FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | Tuesday, March 7, 2023
Santa Rosa, CA — In 2020, 44,298 U.S. adults died from suicide. 6,146 of those were Veterans, a rate 57.3% higher than the general population, according to the 2022 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report.
To address this epidemic, the U.S. Veterans’ Administration (VA) created the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant (SSFSPG) in memory of Veteran Fox, who joined the Army in 2014, served as a sniper instructor at the U.S. Army Infantry School at Fort Benning, Georgia, and died by suicide on July 21, 2020 at the age of 25.
In October 2022, Nation’s Finest, a 50-year-old nonprofit providing housing, mental health support, case management, and job training services to Veterans and their families, was awarded a SSFSPG. Using the grant, we are now implementing key, community-based suicide prevention efforts to support 450 Veterans annually in Sacramento and Sonoma/Marin, CA counties including:
- Providing mental health screenings to those at risk, clinical services for emergency treatment, and case management to integrate people into other Nation’s Finest Veteran support programs, like housing and transportation services
- Offering assistance with applying for and obtaining VA and other benefits
- Training responders in Veteran-specific engagement and suicide prevention
- Educating the public through online and in-person workshops, clinics, and resource fairs
“At Nation’s Finest, we dedicate 90 cents of every dollar to provide direct-to-Veteran support,” says Mary Haynes, LCSW, Regional Director, Northern CA & Central Coast, Nation’s Finest. “Our Veterans have earned our respect and care, and with the help of this grant, we are able to do everything we can to prevent the loss of more of our Veterans.”
For more information or to interview the people involved in this important, life-saving program, please contact:
Tammy Stoner, Communications
tammy@nowaboard.com
At Nation’s Finest, our mission is to support America’s military Veterans and their families with a comprehensive approach to housing, health, and employment that helps them achieve self-sufficiency and reach their full potential. With more than 31 locations in 14 mostly rural communities in California, Arizona, and Nevada, each year we provide critical services and support to more than 7,000 Veterans and their families. Visit www.nationsfinest.org or call 1-833-468-9676.
