The Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center in Spokane is putting an emphasis on preventing suicides and helping the homeless.
In a press conference Thursday, VA Medical Center Director Dr. Robert J. Fischer said the VA sees suicide prevention as very important.
“For VA, suicide prevention is our very top priority,” he said. “We are dedicated to serving all veterans, especially those at particular risk, such as service members returning from combat and transitioning to civilian life. For many, the wounds and scars may not be visible to you and me, but they are very real indeed.”
The Veterans Crisis Line, which is a national phone number that veterans, active duty members and concerned friends and family can call while experiencing a mental health crisis, received an average of over 1,700 calls a day in fiscal year 2018, according to a media handout from the press conference. The service dispatched emergency services for callers in immediate danger of harm an average of 80 times a day.
“Please pass along this number and encourage its use,” Fischer said. “You may save a life.”
Calls are confidential and can be made at any time to 1-800-273-8255, he said.
Dr. Quinn Bastian, the VA Medical Center’s Chief of Behavioral Medical Service, said homeless veterans are five times more likely to attempt suicide than a non-homeless veteran.
“Some of the saddest situations I have ever seen are when a veteran begins to feel hopeless, helpless, hurting and alone,” Bastian said. “We all need a community.”
The VA spent $12.2 million in the last fiscal year on suicide prevention outreach, according to a media handout. Part of that — $1.2 million — was used on media.
The press conference came as the City of Spokane prepares to do their Point-in-Time count on Thursday night, which attempts to count the number of homeless in Spokane. Last year’s count showed 96 veterans as homeless. Of those, 70 percent were sheltered in “temporary lodging projects” while the rest were unsheltered. Almost all homeless veterans were men.
A report released in 2016 by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs said that 6,000 veterans died by suicide each year from 2008 to 2016. In 2016, veterans were 1.5 times more likely to die from suicide than for non-veterans.
Various mental health resources are available for veterans, including counseling and mental health services at the VA and online resources. There's also a website that contains veterans describing how they dealt with suicidal thoughts.