 |
||||
|
||||
|
|
Veterans and Mental Health IssuesVA's Suicide Hot Line Begins Operations Nicholson: "Help a Phone Call Away" WASHINGTON - To ensure veterans with emotional crises have round-the-clock access to trained professionals, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has begun operation of a national suicide prevention hot line for veterans. "Veterans need to know these VA professionals are literally a phone call away," said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jim Nicholson said. "All service members who experience the stresses of combat can have wounds on their minds as well as their bodies. Veterans should see mental health services as another benefit they have earned, which the men and women of VA are honored to provide." The toll-free hot line number is 1-800-273-TALK (8255). VA's hot line will be staffed by mental health professionals in Canandaigua, N.Y. They will take toll-free calls from across the country and work closely with local VA mental health providers to help callers. To
operate the national hot line, VA is partnering with the Substance
Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration of the Department
of Health and Human Services (HHS). |
||
 |
||||