Governor's Challenge
Governor Lee has accepted the challenge to reduce suicides among Service Members, Veteran’s, and their Families (SMVF)
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The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA) has partnered with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to continue this initiative. SAMHSA’s Servicemembers, Veterans, and their Families Technical Assistance (SMVF TA) Center works with states and communities to strengthen their behavioral health systems serving Servicemembers, Veterans, and their Families (SMVF). The Center provides support through the provision of technical assistance and the promotion of ongoing interagency collaboration.
OVERVIEW
The Governor’s Challenge is a call to action, asking state military and civilian interagency teams to embark on a process of collaborating, planning, and implementing suicide prevention best practices and policies for SMVF state-wide. Technical assistance offered through this initiative is designed to provide a forum for states to consider how existing policies, practices, infrastructure, and resources influence the effectiveness of the systems that support SMVF. Teams will develop state-wide plans for SMVF based on the comprehensive public health approach to preventing suicide. The first meeting will be a virtual encounter on May 8
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. This committee will be co-lead by TSPN and Laura Rasnake from the Mountain Home VA center in East TN.
