Ciscomani Leads Bi-Partisan Effort

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January 17, 2025

Uniting for Veteran Suicide Prevention

Arizona’s Be Connected program, a nationally recognized program administered by the Arizona Coalition for Military Families, has long exemplified a spirit of partnership. Since its inception in 2017, Be Connected has worked alongside federal, state, and local organizations to prevent suicide and provide support to Arizona service members, veterans, and their families. Built on partnerships, Be Connected is recognized nationally for its ability to deliver comprehensive and coordinated support that meets the unique needs of service members, veterans, and their families.

Driven by the Guidelines for C.A.R.E., Be Connected has become an integral part of Arizona’s integrated response to veteran suicide and the challenges many veterans face as they transition to civilian life.

By focusing on a full range of needs, such as financial and housing stability to employment opportunities and social connections, Be Connected ensures that no matter how or why a veteran connects with us, a more holistic approach is taken to understand and address all of the factors that may be contributing to their stress load. The Arizona Coalition for Military Families offers Be Connected support at no cost, thanks to funding from committed partners. However, recent reductions in federal funding have raised concerns about the program’s ability to sustain its impact.

On January 17, Congressman Juan Ciscomani led a bipartisan effort to advocate for continued funding from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Their appeal emphasized the program’s vital role in preventing suicide among veterans while demonstrating how it aligns with the VA’s mission to deliver life-saving care. Be Connected represents an innovative, collaborative model for veteran support that combines federal resources with local expertise to achieve results that neither could accomplish alone.

One of the program’s defining features is its integrated approach. Veterans and their families are connected to a network of community-based services that complement and extend the work of the VA. For example, Be Connected links veterans to resources for housing, transportation, employment, and social activities. These aspects are important components to the overall health and well-being of a veteran but fall outside the scope of traditional “healthcare” approaches.

Be Connected’s success is rooted in collaboration, and it demonstrates how working together can deliver solutions that address complex issues like veteran suicide. Be Connected shows that coordinated efforts can provide tangible outcomes, from stabilizing a family facing financial hardship to helping a service member make the transition to being a veteran to ensuring that rural veterans have the support they need to attend regular healthcare appointments.

The leadership of Congressman Ciscomani reminds us that supporting programs like Be Connected is not just a matter of policy—it’s a commitment to the people who have served our country. Sustaining this program means building a system of care that offers veterans and their families the opportunity to thrive.

Veterans and their families deserve support systems that are both effective and responsive, prioritizing their unique needs while honoring their service. Be Connected exemplifies how such systems can function, serving as a blueprint for communities across the nation.

Arizona’s success with this program demonstrates that meaningful progress happens when organizations and agencies collaborate toward a common goal. With sustained backing, Arizona’s proven approach can evolve into a national model, ensuring every veteran has access to a cohesive network of care that combines national resources with locally tailored entry points. Be Connected offers the framework other states can adopt to build their own comprehensive systems of care and support.

Ciscomani Leads Effort to Continue Supporting the Be Connected Suicide Prevention Program in Arizona

January 17, 2025

Press Release

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Congressman Juan Ciscomani (AZ-06) led fellow Arizona colleagues in a letter to Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough to advocate for continued support of the Arizona Be Connected Program, which is administered by the Arizona Coalition for Military Families. 

Ciscomani was joined by Reps. Greg Stanton (AZ-04), Abe Hamadeh (AZ-08), Andy Biggs (AZ-05), Yassamin Ansari (AZ-03), Raul Grijalva (AZ-07) and Sens. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Ruben Gallego (D-AZ)

The loss of our veterans to suicide demands not just words but bold, coordinated national, state, and local efforts that prioritize proactive work to destigmatize seeking support, increase access to readily available and helpful mental health professionals, and foster meaningful community engagement.

Be Connected was created in 2017 in direct response to the elevated suicide rates in Arizona’s veteran population and focused on how the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) could better partner with the community to prevent veteran suicide by providing resources, care and career navigation, connection coaching, financial assistance and more. This public-private partnership has been nationally recognized for its exceptional cross-sector collaboration and partnership to address the complex issue of suicide prevention. 

This program – in strong coordination with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the Arizona Governor’s Office, and the Arizona Department of Veterans’ Services - is a universal open door for Arizona’s 500,000+ service members, veterans, and their families. 

“The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Phoenix VA have worked hard to reduce veteran suicide, including through community partnerships as outlined in VA’s Suicide Prevention 2.0 initiative. We are now concerned about VA’s cut to core funding for Be Connected, one of Arizona’s suicide prevention community partnership programs—cuts that would impact Arizona veterans, their relationship to VA, and VA’s ability to reduce veteran suicide,” the lawmakers stated in the letter.

“Veteran suicide is not a new problem, but its persistence underscores the challenges to reach and respond at the right time in the right way,” said Director of the Arizona Coalition for Military Families, Thomas Winkel. “Nearly every veteran has heard, in some form, that “help is available,” yet the grim statistics tell us this message is not landing where it matters most. Trust in governmental institutions and bureaucratic systems is fractured, and we aim to heal those fractures and build a bridge between our governmental partners and the community.”

More information about Be Connected can be found here

The full letter can be found here.  

Background:

  • Congressman Ciscomani represents nearly 80,000 veterans in Arizona’s 6th Congressional District and serves on the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee.
  • Be Connected aligns with and exemplifies the VA’s Suicide Prevention 2.0 effort, which focuses on a community-based public health approach to suicide prevention that complements the VA’s clinical focus.
  • Be Connected focuses on five interconnected domains across all social determinants of health for a long-term, comprehensive upstream approach that provides care and support to those in need and focuses on reducing the disparity in veteran suicide.
  • Be Connected is funded through shared support and investment by the Arizona Department of Veterans’ Services and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. 

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Special thanks to the Governor’s Office of Youth, Faith and Family for their partnership and support.

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