Support Your Veterans: Referral Pathways and Resources to Meet Identified Behavioral Health Needs
Support Your Veterans: Referral Pathways and Resources to Meet Identified Behavioral Health Needs
The Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program (SSG Fox SPGP) enables the Veterans’ Administration 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. The grant honors Veteran Parker Gordon Fox, who joined the Army in 2014 and was a sniper instructor at the U.S. Army Infantry School at Fort Benning, Georgia. Known for a life of generosity and kindness to others in need, Fox died by suicide on July 21, 2020, at the age of 25.
In Maine, between 2015 and 2021, 1,728 Mainers died by suicide. Of these, 337 had a history of military service.* Research reveals that many veterans who die by suicide utilized health services in the weeks or months leading up to their deaths.** Health care settings that know how to identify veteran patients, screen for suicide ideation, and offer connections to community and crisis resources offer an opportunity to prevent suicides.
In this one-hour training, experts from VA Maine, Health Affiliates Maine (HAM), and The Opportunity Alliance present on how you can support your Veterans by screening for depression and suicide risk, provide them with access to updated resources and eligibility information, and guide at-risk individuals through current referral pathways.
Course Structure:
This course is self-paced and available to any user who registers with the Maine Medical Association, Center for Quality Improvement (MMA-CQI) Learning Lab. The estimated time to complete the course is approximately 1 hour. The course includes hyperlinks to resources.
Hardware/Software Requirements:
- Computer with Internet connection
- Current version of Chrome, Firefox, or Safari browser. You must have JavaScript enabled.
Presenters:
Catherine Cooper, MSW, LCSW
Suicide Prevention Coordinator, VA Maine
Kate Marble, LCSW
Case Management Director, Health Affiliates Maine
Michelle Hansen, LADC, CCS, LCSW, MBA
Senior Director of Crisis Services, The Opportunity Alliance
Project Team:
Mary Milam, MPPM, CAPM
Project Manager, mmilam@mainemed.com
Jessica Reed, MSN, GNP-BC
Clinical Quality Manager
Janet Johnson
Administrative Assistant
Funding: This course is made possible by the generous support and funding from our partners at the Maine Bureau of Veterans’ Services.
*Wren, J.A. (2023). Characteristics of completed suicides among Maine residents who served in the Military, 2015 to 2021. Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center, University of Maine.
**Corr, Allison (2022). More Health Care System Interventions Needed to Curb Veteran Suicide Rate. Retrieved 1/12/2024. www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/articles/2022/11/11/more-health-care-system-interventions-needed-to-curb-veteran-suicide-rate
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