than 20 years—and the veteran community has been one of the hardest hit. In 2019, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) teamed up with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to create The Governor’s Challenge to Prevent Veteran Suicide, an initiative that combines federal efforts with those of local leaders. The Governor’s Challenge is underway in 35 states—including New York—and has sought to apply a public health approach to developing and implementing a strategy for preventing veteran suicide.

Join NYSHealth; SAMHSA’s Service Members, Veterans and their Families Technical Assistance Center; and the New York State Division of Veterans’ Services for a two-day virtual conference on November 2 and November 3 focused on veteran suicide prevention efforts and the impact of The Governor’s Challenge in New York State. Panelists will provide insights on the progress made throughout New York; share best practices for discussing suicide with loved ones; highlight services aimed at identifying and addressing the needs of high-risk populations; and identify other innovative approaches to preventing veteran suicide.

Scudder Intervention Services Foundation, Inc. (SISFI), in collaboration with The Suicide Institute and NYC Suicide Council, present NYC's Five Boroughs The Suicide Network.

The Suicide Network offers monthly meetings from 11am-1pm that are open to the public.  Check the schedule to see when the meetings are held for your borough.

The Suicide Network focuses on education, intervention, prevention, and postvention response, services, awareness, research, and humane support for people in emotional pain in NYC.  Be part of change to save lives from abuse, addiction, anxiety, brokenness, bullying, depression, grief, hopelessness, loss, loneliness, trauma, violence, victimization, life and mental health/illness challenges with best practices, Suicide Informed Care, and Emotional Pain Informed Care.

This is our public health crisis.  We, ALL OF US, are IN IT TOGETHER, as ONE!

September is Suicide Prevention Month.  The US Department of Veterans Affairs Suicide Prevention Program at the Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention offers many resources.

Click here if you:

are a veteran who needs support

want to provide support to a fellow veteran