Suicide Prevention Month: VRCN partners unite to support Veterans
The Veteran Resources Community Network and its partners are mobilizing resources ahead of Suicide Prevention Month in September, with a particular focus on Buddy Check Week scheduled for September 21-25. During the August VRCN Monthly Connect meeting, VA leaders, partners, and advocates shared resources and community-led approaches to suicide prevention, emphasizing that strong community connections can help veterans find support before reaching a crisis point. VA Chief Veterans Experience Officer Lynda Davis opened the session by reaffirming the shared responsibility to prevent suicide, noting that it affects not only individuals but also families and communities, often for years.
The Veteran Resources Community Network serves as a collaborative platform where organizations serving veterans, families, caregivers, and military-connected communities work together to share resources, build relationships, and connect veterans to care and support. VRCN's monthly meetings bring together VA leadership, community partners, and advocates to coordinate outreach efforts and ensure veterans have access to the services they need. This coordinated approach recognizes that suicide prevention requires engagement beyond VA facilities, reaching veterans where they live and through the organizations they already trust.
Buddy Check Week is part of VA's Don't Wait, Reach Out campaign and encourages veterans, families, friends, and supporters to check in with people in their lives. This year's resources include refreshed guidance, a redesigned webpage explaining how to conduct a buddy check, peer wellness training videos, and downloadable outreach materials. Bobbi Hauptmann, senior director of the Office of Suicide Prevention's Communications and Actions Team, emphasized that connection doesn't have to be complicated, noting it can be as simple as a text, phone call, or conversation at a coffee shop.
Partners can share Buddy Check resources and invite veterans to take the pledge through VA's Veteran Buddy Checks program, which encourages participants to reach out to at least ten fellow veterans during Buddy Check Week. VRCN announced its continued collaboration with the Elizabeth Dole Foundation's Face the Fight initiative to increase participation, with Starbucks supporting the effort for the third consecutive year by donating gift cards to the first 20,000 individuals who complete the pledge and training. The meeting also highlighted a VA outreach campaign focused on sleep and chronic pain, two concerns that can affect mental health and increase suicide risk, which has helped connect more than 35,000 veterans not enrolled in VA care with healthcare services since January.
For disabled veterans specifically, these initiatives matter because isolation and difficulty accessing care can compound the challenges already associated with service-connected conditions. Sleep disturbances and chronic pain are common among veterans with disabilities, and addressing these issues early can prevent them from escalating into mental health crises. The emphasis on community connection and culturally responsive programs, such as Televeda's Hero's Story Project for American Indian and Alaska Native veterans, demonstrates that effective suicide prevention meets veterans where they are and respects their individual circumstances.
Veterans experiencing crisis or anyone concerned about a veteran can contact the Veterans Crisis Line 24/7 by dialing 988 and pressing 1, chatting at VeteransCrisisLine.net/Chat, or texting 838255. Organizations serving veterans can join VRCN to participate in these collaborative efforts, while individual veterans can take the Buddy Check pledge and make a point to reach out to fellow veterans during the week of September 21-25. Even veterans not currently enrolled in VA healthcare can benefit from these outreach efforts, as the sleep and chronic pain campaign demonstrates VA's commitment to connecting all veterans with needed services regardless of enrollment status.