Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs to host 3rd Annual Suicide Prevention

The following was released to us by the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs:

BATON ROUGE, La.—The Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs will host its Third Annual Suicide Prevention Summit virtually on Friday, Sept. 18 at 9 a.m.

“As a veteran, I know that we must never give up in our efforts to prevent suicide among veterans and military service members alike,” said Gov. Edwards. “The number of veteran and military suicides we are seeing nationwide—at more than 6,000 per year—is alarmingly high. I am proud of the work that the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs is doing to reach veterans, military service members and their loved ones to increase an understanding of suicide, its risk factors and how we can all work to provide better tools for prevention, assessment and intervention.”

Each year across the nation, September serves as Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. Gov. Edwards has issued a proclamation, highlighting the ongoing efforts of LDVA as well as the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ Governor’s Challenge to Prevent Suicide Among Service Members, Veterans and their Families.

The Summit’s guest speakers include:

Aimee Johnson, LCSW Program Analyst, VHA Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention
Jennifer True, Ph. D. Investigator, South Central Mental Illness, Research, Education and Clinical Center
Dawn Schiro, LSCW-BACS, MSW Suicide Prevention Social Worker Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System
Matt Bailey Veteran Champion, VISION Project

These speakers will address safe firearm storage, safety planning as an effective form of intervention for suicide prevention and preventing suicide by firearms or other lethal means.

This Summit is open not only to veterans and service members but to anyone who would like to learn more about suicide prevention and how to help someone in their time of crisis. Individuals may register for the Summit here.

Additionally, LDVA includes training on suicide prevention in its annual training for LDVA Veterans Assistance Counselors who staff more than 70 veterans’ benefits offices around the state. These service officers interact with Louisiana veterans on a daily basis. LDVA’s initiatives complement both the USDVA’s efforts and the mission of the President’s Roadmap to Empower Veterans and End a National Tragedy of Suicide (PREVENTS).

For more information about the Summit or LDVA, visit vetaffairs.la.gov, email veteran@la.gov, call 225.219.5000 or follow us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

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