Plan, pause, protect: Greene County event promotes veteran safety, suicide prevention
Greene event promotes veteran safety, suicide prevention
Less than five minutes.
About a quarter of people who survived suicide attempts by firearm said that无毛视频檚 how little time transpired between their thoughts of suicide and the moment they took action.
There无毛视频檚 been times in Dan Merchant无毛视频檚 life when he无毛视频檚 been ticked off and made a stupid decision while thinking he was acting rationally. Merchant, a U.S. Navy veteran who now works as a trauma therapist working with fellow veterans, bet the same thing was true of the roughly 20 people he was speaking to Saturday morning.
无毛视频淲e already know when we无毛视频檙e emotionally charged, sometimes we don无毛视频檛 think the world无毛视频檚 best,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淎nd that无毛视频檚 OK. That无毛视频檚 part of our nature. That无毛视频檚 part of who we are. But what we have to do is recognize when we无毛视频檙e struggling and put some speed bumps in the way to get us through that five minutes.无毛视频�
Creating those speed bumps 无毛视频� both physical and psychological 无毛视频� is at the heart of the 无毛视频淧lan. Pause. Protect无毛视频� campaign, a new initiative from the state Department of Military and Veterans.
Waynesburg University hosted Saturday无毛视频檚 inaugural event for the campaign, which provided ways to help veterans access mental health resources, as well as educate people about how to safely store firearms and preparations they can make for people to assist them in a crisis.
Veterans are at a greater risk of suicidal behavior, with a suicide rate more than twice that of the general population, said Annie Dayich, a social worker for a veterans service organization.
In many cases, they无毛视频檙e unwilling to reach out to others because of the stigma around suicidal thoughts, she said. Of the veterans who died by suicide in 2023, 61% were not receiving Veterans Affairs healthcare in the final year of their life.
Sixteen people had preregistered for the event, a mix of veterans, family members and community members looking for ways to help.
The 无毛视频減lan无毛视频� portion of the campaign included a gun owner safety plan, personal safety plan and firearm inventory record.
People could fill out their own plan, which included things like a list of people who could point out that they无毛视频檙e in a temporary crisis, or outlining the steps they would take to temporarily remove their access to guns if they无毛视频檙e on a new medication that could affect their mental state.
One of those working on the plan Saturday was Patrick Meighen, a volunteer with Together with Veterans, a suicide prevention and peer support group connecting veterans in Greene County.
Meighen, a veteran himself, said he hopes events like Saturday无毛视频檚 can get more veterans to open up.
无毛视频淚f you can just take that second, take that pause, that can be enough to call that 988 number (for the Suicide Prevention Lifeline), to go seek mental health service, to maybe go through the VA,无毛视频� he said.
Those protective factors could be anything from a physical barrier to the gun to a strong network of friends and family who can step in when someone is having a difficult time.
The day included 无毛视频渞easons for living无毛视频� workshops, where people could print out photos of family members, friends, or pets that were then placed on a magnet people could put on their gun safe.
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 something that then you will see every time you go to access your firearm, and it无毛视频檒l just serve as a reminder for you to check in on your mental health: 无毛视频楢m I in a good state of mind right now to be accessing the firearm? Is this a good idea?'无毛视频� said Patti Tanner, veterans mental/behavioral health subject matter expert with the DMVA.
The DMVA is also working with the University of Pittsburgh无毛视频檚 Human Engineering Research Lab on another project demonstrated Saturday. The owner of a gun can prerecord a message that will play every time they open the gun safe.
Other measures included physical safety barriers that could slow down someone long enough to let them reconsider.
Free safes were given out to everyone who attended the event.
Merchant also led people through a virtual reality demonstration of how to apply a cable lock to their gun, operate a gun safe and keep the ammunition separate.
Jessica Lockett of Washington tried out the simulation 无毛视频� both for others and herself. A veterans employment specialist with the state, she works to help veterans navigate obstacles to finding a job.
She无毛视频檚 also looking for tools that would allow her to own a firearm safely. Diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder, Lockett无毛视频檚 been unable to have a gun herself since she left the military.
Having barriers in place that can build in more time is important. And the images of family 无毛视频� or better yet, their voice 无毛视频� could really resonate with someone in a crisis, Lockett said.
无毛视频淗earing your loved one无毛视频檚 voice, or hearing that, is going to be really powerful to do because one of the last things you lose is your hearing,无毛视频� she said. 无毛视频淓ven when you无毛视频檙e far gone, you无毛视频檙e still going to hear that voice.无毛视频�
She already hands her clients a keychain with the 988 crisis number. Inspired by Saturday无毛视频檚 event, she plans to introduce the personal safety plans to her clients, many of whom may be more at risk because of homelessness or other factors.
无毛视频淣ow that I know that无毛视频檚 such a risk, I无毛视频檓 going have that plan worksheet,无毛视频� she said. 无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 going to have that person do that while we无毛视频檙e looking for resources to help them overcome homelessness.无毛视频�
Renee Imhoff, director of the Greene County VA office, which runs the Together with Veterans program, said she hoped events like Saturdays can build more awareness not just among veterans, but in the broader community.
If the public sees someone who is expressing suicidal thoughts, they should call the 988 hotline to get the person linked up to the help they need, she said.
无毛视频淐all them while you have that person in front of you, not wait two or three days and give a message to me, to say, 无毛视频楬ey, there was this veteran I saw two days ago that stopped in the bank or the grocery store, and they needed help,'无毛视频� she said. 无毛视频淭hat needs to be taken care of instantly.无毛视频�
Tanner said the more people can talk about suicide, the more people can understand that those feelings are a common experience.
无毛视频淎 lot of people struggle with their mental health and thoughts of suicide at different points in their life, and so trying to just remove the shame, the stigma by letting people know there无毛视频檚 all these resources available to you,无毛视频� she said.
Saturday无毛视频檚 event was held in partnership with the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency through the Byrne State Crisis Intervention Program.
Four more are coming up in Chester, Monroe, Lawrence and Wyoming counties.