AMVETS initiates new mental health care partnership with the VA
April 04, 2018
On March 3, AMVETS announced their new mental health care partnership alongside the Department of Veterans Affairs. This is the beginning of stronger efforts by both institutions to work against veteran suicide.
The chief strategy officer of AMVETS said, “We have to start saving lives, not just talking about it.”
The new program is nicknamed HEAL for healthcare, evaluation, advocacy and legislation. This program was unveiled the same week in which VA officials sent their initiatives to the White House regarding mental health services. The HEAL plan will give mental health services to everyone leaving the ranks to better examine the most vulnerable veterans before they self-harm.
In January President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing VA Secretary David Shulkin and the Department of Defense and Homeland Security to devise a plan for improving access to mental health services within 90 days and to implement it in 180 days. The President said the federal departments would further examine “supporting our veterans during their transition from uniformed service to civilian life, taking some of their difficulty away.”
Shulkin initiated the branching off of his department’s current work with preventing veteran suicide. He understands that many veterans and other service members do not know about the service accessibility. In fact, of the estimated 20 veterans a day who commit suicide nationwide, over half do not work with support programs or reach out to department health care. In turn, Shulkin reached out to AMVETS to educate veterans on their resources.
The group has mapped out a budget of $700,000 for a team of clinicians to help veterans and VA officials to have the best resources for mental health as well as to understand how effective the HEAL program is.
Shulkin said, “We know that mental health care saves lives, and we can do more. So this is really important.”