Vanjhcs partners with hudson county to address suicide prevention | va new jersey health care | veterans affairs

Hudson County is all-in when it comes to preventing suicide. VA New Jersey Health Care System has recently partnered with the Hudson County Suicide Prevention Coalition and the following

officials: Kearny Mayor Alberto G. Santos, Secaucus Mayor Michael Gonnelli, East Newark Mayor Dina M. Grilo, Hoboken Mayor Bhalla, Jersey City Office of Veterans Affairs, County Executive

Thomas DeGise, Jersey City Director of Health and Human Services Stacey Flanagan, Councilman James Solomon, and Bayonne Mayor James Davis. These partnerships have been formed to provide free

SAVE training and to distribute more than 300-gun locks throughout Hudson County.  The Coalitions’ goal is to save the lives of veterans, active service members, and their families. They

are promoting the distribution of lethal means safety materials and training to empower Veterans, community members, providers, and loved ones to ask the question and save as many lives as

possible. “One of the effects the Coalition would like to have in the community is to increase awareness, guidance, and education to end veteran suicide, “said Hudson County Veterans

Coordinator JoAnn Northgrave.   The Coalition continues to deliver free SAVE training  to Hudson County, offered by VANJHCS Suicide Prevention Coordinator Bradley Jacobs. In addition, the

Coalition is creating locations within the community in which residents can access gun locks for free.  The effort is a part of VA’s ongoing Suicide Prevention 2.0 campaign. Many Veterans

are well-versed in gun safety; yet many who die by suicide use firearms. The coalition is therefore using a collaborative approach and working with the entire community, including local gun

shop owners. Urban Tactical and Gun-A-Rama are already committed to increasing access to the safe storage of firearms. “Having honest conversations about Veteran suicide and gun safety is

what this initiative is all about,” said David Pearson, Assistant Director of Veteran Services at Catholic Family & Community Service and member of the Hudson County Suicide Prevention

Coalition. David has been working diligently along with various community entities to bring awareness and resources to all veterans and their families.   The risk of unintentional firearm

deaths among youth drops by 80 percent when guns are stored separately from ammunition in a lock box. “We will therefore continue to educate the community on this fact that a locked firearm

can mean the difference between a life saved and a tragic outcome for a person struggling with suicide” said County Executive Thomas DeGise.    “As a community we all learned about how to

respond to someone with care when they are in crisis, we also gained insight on some of the reasons why reducing access to lethal means saves many lives,” said Kearny Mayor Alberto G.

Santos.     By educating the community we are increasing awareness and in distributing free gun locks we are working collaboratively with gun retailers on suicide prevention efforts. “Our

next collaborative efforts include, offering free training in safety planning,” said VA Suicide Prevention Community Engagement and Partnership Coordinator Martha Rodriguez. “We want to

increase access to resources, reduce barriers to education and increase spaces in the community in which these exist.”   Anyone interested in a free cable gun lock and local suicide

prevention resources in Hudson County can contact, Hudson County Veterans Services Coordinator JoAnn Northgrave.  VA wants to help your community start a local Veteran-focused Suicide

Prevention Coalition. Please reach out to a VANJHCS Suicide Prevention Community Engagement & Partnership Coordinator learn how we can help you prevent suicide in your town.