In September, the Department of Veterans Affairs released its annual suicide prevention report. It noted that 6,146 veterans, more than 16 veterans every day, ended their lives through suicide in 2020.
Days before the VA’s report emerged, nonprofit America’s Warrior Partnership released the alarming results of Operation Deep Dive, a study of eight states’ data on civilian and former service member deaths. It found that at least 44 veterans ended their lives each day. This represents a rate 2.4 times higher than the VA estimates. Both the VA and Operation Deep Dive data demonstrate a concerning rate of suicide in the veteran community despite vast efforts underway to curb these tragedies. One company is looking to disrupt the devastating trend to enable outreach to veterans and service members who may be amid struggle.
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Retired Marine Corps Col. Mike Hudson is vice president of ClearForce, a company he said is working to “take its successful commercial technology and re-mission it” to fight veteran and service member suicide. By collating limited publicly available data on social determinants of health without compromising privacy, ClearForce aims to “highlight in real time” veterans and service members “in need of outreach.” Through a multitiered system of support they hope will include the VA, veterans service organizations, and active-duty military commands, ClearForce would enable personal engagement with veterans and service members under pressure. It would link them with resources that Hudson said could “empower a course correction.”
ClearForce’s novel approach would be a clear counterbalance to anti-suicide efforts that rely on veterans and service members in crisis to reach out to VA facilities, suicide hotlines, or other organizations. The company’s concept would also complement measures such as the VA’s 2019 Solid Start program, which involves direct outreach to new veterans at three points during their first year of transition to the civilian world. Solid Start presents hope for new veterans, but for veterans who have become disconnected from the VA, ClearForce’s multiple levels of engagement could be particularly impactful. According to the VA’s 2022 Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report, 60.3% of veteran suicides occur among veterans who have not recently used the VA.
In 2015, I interviewed a veteran of the Army Reserve about his service. He told me that he and his twin brother struggled to readjust to life outside the combat zone after returning from a difficult deployment to Afghanistan. When he drove to his local VA hoping to speak with a therapist about a sudden onset of all-consuming depression, he said he was given two options: be admitted to the emergency room, or wait several weeks to speak to a therapist. He was adamant that he was not suicidal but simply wanted assistance while he was actively in crisis. He took neither option. By the time of our interview, the young man had developed a disenchantment with the VA. He also told me his struggles were in the past. Just 18 months later, and following his twin brother’s suicide, he ended his life. He left family and friends to try and make sense of his decision.
Each veteran and service member suicide spreads like a series of delicate fissures, radiating trauma far beyond the person who ends his or her life. Innovative technologies are worth pursuing to help veterans and service members reestablish purpose and pursue better lives.
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Beth Bailey (@BWBailey85) is a freelance writer from the Detroit area.
