![]() Like nearly all veterans residing in VA community living centers across the country, residents at the VA Central Western Massachusetts Healthcare System are physically isolated due to COVID-19 safety precautions, and visitors are prohibited. Some VA employees are taking it upon themselves to bring heartfelt messages to the people they serve. But writing letters to help combat feelings of aloneness and desperation isn’t only being coordinated at the higher levels of the VA. Maintaining contact-even via a text message or video chat-can go a long way to fight isolation, said Kearney, particularly during the pandemic. The VA has mailed 172,000 letters to just over 47,500 veterans during the first five months of the program. “Patients in the contact group had a lower suicide rate in all five years of the study,” the study’s authors concluded. In a 2001 study, published in the medical journal Psychiatric Services, scientists at the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine split 843 patients into two groups: those who received a letter at least four times a year and those with no further contact. This simple yet effective approach to suicide prevention follows medical research showing that those receiving thoughtful letters can reduce their likelihood of suicide. “It’s a way to reconnect, not only with treatment options, but to remind them that there are folks here that care for them,” added Kearney. The program follows the 2019 VA and Department of Defense clinical practice guidelines, which encourage brief, nondemanding follow-up communication that engages veterans by informing them of available treatment options. In each letter, veterans are reminded of their resources, such as mobile apps and telephone numbers related to their benefits. ![]() “It’s focused on those individuals because we have all of their information and they’re identifiable.” Lisa Kearney, VA deputy director for suicide prevention. COMBAT MAIL CALL SERIES“It’s a series of about nine letters that veterans receive after they call the Veterans Crisis Line that indicates care, concern and connection,” said Dr. The evidence-based initiative involves sending recurring messages to veterans enrolled in VA health care who contacted the Veterans Crisis Line. ![]() To bolster suicide prevention efforts last summer, the Department of Veterans Affairs launched the Caring Letters Program. But research indicates that the steady flow of caring messages can do more than just enhance one’s mood it can also lead to lower rates of suicide. A letter from home goes a long way to boost morale by offering a glimpse of something familiar and comforting. New suicide prevention effort connects veterans with messages of hopeįrom basic training to combat, receiving mail is a time-honored military tradition. ![]()
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