Nicholson: Move Bolsters Strong Mental Health Program
WASHINGTON — To strengthen one of the nation’s largest mental health programs and continue providing world-class health care to the nation’s veterans, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced plans to hire suicide prevention counselors at each of its 153 medical centers.
“Many veterans have paid a high price for their service to our nation and have earned world-class mental health care,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jim Nicholson. “Every suicide is a tragedy that sends ripples of pain throughout families and communities. VA health care professionals are committed to provide timely, compassionate intervention, which might help prevent this needless suffering.”
The new suicide prevention counselors will join the 9,000 mental health professionals already employed by VA. The Department spends nearly $3 billion a year for mental health services. About 1 million VA patients have a mental health diagnosis.
Nicholson previously announced a four-day meeting here in July of mental health clinicians and researchers from across the country. This special forum will review all of the Department’s programs to care for the mental health needs of veterans, especially those returning from combat in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“Preventing suicides requires timely access to high quality mental health services, along with programs specifically devoted to suicide prevention,” said Dr. Michael J. Kussman, VA’s Under Secretary for Health. “Treatment works, both to save lives and to make lives better.”
Mental health services are provided at each of VA’s 153 medical centers and more than 700 community-based outpatient clinics. Last month, Nicholson announced an initiative to hire 100 new employees to provide readjustment counseling at each of the Department’s 207 community-based Vets Centers.
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