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“Real change happens in the community, and some communities are better at receiving Veterans back home than others.” Rieman stated in response, clearly saddened by the account of what happened to Toombs, and tacitly acknowledging the community embrace that enabled him to pursue a much different path. “We need to better define what transition is – it’s moving from one point to another. It’s not just a one-time event that happens when you get out of the military. It extends far beyond that.”
Rieman is correct that, ultimately, legislation is a starting point, as it authorizes necessary resources within the VA and other community organizations to address the suicide epidemic, but it should not be viewed as an ending point. Rather, if we truly want to change the way we discuss mental health – for both Veterans and non-Veterans alike — we must look far beyond legislation and into local communities to embrace a holistic approach to mental health and ultimately, suicide prevention.
One of the first things we can do is embrace public private partnerships within our communities. As the VA has acknowledged, it’s clear that the Department can’t solve this problem on its own, nor should we expect it to, when statistics show that only six of 20 Veterans who commit suicide received healthcare from the VA in the two years prior to their death. Because suicide is a complex issue that affects Veterans from all walks of life, there is no single agency or organization that can account for all causalities. Moreover, people within a Veterans’ community are more likely to know the Veteran and are therefore in a better position to spot changes in behavior, i.e., isolation that results in withdrawal from regular community activities, which may be indicative of suicidal behavior. According to the National Action Alliance for Suicidal Prevention, suicidal behavior is multi-faceted, being influenced by a combination of individual, family,
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