Journey for Change

Preventing Veteran Suicide Through Community Action and Awareness

By Buzz Gray, Vietnam Veteran

The “Journey for Change” is a long distance walk aimed at raising awareness of veteran suicide and promoting a proposal to reduce the rate of suicide among veterans. A 2012 Veteran Affairs study revealed that 22 veterans a day lose their lives by their own hands – every 65 minutes.

The walk begins at 9am on Monday, May 23 at the Veteran’s Memorial Building on Front St. in downtown Santa Cruz with speeches by supervisors Zach Friend, Ryan Coonerty, Greg Caput, and District Attorney Jeff Rosell and ends at the state capitol in Sacramento on Tuesday, June 7 with a presentation by Assemblyman Mark Stone.

Some of the strategies in the proposal include:

• Mandatory confidential mental health screenings by a qualified mental health professional for all active duty service members to determine any existing mental health conditions prior to discharge.
• Post-discharge plan be implemented by various providers to improve and enhance access to services for each veteran based on their home of record.
• Thirty-day outreach and nine month follow-up to offer a variety of VA resources and community based services as needed per evaluation of each veteran.

The proposal was written by and the walk organized by 6 Santa Cruz Veterans: Buzz Gray, retired 4th grade teacher, Vietnam Veteran • Stoney Brooke, retired law enforcement, member of Vet Court • Dean Kaufman, Veteran’s Advocate for Santa Cruz County • JT Bukul, Readjustment Counselor – Vet Center • Calvin Angel – CalVet • Travis Deyoung, Veteran’s Advocate

Our message is clear: Confidential mental health screenings, improved services prior to discharge, and enhanced access to community resources post-discharge will reduce veteran suicides.

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To register for this no-cost event, go to Eventbrite on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/journeyforveteranchange/?ref=bookmarks