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April 24, 2008
VA hot line aims to reduce number of suicides
The New York Times (4/22, Cohen) reports on its website that a veterans' hot line (1-800-273-TALK) "is part of a specialized effort by" the VA "to reduce suicide by enabling counselors, for the first time, to instantly check a veteran's medical records, and then combine emergency response with local follow-up services."
The hot line, which is staffed "24 hours a day, seven days a week" by "social workers, addiction specialists, and nurses," has "received more than 37,200 calls, and made more than 720 rescues" since its inception last August. According to Janet Kemp, Ph.D., R.N., the VA's national suicide prevention coordinator, hot line "counselors have medical information at their fingertips, which they use to connect vets with counseling near their homes." Calls for help, which are "split fairly evenly between Vietnam and Iraq veterans," can also come from friends and family members.
Related Links:
- "Talking Veterans Down From Despair," Patricia Cohen, New York Times, April 22, 2008.
Posted by admin at April 24, 2008 10:13 AM