The Georgia Department of Veterans Service (GDVS) and the Center for the Advancement of Military and Emergency Services (AMES) at Kennesaw State University recently received additional funding to continue researching and conducting outreach to prevent veteran suicide.

The GDVS first received grant funds from VA in 2022 as part of the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program (SSG Fox SPGP), a three-year grant program which provides funding to community-based organizations with innovative ideas for preventing veteran suicide. Funding was continued in 2023.

The GDVS and AMES collaborative initiative is one of only eight programs nationwide to receive all three years of SSG Fox SPGP funding.

“We are grateful to have been awarded the grant for a third consecutive year, allowing us to continue our important work in preventing veteran suicide,” said GDVS Commissioner Dr. Patricia Ross. “Our partners at AMES have been a tremendous asset in building a network of care and helping Georgia’s veterans and their families.”

The third year of grant funding will be used to continue researching suicide prevention, connecting individuals with resources, and expanding the suicide prevention communication and outreach network built throughout the last two years as GDVS and AMES have connected with community resources. 

With the first two years of SSG Fox SPGP funds, GDVS worked closely with AMES to identify emerging trends of suicidality in veterans in Georgia, host suicide prevention trainings with community and non-profit organizations, and connect veterans and their families to mental health resources. 

One of the major tools in accomplishing this work is a screening assessment to help identify suicidal risk and provide assistance or referrals to mental healthcare services. Over 7,000 suicide risk assessments in 134 counties have been completed using this screening tool developed in partnership with AMES. 

As part of the grant’s outreach efforts, the GDVS and AMES worked collaboratively to host two state-wide suicide prevention awareness summits. The summits focused on increasing community connections by providing resources and the latest research updates to community partners, non-profit organizations, and mental and behavioral healthcare providers. Over 50 unique organizations from across the state attended the summits. 

While engaging with veterans and families as part of the SSG Fox SPGP, both GDVS and AMES utilize Unite Georgia to connect individuals with essential resources. Unite Georgia, a coordinated care referral network, connects individuals with local resources for critical needs such as food assistance, housing, transportation, and healthcare services. 

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A life honored 

SSG Fox SPGP honors Veteran Parker Gordon Fox, who joined the Army in 2014 and was a sniper instructor at the U.S. Army Infantry School at Fort Benning, Georgia. Known for a life of generosity and kindness to others in need, Fox died by suicide on July 21, 2020, at the age of 25. 

To learn more about the Georgia Department of Veterans Service, visit https://veterans.georgia.gov. Information on the SSG Fox SPGP can be found at www.mentalhealth.va.gov/ssgfox-grants/.

If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, contact the Veterans Crisis Line to receive free, confidential support and crisis intervention available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Dial 988 then Press 1, chat online at VeteransCrisisLine.net/Chat, or text 838255. 

Reporters covering this issue can download VA’s Safe Messaging Best Practices fact sheet or visit www.ReportingOnSuicide.org for important guidance on how to communicate about suicide. 

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About GDVS:

The Georgia Department of Veterans Service (GDVS) is not part of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, but is an agency of Georgia’s state government created for the purpose of advising, counseling, and assisting Georgia’s veterans and their families in receiving their rightful benefits under the vast and complex framework of veterans’ laws. The GDVS mission, to serve Georgia's veterans and their families in all matters pertaining to veterans benefits, falls into two basic tasks: informing veterans and their families about veterans’ benefits, and directly assisting and advising veterans and their families in securing the federal and state benefits to which they are entitled.

The GDVS has offered assistance to Georgia’s veterans and their families for nearly 100 years. The department serves the state’s nearly 700,000 veterans and their families in all matters pertaining to veterans benefits, including applying for the federal and state veterans benefits they have earned at no cost. The state also offers help through a robust appeals division, 2 war veterans homes, 2 veterans memorial cemeteries, and coordinating services across state agencies to veterans. 

Veterans or their family members should contact their local field office to schedule an appointment. 

Locate a veterans service office near you at:  https://veterans.georgia.gov/field-offices.