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DISRUPT Veteran Suicide

Summit Brings Together Innovators to Focus on Breaking the Rate of Veteran Suicide

ARLINGTON, VA, UNITED STATES, December 5, 2018 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Stop Soldier Suicide has partnered with the National Association of Veteran-Serving Organizations (NAVSO) to lead a summit around veteran suicide in Washington, DC on Thursday, December 6th with the long-term goal of reducing the veteran suicide rate to the national average. The intent of the summit is for participants to brainstorm ideas on how they can DISRUPT the rate of veteran suicide in the United States. Stop Soldier Suicide and NAVSO have targeted innovators and key stakeholders to discuss how they can identify and acquire untreated and at-risk veterans. This is an invite-only event hosted by Booz Allen Hamilton and sponsored in part by Cohen Veterans Network.

“I have lost more than one soldier to suicide even though I kept them all safe in combat,” says Nick Black, Co-Founder of Stop Soldier Suicide. “We are frustrated because the truth is that we haven’t impacted the overall veteran suicide rate and we know we need to do something drastically different in order to change the trajectory. We partnered with NAVSO to help us put the right people in the room in order to tackle our lofty goal of bringing the veteran suicide rate down to the national average. We believe that by challenging the status quo, we can hack the problem of veteran suicide and prevent crisis before it's too late.”

“There is no greater mission than saving lives; so for NAVSO to partner with Stop Soldier Suicide on this important work it was an easy yes,” says Chris Ford, Founder and CEO of NAVSO. “We have worked together to invite people who can think differently about this issue but also many of those who have been doing this work for years so that we can have an intense discussion about the way ahead. As the national association focused on veterans we have a broad view of the work being done across the country and connect organizations making an impact. Our goal for this summit is to create a plan that will step-change the veteran suicide rate next year.”

Suicide is a public health crisis and the tenth leading cause of death in the United States. Recent reports confirm some members of the military community are especially prone to suicide -- approximately 20 veterans commit suicide per day. While many great organizations focus on research and clinical efforts, these have not been sufficient in reducing the stigma or suicide rates in the military community. It is imperative that those at higher risk for suicide are identified and engaged immediately as suicide does not discriminate against rank, gender, race, or sexual orientation. Of the 20 million veterans in the United States, approximately 70% are not actively seeking care with the Department of Veterans Affairs. To bring this rate down, the community needs to focus on those veterans outside VA care so we can find and engage the 7,000 veterans that are at greatest risk for taking their own life next year.

Kelly Stormer
National Association of Veteran-Serving Organizations
+1 7036468780
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