Legislation would create a task force to travel statewide to assess policies and community initiatives needed to prevent and reduce veteran suicide in New Mexico
For Immediate Release: February 2, 2018
Contact: Chris Nordstrum (415) 601-1992
(Santa Fe) Today the New Mexico Senate unanimously passed Joint Memorial 1, which requests that the Veterans’ Services Department convene a task force to assess what additional support and policies are needed to help prevent veteran suicide in New Mexico.
Veteran suicide is a tragic issue plaguing the country. According to the US Dept. of Veterans Affairs, an average of twenty veterans die from suicide every day. But the problem hits New Mexico particularly hard, with the fourth highest veteran suicide rate in the nation. One in five suicides in New Mexico is from a veteran taking their own life.
“With so many tragic incidences of veterans committing suicide, it’s critical that we do all we can to find more effective ways to provide assistance to our veterans and those in crisis,” said legislative sponsor Senator Jeff Steinborn (D-36- Doña Ana). “If established this task force will bring together stakeholders from across the state to identify potential solutions for improving opportunities and outreach to our veterans.”
Legislative co-sponsor and Vietnam era veteran Rep. Rudy Martinez (D-39- Doña Ana, Grant, Sierra) added “The high rate of veteran suicide in our state necessitates this much needed legislation. The work of this task force will hopefully lead to better treatments and better outcomes for our veterans, offering them hopeful alternatives to taking their own lives.”
The task force would conduct listening sessions across the state with veterans, veterans organizations, representatives of cities, counties, Native American nations, tribes and pueblos and the workforce solutions department. And, by inviting and including members of the US Dept. of Veterans’ Affairs to participate in the task force, the group will be able to better leverage preventative measures the VA already utilizes such as predictive modeling for early intervention, tele-mental health services, and telephone coaching.
Senate Joint Memorial 1 now heads to the New Mexico House of Representatives.
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