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WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 18, 2008) - The Department of Veterans
Affairs is launching a pilot outreach program to encourage veterans
to use the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline -- 1-800-273-TALK
(8255) -- if they need help.
The program is being launched July 21 "to see if it helps raise
awareness for veterans," said Lisette Mondello, Veterans Affairs
assistant secretary for public and intergovernmental affairs.
The program will take place over a three-month period and will
first launch in the Washington, D.C., metro area, VA officials
said. It will include paid advertising in Washington, D.C., metro
stations, metro rail cars, and buses. Aside from signs and posters,
the program also will include a public service announcement
recorded by actor Gary Sinise.
Mondello said the department will be monitoring the number of
calls being made to the VA's suicide hotline. If the advertising
program proves successful, the VA will consider extending it to
other regions.
Washington D.C. was chosen as the program's launch site for
several reasons, Mondello said. The area has a large military and
veteran population, while it is also a "tight" region that is easy
to track. The region also is home to a public transportation system
that allows advertising.
The VA also plans to increase personnel coordinating the
program, answering calls, and tracking calls in the region. The
suicide hotline pilot outreach program will continue through middle
or late October.
The first advertisements will be going up July 21, while a
second wave of advertising will go up sometime between August and
September, Mondello said.
A rule change this month allows for the VA to use paid
advertising to reach out to veterans and increase their awareness
of programs and benefits. "On July 16, the secretary [of veterans
affairs] lifted the prohibition on paid advertising," Mondello
said, and it is now another option for outreach.
Combat veterans are eligible to receive VA health care benefits
as well as screening for post-traumatic stress disorder for up to
five years after they discharge from the military, according to a
press release from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
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