Florida joins President’s Roadmap to Combat Veteran Suicides
TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis has lent his signature to the Florida Veteran Suicide Prevention Month Proclamation, highlighting the state’s involvement with the nation’s comprehensive suicide prevention effort known as PREVENTS.
On March 5, 2019, President Trump signed Executive Order 13861, The President’s Roadmap to Empower Veterans and End a National Tragedy of Suicide (PREVENTS), with a call to action to highlight and accelerate progress in addressing veteran suicides.
PREVENTS seeks to change the culture surrounding mental health and suicide prevention through enhanced community integration, prioritized research activities and implementation strategies that emphasize improved overall health and well-being.
In conjunction with PREVENTS, Florida accepted the “Governor’s Challenge to Prevent Suicide Among Service Members, Veterans and their Families,” a national 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 service members, veterans and their families statewide.
Both PREVENTS and the Governor’s Challenge acknowledge that by working together on all levels, we can substantively reduce suicide.
The PREVENTS task force is partnering with stakeholders including the Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs, as well as nonprofits, state and local organizations, Fortune 500 companies, and government leaders, to implement best practices to improve health and prevent suicide.
For more information on the PREVENTS campaign, visit https://www.va.gov/PREVENTS
For 24-hour counsel, call the National Veteran Crisis Hotline at 1-800-273-8255. You may also call the Florida Veterans Support Line at 1-844-MyFLVet (693-5838) or 2-1-1.
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