NJ Spotlight News
New program to boost mental health care for NJ veterans
Clip: 8/23/2023 | 3m 59sVideo has Closed Captions
The program will train community and faith-based groups
The state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs is partnering with the New Jersey Hospital Association on an initiative to try and drive down those numbers. The program will train community and faith-based groups to recognize the signs and symptoms of mental health distress in veterans, and to help connect them with the services they need to get help.
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NJ Spotlight News is a local public television program presented by THIRTEEN PBS
NJ Spotlight News
New program to boost mental health care for NJ veterans
Clip: 8/23/2023 | 3m 59sVideo has Closed Captions
The state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs is partnering with the New Jersey Hospital Association on an initiative to try and drive down those numbers. The program will train community and faith-based groups to recognize the signs and symptoms of mental health distress in veterans, and to help connect them with the services they need to get help.
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipIt's no secret that America's veterans often struggle with mental health issues when they return home from their service.
And while a number of programs have rolled out to help support them.
Rates of suicide among vets remain high, nearly double that of nonmilitary individuals.
According to the U.S. Veterans Affairs, annual suicide prevention report.
Well, here in New Jersey, the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs has partnered with the New Jersey Hospital Association on an effort to prevent veterans suicide by raising awareness about it with all those who care about them.
Raven Santana attended an event in Sea Girt and has more on the program.
The goal of this training is that someone in the community can better recognize the signs that a veteran may be in distress.
Members of the New Jersey Hospital Association, New Jersey Mental Health Association and the deputy commissioner of Veterans Affairs met at the National Guard Training Center in Sea Girt, where they announced a new statewide mental health first aid training program to support veterans and their families.
The goals of the governor's challenge to prevent suicide among service members, veterans and their families is one to identify those people right to get them screened for any kind of mental health risk through our VA partners or through New Jersey providers.
Our second goal is to promote connectedness to ensure that those that they interact with, whether it be in their church, their temple, their mosque, their synagogue, or perhaps at a Rotary Club, that those folks know that they're veterans and can help them if they're in crisis.
And third, I believe one of the most important things that we can do to reduce suicide in this community is increase awareness about lethal means safety.
According to the VA's veteran suicide data and reporting mental health in 2018.
The New Jersey veteran's suicide rate was nearly seven points higher than the New Jersey non-veteran suicide rate.
Mental health for state is basic it's for anybody to take.
And so individuals will learn signs and symptoms of maybe emerging mental health challenges.
And then when those challenges might be becoming worse and then if somebody who might be in a crisis situation it teaches us to notice to to support to connect we don't treat.
But this is something that anybody can do just like basic first aid.
Right.
We put we put that pressure on the wound into those appropriate professionals can be engaged.
Ruth Kaluski is the statewide director of strategic programs in Mental Health First Aid at the Mental Health Association in New Jersey.
She says the initiative that's in partnership with the New Jersey Hospital Association is looking to train a wide variety of people, especially those who come into close contact with veterans.
So the great thing about mental health first aid, it is an eight hour training, right?
It's in all 50 states, 26 countries.
It's taught the same way, which is just important because that's where the evidence base comes from.
So the evidence around mental health for state is that people do leave our class with increased mental health awareness.
United States Marine Corps veteran Dr. Michael Mims is a certified mental first aid teacher and says the program is critical to eliminating stigmas around mental health among veterans.
This class teaches us ways and in strategies to help get people that won't open up to open up.
Having that network built and expanded throughout this state will help that person in crisis, whether they're sitting in their kitchen, if they're sitting at work, if they're standing on a street corner or if they're walking into a hospital.
And that's what we want to see happen.
Through this training and what we've seen happen as mental health first aid has been rolled out internationally.
Right.
This is a sustainable model.
This is not a one shot deal.
This is a sustainable model.
That's evidence base.
Palomino says there will be two trainings in each of New Jersey's 21 counties over the course of the next 12 months.
For NJ Spotlight News, I'm Raven Santana.
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