“Mayor’s Challenge to Prevent Suicide Among Service Members, Veterans, and their Families”

Key Objectives of the Mayor’s Challenge

• Build an interagency military and civilian team of leaders will develop and implement a strategic action plan to prevent and reduce suicide attempts and completions at the local level
• Acquire a deeper familiarity with the issues surrounding suicide prevention for service members, veterans, and their families (SMVF)
• Increase knowledge about the challenges and lessons learned in implementing strategies by utilizing city to city sharing
• Employ promising, best, and evidence-based practices to prevent and reduce suicide attempts and completions at the local level
• Define and measure success, including defining assignments, deadlines, and measurable outcomes to be reported

Helena Mayor’s Challenge Strategies

• Military cultural competency via the PsychArmor Institute
• Peer-to-peer support
• Lethal means/ crisis intercept mapping
• Bolstering the Montana 211 Website and resource line

MONTANA TEAM – Helena & Billings

Lewis & Clark Public Health, Riverstone Health, MT-DPHHS, MT Army National Guard, Cities of Helena & Billings, South Central Regional Mental Health Center, MT VA, Billings & Helena Vet Center, East Helena Public Schools, Center for Mental Health, Military OneSource, Helena Job Service, Volunteers of America, NAMI, St. Peter’s Health