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Cultivating Hope in Caring Communities: All Hands on Deck Suicide and Gun Violence Prevention
Share PrintThis is a suicide prevention outreach program that can be conducted online or in-person. It targets community leaders, with a focus on faith-based organizations, in the prevention of suicide within their own communities. The program utilizes an existing train-the-trainer video, vignettes, gunlocks, posters and wallet cards, that equips community leaders/suicide prevention champions to educate and equip others and to intervene effectively within their own communities.
Origin:
January 2017, Samuel S. Stratton Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center (Albany, New York)
Adoptions:
3 successful
Awards and Recognition:
VHA Shark Tank Winner, Diffusion of Excellence Promising Practice, Veterans Affairs Secretary Award for Community Partnership
Partners:
Mental Health and Suicide Prevention
Recent Updates
Overview
Problem
On average, there are 17 Veteran suicides every day. About two-thirds of these Veterans are not in VA care. There is a great deal of stigma about mental health and substance use disorders, and for Veterans and Service Members, studies have shown their reluctance to seek help is especially strong. Unfortunately, for those Veterans not yet receiving VA care,
...
On average, there are 17 Veteran suicides every day. About two-thirds of these Veterans are not in VA care. There is a great deal of stigma about mental health and substance use disorders, and for Veterans and Service Members, studies have shown their reluctance to seek help is especially strong. Unfortunately, for those Veterans not yet receiving VA care, traditional outreach strategies have been unsuccessful in reaching, educating, and enrolling Veterans. Also, we have not previously engaged naturally existing community partners, such as faith-based and other prominent community leaders, in identifying and educating social leaders in high risk communities about mental health recovery and available resources. This is an upstream suicide prevention strategy that targets and equips high risk communities with the knowledge, tools, and resources necessary to address mental health concerns, make referrals to VA and other sources of care and support, and ultimately prevent suicides.
See
more
Links
- Veterans struggling with a mental health issue often lead with "I'm good," but we need to recognize warning signs of distress, go beyond the initial reluctance to talk, and engage in a caring conversation. I'm good. But are you ready to listen?
Solution
VA local teams plan and hold training events (face-to-face or virtually) according to the prioritized high need/high risk counties with faith-based organizations and other community partners or groups. The suicide prevention specialist and VA chaplain present information on the relationships between mental health and spirituality, the problem of suicide amo
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VA local teams plan and hold training events (face-to-face or virtually) according to the prioritized high need/high risk counties with faith-based organizations and other community partners or groups. The suicide prevention specialist and VA chaplain present information on the relationships between mental health and spirituality, the problem of suicide among Veterans and Service Members, and the opportunity for community leaders and other champions to help. As part of this training, a carefully constructed video addresses suicide myths, why suicides happen, and how to recognize suicide warning signs. In addition, it provides a unique approach to Veteran discuss mental health concerns and possible suicide risk using the SUN, SOIL, and WATER metaphors. Following the video presentation attendees are given access to the video, a poster, and wallet cards to share within their community. Gunlocks are also made available as a barrier to an impulsive suicidal act. Follow-up evaluations and contact information for VA staff and resources are also provided.
See
more
Links
- Anyone who cares to get involved can view, listen, learn, and directly apply the SUN, SOIL, and WATER strategy described to assist a Veteran receive needed support and services. Are you willing to give 45 minutes of your time to learn how you can help your friend, family member, co-worker or neighbor get help and avoid suicide? This is the main CHCC training video
Results
Feedback from attendees has been consistently positive. Attendees demonstrated consistently high grades in tests of their knowledge of the content. Thousands of gunlocks have been successfully distributed with the training in high risk communities. The video training makes it easy to share the training with others via electronic, virtual and in-person events
...
Feedback from attendees has been consistently positive. Attendees demonstrated consistently high grades in tests of their knowledge of the content. Thousands of gunlocks have been successfully distributed with the training in high risk communities. The video training makes it easy to share the training with others via electronic, virtual and in-person events.
See
more
- A list of quotes by training recipients is compiled. Testimonials
Files
Diffusion tracker
Does not include Clinical Resource Hubs (CRH)
Multimedia
Images
The ongoing refinement of this practice is supported by the Mental Health and Chaplaincy (MH&C) Dynamic Diffusion Network (DDN). The DDN is a network of MH&C-trained chaplains and mental health partners who have developed collaborative approaches to suicide prevention and moral injury care.
Videos
Vignette: Young female OIF Vet SUN/SOIL/WATER conversation
Implementation
Timeline
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Step 1 Establish your team and secure buy-in from leadership:
Implementation begins with a commitment from leadership, your chaplaincy department, and suicide prevention teams to carry out this project. It’s helpful to remind leadership that VERA dollars are brought to the local VAMCs when new enrollees are brought into VA care. The corresponding dollar amount per individual can vary from three to fifty thousand or more per individual, depending on their service-connected disabilities. This outreach is designed to efficiently and effectively reach those potential enrollees, thereby dramatically increasing market penetration rates while also preventing suicides. Because faith-based organizations are embedded throughout all communities and because they are, by nature, community support leaders, they are a high priority for outreach and partnerships. This effort strengthens your VAMC's impact on the community, and the VA chaplain is an important and necessary partner to maximize effectiveness. You will also need some program support (PSA) assistance. -
Step 2 Establish roles and responsibilities
Managing the process is simple, but it’s important to know who does what. Determine the project champion who will be the liaison to leadership, set routine meeting agendas, develop time lines, and initiate community meetings; determine outreach procedures (i.e., who, what and when) to make phone calls, send emails, attend community meetings (such as county mental health or suicide prevention coalition meetings); and, assign support tasks such as creating announcements, laminating/copying, developing and sending announcements, preparing meeting materials (for in-person meetings), coordinating schedules, setting up online meetings, etc. Evaluation tools have been developed and can be used to evaluate the success of your implementation. -
Step 3 Determine target communities (counties)
Determine target communities (counties). Although optional, this can be done by looking at county suicide rates in combination with county market penetration rates. You may also start in counties where you have existing community ties or there is a strong interest. -
Step 4 Establish a timeline for each community outreach event planned
Establish a timeline for each community outreach event planned. Each event will require preparations (especially marketing), tasks to complete on the date of event, and follow-up after an event. A calendar can be used to assign and track person(s) and specific tasks. Evenbrite offers a free platform to announce the events and track attendees who sign up (as well as send them reminders to them). -
Step 5 Begin preparations for the first event
Begin preparations for the first event. Identify a location, date, and community location. Often, the Veterans Services Agency in the county is willing/able to host the event and may even provide refreshments and/or help with marketing. Contact Veteran organizations (VFWs, Posts, etc.) and faith-based organizations by phone, email, and/or in-person visits to tell them about the event and the purpose. Share the fact sheet describing the program. You may event develop a (reusable) brief video that can be uploaded to YouTube and shared as a link that describes the program. Social media outlets can be used too, and your PAO may have suggestions for how to widely announce your event. Send reminders prior to the event and/or call to confirm attendance when not using formal RSVP. You may choose to send materials to the event location ahead of the meeting (gunlocks, wristbands, SUN/SOIL/WATER wallet cards and posters, etc.), especially for online events. We strongly recommend inviting a guest (Veteran) speaker to tell his/her success story. -
Step 6 Execute your first event
Execute your first event. This will be either an online or in-person event. Either way, you may have a guest speaker present (up to 15 minutes), and you will show a PowerPoint presentation (that can be modified for your local audiences) and share the outreach video and one vignette (of your choosing). You can share digital materials, such as the wallet card, by email after the online event. Laminated wallet cards and posters, along with SWAG (to include free gunlocks), can be passed out during in-person events. Using a sign-in sheet (for in-person events), capture the names, addresses, phone numbers, email and addresses of the attendees for follow up. Request a commitment to “partner” with VA and consider asking the organizational leaders to sign a Collaboration Agreement (which is symbolic and nonbinding). Strongly urge each participant to share the video and wallet card with no less than 20 individuals each within the community. Each participant should be given at least 20 SUN/SOIL/WATER wallet cards if possible. Alternatively, they can take pictures of the wallet card to share. Encourage community organization leads to take posters to hang and gunlocks to distribute widely (“in homes where Veterans live or frequent”). Let your participants know there may be an evaluation survey sent by email that you request they complete and send right back that will help you learn how to continue to improve this outreach endeavor. -
Step 7 Follow up after your event
It’s important to follow up with a thank you email. Also, send the evaluation survey by email. Evaluating the results can help you determine areas for improving the marketing, delivery and follow-through of participants.
Departments
- Suicide prevention
- Chaplaincy
Core Resources
| Resource type | Resource description |
|---|---|
PEOPLE |
|
TOOLS |
|
Files
- FB Community Outreach Prep Checklist Checklist
- FB Outreach Card Outreach Card
- Follow-Up Email Follow-Up Email
- Sign-in Sheet Sign-in Sheet
- Clergy Outreach Initial Invitation Letter Clergy Outreach Initial Invitation Letter
- Example Suicide Prevention for Clergy and FBOs virtual presentation Example Virtual Presentation
- Suicide Prevention Poster Poster
- This is an example of what an Eventbrite invitation can look like using link and QR code. Example invitation
Links
- Young female OIF Vet Sun Soil Water Conversation: Option 1
- Vietnam Era Vet Sun Soil Water Conversation: Option 2
- Animated Vet Sun Soil Water Conversation: Option 3
- This is the main training video that we ask be shared widely via social media, text, and email within the community. At the end, there are additional links to three different vignettes that demonstrate the process. Cultivating Hope in Caring Communities
Optional Resources
| Resource type | Resource description |
|---|---|
TOOLS |
|
Files
- Completion Certificate Completion Certificate
- Example Statement of Collaboration Example Statement of Collaboration
Links
- This is the main Training Video
Support Resources
| Resource type | Resource description |
|---|---|
PEOPLE |
|
Links
- This is the main training video that is shared during the outreach event - by USB or shared electronic link. (This does not play of VA computers due to the firewall.) CHCC: SUN, SOIL & WATER Training
Contact
Email VHASPCNY-528A8ALNSuicidePreventionTeam@va.gov with questions about this innovation.
About
Origin story
This innovation that earned to national VA awards at its inception in 2017 was developed by Dr. Joseph Hunter, Ph.D., LCSW, at the Stratton VA Medical Center in Albany, New York. It is designed to reduce suicides of Veterans who are not in VA care who may be struggling with a mental health crisis. The model empowers community leaders to address the problem o
...
This innovation that earned to national VA awards at its inception in 2017 was developed by Dr. Joseph Hunter, Ph.D., LCSW, at the Stratton VA Medical Center in Albany, New York. It is designed to reduce suicides of Veterans who are not in VA care who may be struggling with a mental health crisis. The model empowers community leaders to address the problem of suicide within their communities, providing all the critical information and tools needed to be successful. This process is highly instructive and impactful.
Original team
Joseph Hunter, Ph.D., LCSW
Suicide Prevention Coordinator (retired from VA on 8/2/22)
Bruce Swingle, DMin, BCC
Supervisory Chaplain
Jennifer Stiletto
Community Engagement and Partnership Coordinator
Comment
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