Veterans and Suicide; Senate Hearing on March 3, 2010; NAMI Veteran to Testify

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Mar 01, 2010, 03:58 ET

WASHINGTON, March 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following is being issued by the National Alliance on Mental Illness:

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100216/NAMILOGO )

WHAT: Senate Veterans Committee will hold an oversight hearing on mental health care and suicide prevention for veterans

WHEN: Wednesday, March 3, 9:30 a.m.

WHERE: Russell Senate Office Building, Room 418

U.S. Senate

Washington, D.C.

WHO: Clarence Jordan, national board member of NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness)

He is a former Navy commander and combat pilot, currently director of recovery and resiliency services for ValueOptions Behavioral Health Services, the nation's second-largest behavioral health company.

He is from Memphis and a member of the senior leadership team for medical services that serve members of TennCare, the Medicaid population of Tennessee.

A chronicle of Jordan's battle with depression appeared in the June 2007 issue of Heart & Soul magazine.

Other witnesses

Dr. David Rudd – Dean of Psychology at University of Utah
Dr. Gerald Cross – Acting Principal Deputy Under Secretary for Health, VA
Dr. Jan Kemp – Associate Director, Education and Training, VA National Suicide Hotline

WHY COVER?—Background

Military personnel and veterans who die from suicide are a critical public health issue.
The RAND Corporation reports that up to one-third of all military personnel, including National Guard and reserve troops, come home from Iraq and Afghanistan with mental health challenges, including PTSD, depression and other serious disorders.
VA is in midst of reforming and expanding its mental health services, while concentrating suicide prevention on veterans, including a link to the National Suicide Prevention Hotline, (800) 273-TALK. Over 60,000 veterans have called the hotline to date.
Jordan will provide perspective from "both sides" of the suicide prevention challenge and what VA needs to do to continue improving mental health care services.

See also

NAMI online Veterans Resource Center

NAMI Depression Web site (Jordan first-person feature)

SOURCE National Alliance on Mental Illness