{"id":61226,"date":"2019-09-17T08:05:48","date_gmt":"2019-09-17T08:05:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/09\/17\/the-vas-suicide-prevention-strategy-will-fail\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T10:32:49","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T10:32:49","slug":"the-vas-suicide-prevention-strategy-will-fail","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/opinion\/commentary\/2019\/09\/17\/the-vas-suicide-prevention-strategy-will-fail\/","title":{"rendered":"The VA\u2019s suicide prevention strategy will fail"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The suicide rate for young adults was 17 per 100,000 population<\/a> in 2017, while the suicide rate for veterans 18-39 is over 50 per 100,000<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The VA strategy says, \u201cSuicide prevention is VA\u2019s highest priority.\u201d If that were true, the VA would not outsource the solution to local, community-based organizations. In the VA\u2019s National Strategy for Preventing Veteran Suicide<\/a>, there are four critical protective factors that help offset risk factors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two clinical solutions: 1) Positive coping skills, and 2) Access to mental health care; and two non-clinical solutions: 3) Feeling connected to other people, and 4) Having reasons for living or a sense of purpose in life. The VA\u2019s strategy has a \u201clead from behind\u201d approach for the latter two. We give the VA $220.2 billion per year <\/a>to take care of our 20 million veterans. Yet, the VA wants to outsource outreach to veteran service organizations (VSOs), nonprofits, local businesses and governments to address the two non-clinical factors. While VSOs advocate on behalf of all veterans<\/a>, they are not in touch with all veterans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Given member overlap and passive membership, basic math dictates that the combined marketing reach of the entire VSO community is estimated to be 5-10 percent of the total.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even so, this business-to-business (B2B) (organization to organization) approach is not the right strategy for an organization with individual customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The VA\u2019s customers\/end users are the veterans themselves. Therefore, a business-to-consumer (B2C) (organization to end user) approach is the correct one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s why the VA\u2019s current outreach strategy will fail to lower the suicide rate, especially among young veterans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead of relying on others, the VA\u2019s strategy should be to replicate the peer, community and institutional support veterans had while they were in the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Protective factor No. 1: Feeling connected to other people<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Focus on building three (3) circles of connection around each veteran:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Connection to veteran peers. When veterans leave the military, they leave their peers and friends forever. We need to build local, physical peer groups around common interests like sports, music, and gaming. Just being a veteran is not enough of a similarity. Peer groups are built around similar interests. The VA needs to facilitate those connections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Connection to a veteran community. When veterans leave the military, they leave their entire support community. They do not have mentors, advocates or a network to belong to. Community can be rebuilt via events with mass appeal across interest groups. The VA needs to rebuild those communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Connection to the VA institution. The only time a veteran interacts with the VA is when they need something. That is not a healthy B2C relationship. B2C relationships are built over time and the VA needs to focus on providing value to the veteran in ways that are not transactional but are meaningful and memorable. Veterans need to have a relationship with the VA far in advance of any clinical issues like depression, addiction, financial hardship, mental health or health problems. The VA needs to build relationships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. How to build connection: Flip the outreach strategy. In FY20 the VA will spend $222 million on suicide prevention outreach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n