In September 2021, the South Carolina Department of Veterans' Affairs (SCDVA) assumed responsibilities for the South Carolina Governor's Challenge, which had been previously headed by the South Carolina Department of Mental Health (SCDMH).
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has partnered with the United States Department of Veterans' Affairs (VA) to bring the Governor’s Challenge to Prevent Suicide Among Service Members, Veterans, and their Families to states and communities across the Nation. READ more on the SAMHSA Governor's Challenge by CLICKING HERE.
The VA’s National Strategy for Preventing Veteran Suicide provides a framework for integrating and coordinating suicide prevention activities across multiple sectors. The Governor’s Challenge advances the principles of the National Strategy by facilitating policy-to-practice implementation plans. These plans will serve as instruments of change, providing a best-practice public health model that demonstrates meaningful results in suicide prevention.
The Governor's Challenge is a coalition of Veterans, state agencies/leaders and mental health professionals committed to raising awareness and implementing programs aimed at Veteran suicide prevention.
The South Carolina Department of Veterans' Affairs (SCDVA) continues working on three priority focus areas within the South Carolina Governor's Challenge, which are:
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Priority 1: Identify Service Members, Veterans and their Families (SMVF) and Screen for Suicide Risk
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Priority 2: Promote Connectedness and Improve Care Transitions
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Priority 3: Lethal Means Safety
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Reduce Access for Lethal Means
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VA Mental Health Website: VA’s repository of mental health resources, information, and data materials. Examples of downloadable materials include:
- Community Provider Toolkit: Community providers play an essential role in ensuring America’s veterans receive the support they have earned. The purpose of this toolkit is to link community providers with information and resources that are relevant to veteran’s health and well-being.
- VA’s Safe Messaging Best Practices Fact Sheet: Guidelines for how to write about suicide in the media. The way in which suicide is covered can have life-changing consequences.
- Social Media Safety Toolkit: includes best practices, resources, and sample posts for responding to social media posts that indicate a veteran is having thoughts of suicide.
- Safe Firearm Storage Toolkit: guides communities through the process of building coalitions to raise awareness about safe storage and its connection to suicide prevention.
- Rocky Mountain MIRECC for Veteran Suicide Prevention- Education Core: information about suicide prevention that is accessible to veterans and the wider community
Veteran Crisis Line
2021 NATIONAL VETERAN SUICIDE PREVETNION ANNUAL REPORT
Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention- US Department of Veterans Affairs: September 2021
ANNUAL SUICIDE REPORT CALENDAR YEAR 2020
Department of Defense: Under Secretary of Defense For Personnel and Readiness
GOVERNOR'S AND MAYOR'S CHALLENGES TO PREVENT SUICIDE AMONG SERVICE MEMBERS, VETERANS, AND THEIR FAMILIES
US Department of Health and Human Services: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
NATIONAL STRATEGY FOR PREVENTING VETERAN SUICIDE
US Department of Veteran Affairs
PREVENTION SUICIDE: A TECHNICAL PACKAGE OF POLICY, PROGRAMS, AND PRACTICES
