The Department of Veterans Affairs plans to test a “governor’s challenge” to stop veterans suicide, starting in Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Montana, New Hampshire, Texas and Virginia – to fight veterans suicide, according to Military Times.
“We’re shifting from a model that says ‘let’s sit in our hospitals and wait for people to come to us’ and take it to them,” Dr. Keita Franklin, director of VA’s office of suicide prevention, said at a recent Capitol Hill meeting, the article states. “The key is to work on a local plan. Who are the local influencers? What are your measures of effectiveness over time?”
The department currently has a “mayor’s challenge” to address the issue in 27 large cities, following a similar initiative to fight veterans homelessness.
Dr. Keita Franklin at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, in 2017. U.S. Air Force photo by 1st Lt. Kaitlin Daddona
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