WHAT ARE WE DOING IN NC?
North Carolina’s three priority areas are based on the Veterans Administration National Suicide Prevention Strategy. They are: identify SMVF and screen for suicide risk, promote connectedness and improve care transitions and educate the public about limiting access to lethal means and improve safety planning.
Challenge Accepted
We plan to address the issue head-on in North Carolina working with the cities and counties in the state to implement evidence-based practices on the local level reaching deep into the places that Veterans, service members and their families live, work, and play.
What we know about suicide in the U.S.
Someone dies from suicide every 12 minutes—and over the past two decades, suicide rates have increased in every state across the country. For the first time in recent generations, life expectancy is decreasing due to suicide. According to the latest research:
There were 1.4 million attempts and more than 47,000 deaths from suicide.
Rural counties are being hit the hardest with suicide rates double the rate in urban counties.
Suicide is at its
highest level
and is still rising.
There has been an alarming 50% increase of suicide rates among women.
Each person who dies by suicide leaves behind 135 people who knew that person —
and the impact of suicide and the bereavement that follow.
Suicide touches whole communities
COMMUNITY PARTNERS
Mayor’s Challenge to Prevent Veteran Suicide in Charlotte and Mecklenburg County
Together With Veterans – Carteret County
Together With Veterans – Macon County
Together With Veterans (TWV) is a collaboration between the Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC) for Suicide Prevention, the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education Behavioral Health Program (WICHE BHP), local Veterans, and other community stakeholders. Through these partnerships, TWV supports the dissemination of best practices in public health suicide prevention to rural communities. North Carolina has two TWV sites–the Veterans Coalition Crystal Coast in Carteret County and the Western North Carolina Veterans Purpose (WNCVP) in Macon County. If your county is interested in forming a community collaborative, the Rocky Mountain MIRECC offers a toolkit for community expansion as well as an overview, guiding principles, and resources. For more information, please contact Crystal Miller, DMVA, at crystal.miller@milvets.nc.gov.