NO KA OI HEALTH
As May is Mental Health Awareness month, this month’s article focuses on our service members, veterans and their families.
Our nation is facing a national issue that we can each help address. Nearly 45,000 people die by suicide each year across the United States, including more than 6,000 veterans. Here in Hawai‘i, on average, one person dies by suicide every two days.
The Department of Veterans Affairs is working to end suicide among veterans, yet only half of the 20 million U.S. veterans receive care or services from the VA. No single factor causes suicide, and no single agency can end suicide. It takes a team of partners in the community to prevent veteran suicide. The VA uses a public health approach, driven by data, to serve veterans in crisis and strengthen networks that support all veterans. Public health is about working within communities to serve veterans where they live, work and thrive, giving them support and care before they reach a crisis point.
Our Community Engagement and Partnership Program implements this public health approach throughout the Pacific Islands to very diverse communities and cultures. We know that our Maui communities are very different from those on Oahu or the other Neighbor Islands, or Guam, or American Samoa, or Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands. We collaborate with county and state suicide prevention task forces (such as the E Ola Hou task force on Maui), community-based health care programs, county and state agencies, hospital systems, community members, faith-based groups, veteran service organizations, military and social service agencies, to name a few.
Our work is focused on areas that evidence has shown to reduce veteran deaths by suicide:
¯ We know that service members, veterans and their families experience issues that civilians do not face. Knowing this history can help service providers ensure that those experiences are taken into account and that resources provided are appropriate and useful. We also know that asking the question, “Are you thinking about suicide?” saves lives. We’re working to help people learn how to ask that question to those they love and have connections with to help those at risk for suicide get the resources and support they need.
¯ We know that connection and belonging are significant protective factors against suicide. One of our goals is to enhance social connectedness — within and among individuals, families and the larger community. We also know that when veterans transition from one setting to another, military to civilian life, it is a challenging time. Transitions often mean that our lives are changing, and we’re losing some of our connections, which can be harder to navigate. Additional care and support during these times are crucial.
¯ Decreasing access to lethal means and increasing safety planning resources save lives. Data collected from survivors of near-fatal suicide attempts indicate that 75 percent of the people surveyed took action to end their lives within one hour of their decision. Limiting access to means of suicide that are especially lethal, such as firearms and prescription medications, during periods of crisis can make it more likely that a person will delay or survive a suicide attempt. In Hawai‘i, because of high rates of death by suicide involving hanging, it can also be helpful to talk with people about removing items from their garage that may be lethal, such as ropes. On the other end of this spectrum are things we can do that protect us against suicide, like identifying resources and skills to help us in crisis. The VA offers multiple apps on VA Launchpad to assist in this area: mobile.va.gov/app/va-launchpad-veterans.
Everyone has a role to play in protecting those who protect us. We can’t do it alone. Will you join us?
If you are interested in more information about the Department of Veteran’s Affairs Suicide Prevention Program, are interested in joining the work of the Community Engagement and Partnership Program, or simply want to learn more about how you can support a veteran in your life, please contact Wendy Schwartz at (808) 758-4129 or wendy.schwartz@va.gov.
■ Wendy Schwartz is a licensed clinical social worker at the Department of Veterans Affairs in the Community Engagement and Partnerships Program for Suicide Prevention. She is this month’s guest columnist for No Ka Oi Health, which is published on the fourth Thursday of every month.