Team / Background
Governor’s Challenge Leadership Team
Background
Governor’s Challenge Background:
- On March 5, 2019, President Trump signed Executive Order (13861) to to Empower Veterans and End Suicide
- The VA and HHS Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) asked cities to join the “Mayor’s Challenge to Prevent Suicide among Service Members, Veterans, and their Families” and states to join the “Governor’s Challenge to Prevent Suicide among Service Members, Veterans, and their Families”
- Jacksonville accepted the Mayor’s Challenge
- Florida accepted the Governor’s Challenge at the end of 2019
- Florida was in the second group of states to join
- Now, all U.S. states and territories have joined
Purpose of the Governor’s Challenge:
- Broadly – To help local leaders in community and state governments work together to prevent suicide among Veterans
- Specifically – To create a team of leaders to develop a plan, and work to prevent suicide among service members, Veterans, and their families. This effort is guided by VA’s National Strategy for Preventing Veteran Suicide and incorporate evidence-based strategies from the CDC’s Preventing Suicide: A Technical Package of Policy, Programs, and Practices
- This state-level initiative works with the President’s national PREVENTS Office and Task Force
- Each Governor’s Challenge Team designs a plan for their state’s unique needs and resources
Governor’s Challenge Process
The Florida Governor’s Challenge Team is comprised of dedicated and passionate individuals from agencies and entities including:
- Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs
- Florida Department of Children and Families
- Florida Department of Elder Affairs
- Florida Defense Support Task Force
- Florida Air National Guard
- The Crisis Center of Tampa Bay
- Enterprise Florida
- Vietnam Veterans of America
- Florida Department of Health
- Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners
- The Fire Watch
- Building Healthy Military Communities
- VA Sunshine Healthcare Network
- Florida Department of Law Enforcement
- US Department of Veterans Affairs
- Agency for Health Care Administration
- K9 Partners for Patriots