Service Members, Veterans, and their Families Technical Assistance Center

Challenge

Over the last decade, suicide rates among veterans have increased by 25 percent, while suicide rates among active duty service members have not declined. Both statistics point to a need to strengthen the behavioral health systems that serve the military and their families.

EDC serves as a suicide prevention expert for the Service Members, Veterans, and their Families Technical Assistance (SMVF TA) Center. The SMVF TA Center supports U.S. state and territory military and civilian interagency teams in delivering TA that supports state and city leaders in implementing evidence-based suicide prevention strategies.

Key Activities

EDC staff engage in the following activities:

Deliver telephone and in-person TA based on the Veterans Administration’s National Strategy for Preventing Veteran Suicide 2018–2028 and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Preventing Suicide: A Technical Package of Policies, Programs, and Practice
Promote suicide prevention best practices at Policy and Implementation Academy meetings as part of the Governor’s and Mayor’s Challenges to Prevent Suicide Among Service Members, Veterans, and their Families
Connect interagency teams with suicide prevention efforts and expertise in their communities

Impact

The SMVF TA Center has:

Reached 7 states and will convene 28 more states through the Governor’s Challenge to Prevent Suicide Among Service Members, Veterans, and their Families
Reached 24 cities through the Mayor’s Challenge to Prevent Suicide Among Service Members, Veterans, and their Families