DAVENPORT, Iowa — Veterans considering self harm are now eligible for free emergency mental health care, thanks to a federal initiative that was enacted Tuesday by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Veterans will be able to visit any mental health care facility, whether it is affiliated with the VA or not, and receive treatment with the goal of preventing veteran suicide.
Some veterans at the Quad Cities Veterans Outreach Center said on Thursday that it's something they have been looking forward to for a long time.
"If a veteran is in a suicidal crisis mode, as of a couple of days ago, they can go to a VA facility or a non-VA health care facility and seek care at no cost to them," Polly Graham, a board member with the QC Veterans Outreach Center, said.
US Marine veteran Earl LeRoy Arnold Jr. said this fills a critical need.
"Oher veterans surely need it. And it's a good thing. I think that the VA offered that," Arnold said.
A study from Brown University says more than 30,000 veterans who served in post Sept. 11 wars have died by suicide.
"Throughout my life, whether I was on active duty, we had suicides whether it was as retired veteran and working in other organizations," Graham said.
Now these veterans have new hope, as they hope it helps those who are struggling to speak out and keep their community together.
"It is just going to be an awesome program to help drive those figures down of suicides," Graham said.
"That's not one of the things we've talked about... There's guys that just don't want to talk about it not and I fully understand that," Arnold said.
"We've seen the trend going down in the past couple of years. So this is just another initiative that will help," Graham said.
For more information on how to receive the benefit, contact the Department of Veterans Affairs.
You can also contact the Illinois Department of Veterans Affair Local Office at 309-757-9960. They are located on 3800 Avenue of the Cities in Moline.
If you or a veteran you love is in need of immediate suicide prevention, help is available by dialing 988.