National Alert!

[spike]

Many have heard the many promises of the Veterans Affairs. Well one of these recent promises are coming to light very soon.

August 31, 2007, the VA is scheduled to being ops based out of the Canadaigua VA Medical Center in NYS. It will be staffed with health professionals, allegedly, and is slated to operate 7/24. Program coordinators, mental health proffesionals, hotline staffing, clinicians and non-clinicians are obligated to take part of all the training on warning signs for suicide, guide vets into care and work with teh facilities to identify veterans at risk.

Recently, the VA allegedly convened a four day mental health forum in DC with the Departments top mental health staff.

I am so active in organizations and publications, that I just got this in one of my many legislative newsletters. Figured I would pass it on. It has a significance to myself because Canadaigua is approximately only 45 minutes away from where I live max.

After speaking to ER staff here in Buffalo, I was told that if the 10th floor does not have beds (which happens often) and they do not staff any Pysch doctors after 4, they basically put you in a local mental ward until a room is available or a doctor is available the next business day. So this hotline is significant if it works as its suppose to.

[Jazona]

Since when does anything the VA does work as it is supposed to? They will screw it up just as they screw up everything they do.

jaz

[Berta]

Spike _I am about 45 minutes south of Canadaigua VAMC with the Lake on right hand side of the route-

We New Yorkers in these parts never say how many miles-distance is measured in minutes!

That is an excellent facility- Principi almost closed it and we all protested around these parts- he visited Bath VA same week and fortunately he kept Bath VA open too-

I wonder- is VA making any attempt to inform the family members of vets of the Suicide Hot Line and all the help that is becomong available now?

Sometimes family members are the first to see and hear the warning signs of suicidal ideation past the point of just an idle thought that goes away-

They should know how to react fast.

No one should take chances with a potentially suicidal vet-

so many of us have both cell phones and regular phones that even if a vet calls someone up and threatens suicide- the person they call usually has another phone handy to call the EMS or police dispatch 911 to deal with it.

It is way too serious for any non-professional friend or family member to attempt to deal with.

Edited July 26, 2007 by Berta

[spike]

I don't know Berta. I mean what do you do if a vet is suffering from PTSD and he/she is on treatment. I have heard horror stories of vets who felt "out of body" in the sense they had no idea that their brain flipped the switch. In that case, i think they should call the number but never try to help a vet physically. I'd call the number and let the pros deal with it.

[Berta]

You bet- let the pros deal with it-

I got a call at 4 AM once- a vet I knew said he had "escaped" from the VA nut house -(what we all called 6P in those days)- a great place at the VA to visit-

I talked him down-he was suicidial too and he ended up promising me he would take a bus from Corning back to the VAMC at 6 30 when the bus came-

I couldnt sleep so I waited until 8AM and headed over to Day Treatment where he was supposed to be sent from 6 P everyday .He was there already and when I walked in his team social worker accosted me and said why didnt you call us when he called you?

Who is working here at 4 AM I asked and then she just kept going on and on and said I should have reported his call to the night operator-I didnt because I really didnt believe he actually had escaped -I thought he had a pass) well- after losing hours of sleep I reminded her that I am un unpaid VA volunteer, this whole situation was out of my volunteer agreement with VA and that she as a paid VA employee should give him her home phone number as I would certainly do-so he could call her up at 4 AM the next time-

Just goes to show-

1. we are not usually trained in suicidial situations or even to know if they are serious or not-

2. I say call the VA suicide line if the veteran wont-and then call the police/EMS dispatch if a situation seems out of control-

I have had other suicide calls and emails that threaten suicide-

I put the State Police into my immediate link place and can email the state troopers while I talk to whoever calls me-

and I have my neighbors phone number right on my cell phone too- he is a state trooper.I am also affiliated with fire/police/EMS here too-a call or click away-

no one here should really deal with this type of situation-

guess I better program the VA suicide numbers too-

Edited July 30, 2007 by Berta

[Berta]

Mr. Schneider (NCOA) just emailed me this info: (hope this isnt what was already posted-) BTW NCOA http://www.ncoausa.org/ excellent site and

http://www.ncoa.org/content.cfm?sectionid=210 National Council on Ageing

"Veteran Suicide Hot Line Established More Info

Share the Information with Veterans and their Families

The Department of Veterans Affairs has established a Suicide Hot Line to ensure veterans with emotional crises have round-the-clock access to trained professionals. NCOA applauds this action with the regret that the Suicide Hot Line was not established sooner! The NCOA Executive Director for Government Affairs Richard Schneider stated that veterans seeking professional mental health services must be taken care of 24/7(any hour of the day or night).

Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jim Nicholson wants every veteran and their family members to know that VA Mental Health Professionals are just a phone call away and that for many who experienced the stresses of combat may have wounds on their minds as well as their bodies.

The toll-free hot line number is 1-800-273-TALK (8255). VA’s hot line will be staffed by mental health professionals in Canandaigua, N.Y. They will take toll-free calls from across the country and work closely with local VA mental health providers to help callers.

To operate the national hot line, VA is partnering with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide referral and assistance to veterans. The hot line will put veterans in touch – any time of the day or night, any day of the week, from anywhere in the country – with trained, caring professionals who can help. Schneider emphasized that for the telephone referral program to work effectively that veterans must be honest in conveying their need and urgency for assistance. Most veterans even when seriously impacted by mental or physical issues seem to minimize their problems which he noted could be to their disadvantage.

For questions concerning NCOA’s legislative program, please contact us at legislat@ncoadc.org or call (703) 549-0311. "

Edited July 30, 2007 by Berta

[john999]

The only way they would catch on that a vet was suicidal at my VAMC is if he sat down and pointed a gun at his head. The are too busy doing paperwork and med checks.