Veterans Day is a time to remember that veterans are twice as likely as civilians to die by suicide, and nearly 17 veterans a day kill themselves. Greater awareness is leading to greater efforts to address it, and that's important in rural areas, where most vets live, says the Department for Veterans Affairs.
Earlier this year, the Trump administration announced a new federal task force to address the issue of veteran suicide, especially in rural areas, The group met a few weeks ago for the first time to discuss how to tackle the problem. Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie said improving health care for rural veterans is one of the group's top priorities, Brian Tabick reports for KCRG-TV in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. That includes efforts to expand telehealth and mobile services, Wilkie said, noting that 51% of all veterans live in rural areas.
Veterans have long been able to get counseling from the VA, but Iraq War veteran and Kentucky resident Alex Randolph said he was told there was a six- to eight-week wait when he tried to get help there in 2017, WFPL-FM reporter Lisa Gillespie reports for Side Effects Public Health, a collaborative that works with Louisville's WFPL and other Midwestern public radio stations.
Instead, Randolph was able to get some short-term relief by posting on Veterans' Club, a Facebook group for Kentucky vets. The club's executive director, fellow Iraq War veteran Jeremy Harrell, was able to use connections to get Randolph seen at the Robley Rex VA Medical Center in Louisville the next day. Gillespie reports.
"In the few years since Harrell started getting a small group of vets together, the group has grown to some 2,000 members across Kentucky," Gillespie reports. "And in that time Harrell has fielded many calls from suicidal vets and their family members. Harrell said he draws from his own experiences with suicidal thoughts, and training he’s received on suicide prevention." Harrell also helps connect vets with VA counseling, as he did with Randolph.
Earlier this year, the Trump administration announced a new federal task force to address the issue of veteran suicide, especially in rural areas, The group met a few weeks ago for the first time to discuss how to tackle the problem. Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie said improving health care for rural veterans is one of the group's top priorities, Brian Tabick reports for KCRG-TV in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. That includes efforts to expand telehealth and mobile services, Wilkie said, noting that 51% of all veterans live in rural areas.
Veterans have long been able to get counseling from the VA, but Iraq War veteran and Kentucky resident Alex Randolph said he was told there was a six- to eight-week wait when he tried to get help there in 2017, WFPL-FM reporter Lisa Gillespie reports for Side Effects Public Health, a collaborative that works with Louisville's WFPL and other Midwestern public radio stations.
Instead, Randolph was able to get some short-term relief by posting on Veterans' Club, a Facebook group for Kentucky vets. The club's executive director, fellow Iraq War veteran Jeremy Harrell, was able to use connections to get Randolph seen at the Robley Rex VA Medical Center in Louisville the next day. Gillespie reports.
"In the few years since Harrell started getting a small group of vets together, the group has grown to some 2,000 members across Kentucky," Gillespie reports. "And in that time Harrell has fielded many calls from suicidal vets and their family members. Harrell said he draws from his own experiences with suicidal thoughts, and training he’s received on suicide prevention." Harrell also helps connect vets with VA counseling, as he did with Randolph.
Robley Rex officials say they've implemented a triage system since then that make it easier for vets in immediate danger to get counseling on the same day. The hospital's suicide prevention coordinator, Kelly Marcum, said the hospital is doing other things to prevent veteran suicide, like distributing gun locks to vets and better educate their families on signs to watch for, Gillespie reports.
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