To the Editor:
Re “Suicide shocks Montana into assessing care for returning Iraqi War veterans” (news article, Jan. 2):
As the awareness of veteran suicide increases throughout the United States, it is important to emphasize that suicide, including veteran suicide, is a serious public-health problem.
In addition to the implementation
of a veterans' option being added to the National Suicide
Prevention Hotline (1-800-237-TALK), in November, the
president signed the Joshua Omvig Veterans Suicide
Prevention Act that directs the Secretary of Veterans
Affairs to develop and implement a comprehensive strategy
for preventing veteran suicide.
However, to ensure that we have the
most comprehensive data to inform our suicide prevention
strategies, we must expand federal funding for the
National Violent Death Reporting System. NVDRS tracks
all circumstances surrounding a suicide - including
if someone who died by suicide was a veteran, was being
treated for depression or had discussed their intention
with someone else - to create a complete picture of
violent death. With the details collected, public health
officials, veterans' service organizations and others
can better understand the factors related to suicide
and create the best prevention strategies.
NVDRS is funded in 17 states, but
unfortunately not Montana. The CDC, which runs the
program, estimates at least $20 million is required
annually to fully implement and maintain NVDRS in all
50 states; yet congressional funding remains flat.
Only with full funding of NVDRS will
we acknowledge all veterans who have fallen for our
country so we can take the necessary steps to prevent
future suicides.
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