WDVA Receives a significant Federal Grant aimed at combatting Veteran Suicides
In September, your WDVA received notification from the Federal VA that we will receive a grant from the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program (SSG Fox SPGP). The SSG Fox SPGP is a pilot, community-based grant program that provides financial assistance to organizations for suicide prevention services to eligible Veterans and their families. The award is a one-year grant, renewable up to three years.
WDVA’s program will focus on connecting benefits enrollment to early suicide-risk identification, with emphasis on rural communities to bolster Veteran’s connection to resources. “We are excited to be working upstream with Veterans and their families to help them thrive and live their fullest lives. Working with Veterans during their benefits enrollment to identify and provide support for early symptoms of anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation will help us intervene before Veterans reach a point of crisis.” Said Mary Forbes, WDVA Assistant Director for Veteran Services and Counseling and Wellness.
Washington State has already developed a robust suicide prevention program that includes Suicide Prevention Peer Specialists regionally assigned throughout Washington State. These specialists work with other Federal and local partners as part of a strategic plan developed under the ‘Governor’s Challenge to Prevent Suicide Among Service Members, Veterans, and their Families (SMVF).’
The SSG Fox grant will allow your WDVA to extend current suicide prevention efforts with additional Veteran Community Outreach Coordinators located in targeted rural communities. Coordinators will be local staff skilled in Veteran benefits and healthcare enrollment, as well as early suicide-risk identification and intervention screening. Coordinators will be embedded in and work with local partners in the targeted communities of Northwest Washington (Skagit, Island, San Juan, and Whatcom counties), and North Central Washington (Kittitas, Grant, Douglas and Chelan counties). Additionally, the grant supports additional skilled therapeutic support, expansion of the VA’s ETS Sponsorship Peer Support Program, and a services and equipment fund for new innovative therapies and related support.
WDVA will also be collaborating with other SSG Fox SPGP recipients serving Veterans in Washington State, including NineLine Veteran Services and Permission To Start Dreaming Foundation.
For more information about WDVA’s suicide prevention efforts, please visit our website at: https://dva.wa.gov/sp.