suicide prevention

How to address veteran suicide–other than filming ourselves doing pushups, I mean.

I've done the 22 pushups-thing. Other than giving my giant mutt unfettered access to thoroughly tongue my ears, I can't say they accomplished much. That's not completely true--my ears are sparkly clean--but that wasn't the point. The short videos were supposed to help raise awareness that an alarming number of veterans are choosing to take their own lives. I don't know who started the whole campaign but I think it has, thankfully, run its course. Veteran suicide, on the other hand, hasn't gone away. Funny thing, that. Letting folks know about the problem is one thing. Addressing it [...]

Clay Hunt Act–A Good Start

Thanks in no small part to the lobbying efforts of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act is heading to the President's desk.  This bill is designed to, among other things, increase accessibility of mental health treatment for veterans.  This bill only passed because the pressure applied by various veterans groups kept it on politicians' "to do" lists.  That's no small feat when you remember they also had to squeeze in another vote to repeal ObamaCare (56th and counting). But they did vote on it, and pass it, and now the Clay [...]

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