VA Details New Suicide Awareness Campaign

NEWS FROM…
CHAIRMAN BOB FILNER
HOUSE COMMITTEE ON VETERANS’ AFFAIRS
For Immediate Release: July 15, 2008

veterans.house.gov
Press Release
VA Details New Suicide Awareness Campaign at House Veterans Oversight Hearing
Washington, D.C. – On Tuesday, July 15, 2008, the House Veterans’ Affairs Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, led by Chairman Harry Mitchell (D-AZ), conducted a hearing to review the new plan for media outreach at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
On June 16, 2008, the Secretary of the VA, Dr. James Peake, issued a memorandum rescinding a restriction on the purchase of paid media advertising. The Subcommittee led a proactive discussion to determine how best the VA can use modern media to reach veterans dealing with combat stress and other reintegration issues, as well as to ensure that veterans are fully aware of the benefits to which they are entitled.
“The military and the VA provide information to our troops during the discharge process, but numerous hearings have shown the necessity for VA to proactively seek out veterans after discharge,” said Chairman Mitchell. “Many Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are dealing with combat stress and reintegration issues. Many veterans have been exposed to blasts that may have cause subtle visual dysfunctions, or hearing loss, that need attention. And veterans have earned a number of benefits provided by a grateful nation, including a newly enacted G.I. Bill educational benefit.”
Witnesses on the first panel discussed the need to take advantage of the communication possibilities of modern media. Iraq War Veteran Elizabeth O’Herrin offered the following testimony: “The Department of Veterans Affairs’ reliance on traditional mailing campaigns to inform veterans of their earned benefits may work well for older, more sedentary veterans. However, for many recently discharged veterans, this form of communication is less than optimal. For example, in the past seven months, I have changed my address from my college apartment, to my parents’ house, to my deployment address in Iraq, back to my parents address, to my current residence in Washington, D.C. Trust me when I say that there have been a few key pieces of mail that have slipped through the cracks—and the amount of address changes that I have experienced is not unusual among veterans trying to find a foothold in the civilian world after separating from active duty.”


Vanessa Williamson, policy director at the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, discussed IAVA’s partnership with the Ad Council to “conduct a multiyear Public Service Announcement campaign to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health care and to ensure veterans seeking access to care and benefits, and particularly those who need treatment for their psychological injuries, get the support they need.”
On June 4, 2008, Chairman Mitchell and Ranking Member Ginny Brown-Waite (R-FL) asked the Committee to examine the VA’s prohibition on TV advertising as a means to conduct outreach to veterans at risk for suicide. At the hearing, VA announced a new public awareness campaign designed to reach veterans at risk for suicide, and let them know where to find help. The campaign will begin July 21 with a three-month pilot program which will include a television public service announcement featuring “Forrest Gump” co-star Gary Sinise.
“I am pleased that the VA has opened the door to using the tools of modern media to better connect to veterans,” said Bob Filner (D-CA), Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. “It is essential for the VA to better understand the veterans it is trying to reach and ensure that each veteran is fully informed of the services available to them. As the VA reaches more veterans, it must be fully prepared to provide the mental health care, education benefits and health treatments that these veterans have been promised and have bravely earned.”
“I am encouraged by today’s hearing,” concluded Chairman Mitchell. “The actions outlined today will save lives and show veterans we will do everything we can to keep our promise in giving our veterans the care they deserve.”
Witnesses:
Panel 1
· Elizabeth O’Herrin, Washington, D.C., Veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom
· Vanessa Williamson, Policy Director, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America
· Ronald C. Goodstein, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Marketing, The Robert Emmett McDonough School of Business, Georgetown University
· Sharyn M. Sutton, Ph.D., Washington, D.C., Communication and Social Marketing Expert
Panel 2
· The Honorable Lisette M. Mondello, Assistant Secretary for Public and Intergovernmental Affairs, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Prepared testimony and a link to the webcast of the hearing are available on the internet at this link: http://veterans.house.gov/hearings/hearing.aspx?NewsID=278.
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