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Thomas Winkel,
MA, LPC, NCC, Director
Arizona Coalition for Military Families
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ACMF is a non-profit organization in Arizona that works with public and private partners to build the state’s capacity to support Arizona’s 500,000+ service members, veterans, and their families with a collective impact model that uses an upstream approach to suicide prevention.
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From the Desk of Thomas Winkel | |
This August marks 13 years since the founding of the Arizona Coalition for Military Families! Since the Coalition was established, our Arizona approach to building capacity and support for our 500,000+ service members, veterans, and their families has been a point of interest for other communities across the country. Our team has provided technical assistance to every state and territory over the past decade, sharing best practices for community collaboration and upstream prevention, and that work continues to this day.
At the beginning of August, an Arizona team traveled to Washington, D.C., to participate in an Innovations Conference for the Governor’s and Mayor’s Challenge to Prevent Suicide Among Service Members, Veterans, and their Families. At the event, the Arizona team joined teams from almost every other state and territory to focus on how to advance our collective effort to prevent suicide.
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Pictured left to right: Nicola Winkel, Dee Person and Ayla Linder from the Arizona Coalition for Military Families and Col. Wanda Wright (Ret.) from the Arizona Department of Veterans' Services. | |
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Here are some of the main takeaways from that discussion:
- Established in 2017, Be Connected is Arizona’s upstream prevention program to support Arizona’s 500,000+ service members, veterans, and their families across all social determinants of health.
- The Arizona Coalition for Military Families team has provided technical assistance to all 54 state and territory teams over the last decade in Arizona, on-site in states, at events, and virtually to share our best practices so all of the nation’s service members, veterans, and their families benefit from what we do.
- Be Connected leverages a public health approach to suicide prevention that includes proactive prevention, crisis response, and treatment.
- Be Connected’s Upstream Prevention model focuses on early intervention across all of the social determinants of health using a data-driven, layered prevention approach.
- Be Connected Community Corps is one way that we’re creating a force multiplier. By training and equipping community members to be an “open door” to support, we are bringing services and support into the community through these helpers.
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Symposium Survey: Share Your Thoughts | |
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We want to make sure that the experience provided during the 13th Annual Statewide Symposium in Support of Service Members, Veterans & Their Families is a valuable one. That’s why we’re asking you to take a brief survey about what topics you’d like to see on the Symposium agenda.
Thank you in advance for helping make the 13th Annual Statewide Symposium the best one yet!
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September is Suicide Prevention Month. Although our daily mission is focused on ways to prevent suicide among the service member and veteran population in Arizona, the month of September offers an opportunity for us to extend our reach and amplify awareness efforts.
Suicide is a public health issue and suicide prevention is a way to contribute to the overall health of our families, communities, and nation. We all have an essential role to play when it comes to suicide prevention. Here are some constructive ways you can contribute to suicide prevention efforts and increase the health of the community:
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Take in facts about suicide.
- Veterans are at a higher risk for suicide.
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Veterans have an adjusted suicide rate that is 52.3% greater than the non-veteran US adult population. Source: SAMHSA
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People who have previously served in the military account for about 13.7% of suicides among adults in the United States. Source: VA
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In 2019, 1.6% of former active-duty service members aged 18-25 years reported making a suicide attempt during the previous 12 months. This was an increase from 0.9% in 2009. Source: SAMHSA
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Act with compassion. Seek to understand, and avoid making assumptions and judgments.
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Learn to recognize concerning behaviors and signs of suicide.
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Know what to do and how to seek assistance.
- Call 9-1-1 if the situation is actively dangerous
- Call 9-8-8 for crisis support 24/7
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Start a conversation and stay calm if someone you know exhibits concerning signs.
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Ask if the person is thinking about suicide.
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Be there. Don’t leave the person alone.
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Connect them to resources such as 9-8-8 or take them to the Emergency Room
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Social Determinants of Health
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Real Stories, Real Successes!
How Be Connected Helps Arizona Veterans
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Providing a Vital Connection | |  |
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A 64-year-old veteran in rural Central Arizona recently called the Be Connected support line (866-4AZ-VETS) because he was out of food. His rent was increased to a point that left him with little to no money to purchase food since his income was fixed. He could not drive and had gotten to the point that he was trying to catch fish in the stream, but was unsuccessful.
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A Marine veteran lost his job during the pandemic, so he was working as a day laborer to make ends meet. Unfortunately, when he injured himself, he had to stop working and was unemployed for almost a year. Limited finances forced the veteran to move to a different place. After saving up, the veteran paid a $2100 deposit for the new place. It wasn’t until he was moving into the rental home that he realized it was a scam. | |
Veteran Receives New Air Conditioner
Rosemarie and Richard St. Michael have been living with a run down air conditioning unit for more than a decade. Thanks to the generosity of Erin and Kurt Robert, Owners of AAA Cooling Specialists, the St. Michaels are resting comfortably tonight. AAA Cooling Specialists worked with the Arizona Coalition for Military Families and the Gold Star Mothers to identify the St. Michaels and provide an entire system replacement for them.
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Veteran StandDown Helps Resolve Legal Issues | Video courtesy of Maricopa County. | Veteran Learns More About His Benefits at Veteran StandDown | Video courtesy of ABC 15. | |
Upcoming Veteran StandDown Events
- September 9: Williams
- September 16: Prescott/Yavapai County
- October 22: Lake Havasu City
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“There’s some things – some issues that we don’t know what to do with,” said Bob Dusek, a Marine Corps veteran. “We look forward to standdown because its people we see every year.”
Bob is one of the hundreds of veterans who benefit from the services, connections, and solutions that are possible at veteran standdown events. If you’ve never been to a veteran standdown, you might be wondering what it is and why someone would go. The standdown events are very similar to resource fairs that cater specifically to the needs of veterans to assist with everything from employment, clothing, benefits, housing, haircuts, healthcare services, and even legal aid. Government agencies, businesses, veteran service organizations, and non-profit agencies are on hand to bring their services out into the community and make it convenient for veterans to tackle multiple needs all in one place at one time.
The Be Connected team attends veteran standdown events across the state to make sure every veteran is aware of the Be Connected support line that offers no-cost support and referrals to resources. At the Be Connected standdown booth, veterans will also find swag bags as well as opportunities to engage with the Career Navigation team who offer resume assistance and links to no-cost certifications, paid externships, and other career-related opportunities. Be Connected services are available to service members (active duty, Guard & Reserve), veterans, and their family members.
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Operation Enduring Gratitude
Operation Enduring Gratitude (OEG) is a Be Connected Partner that helps veterans with mobility challenges who have difficulty entering and exiting their homes.
Learn More
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Transition from Military Duty to a Civilian Career with SkillBridge
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We hope you will be able to join us in person for the 2023 Statewide Symposium in Support of Services Members, Veterans & Their Families taking place April 19 & 20, 2023.
Everyone is welcome to join this ever-expanding community of people and organizations that attend the annual Symposium to strengthen how we collectively care for, serve, support, employ, educate and assist the 500,000+ service members, veterans and families that call Arizona home. Learn more at ConnectVeterans.org/Symposium
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The Arizona Coalition for Military Families works collaboratively with government agencies, community members, and partner organizations to form an Ecosystem of Support that Arizona's service members, veterans, and their families can access through the Be Connected support line, 866-4AZ-VETS, and ConnectVeterans.org. Be Connected offers no-cost support and connections to resources and has trained more than 6,000 community members to provide resource navigation services. | | | | |
