Author: Be Connected

A tribute to Col. Wanda Wright (Ret.), one of Arizona’s finest female leaders, as she concludes her service as Director of the Arizona Department of Veterans’ Services.

Read the real stories of how the Be Connected Support Line team has helped Arizona veterans thrive.

An important voter-approved initiative for veterans passed in November. The initiative reinstates property tax exemptions for disabled veterans. The approval of Proposition 130 on the statewide ballot restores a benefit that reduces the assessed value of real estate, thus reducing the amount of taxes owed.

America lost a beloved son on July 21, 2020. Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox died by suicide at his home in Columbus, Georgia at the age of 25. After graduating high school in 2012, he joined the United States Army in 2014, eventually working as a sniper after completing the U.S. Army Infantry School in Fort Benning, Georgia. To prevent tragedies like the death of SSG Fox, Congress authorized a $174 million grant program named in honor of SSG Fox.

A Veteran Suicide Prevention Workshop was hosted by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and Deloitte in Washington, DC, in October 2022. The purpose of the workshop was to develop action plans for addressing suicide in three focus populations: women, rural and American Indian veterans. The two-day event featured remarks and panels from leaders from the VA, Department of Defense, and other key entities, as well as intensive workgroup sessions.

An upstream approach to suicide prevention is a way to leverage time and expand the opportunities for intervention from one single pivotal moment to a series of moments that might span years, months, weeks, or days. With the advantage of time to notice, reach out, engage, and connect – people experiencing increased stress, and the people who can support them, have more options. The idea behind an upstream approach is that rather than allow time to pass where a situation progresses to that pivotal point of crisis, systems, communities, people, and other support systems are there to provide access to resources and support to address situations as they arise before they escalate into a life-threatening crisis.

In March 2020, in an effort to reduce suicide rates among Arizonans, Governor Ducey signed into law a measure, known as Jake’s law, to improve access to mental healthcare in Arizona, especially for youth and the uninsured. The law was named for 15-year-old Jake Machovsky who died by suicide in 2016 after his insurance company denied a request for mental health treatment. One aspect of the new law resulted in the creation of a Suicide Mortality Review Team.

Read the real stories of how the Be Connected Support Line team has helped Arizona veterans thrive.

In March 2020, in an effort to reduce suicide rates among Arizonans, Governor Ducey signed into law a measure, known as Jake’s law, to improve access to mental healthcare in Arizona, especially for youth and the uninsured. The law was named for 15-year-old Jake Machovsky who died by suicide in 2016 after his insurance company denied a request for mental health treatment. One aspect of the new law resulted in the creation of a Suicide Mortality Review Team.

Our upstream approach means we seek to connect with people “upstream” before an issue or problem worsens into a crisis that can lead to suicide. We work to tackle the issues today so that they don’t turn into life-threatening situations that can cause people to think of suicide as an option.