The Boise VA Medical Center and American Legion Post 63 hosted the Clay Hunt Behavioral Health Summit on Thursday, Oct. 18, in Burns.

Local veterans who attended the summit represented multiple branches of the military including the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps, and served in wars such as World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Gulf War.

Dr. Caroll Berndt, associate chief of staff for behavioral health at the Boise VA Medical Center,  welcomed attendees and explained that the purpose of the event is to honor Cpl. Clay Hunt and his efforts.

According to a pamphlet provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Hunt was a Marine who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Although his experiences left him with post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety, he found strength through veterans’ advocacy and humanitarian causes.

“He was devoting some of his time after his military service to serving veterans and trying to get people into the care to get the service and the treatment that they needed so that they could recover as much as possible,” Dr. Berndt explained.

Unfortunately, however, the pamphlet states that, “Despite the positive work [Hunt] was doing, he was suffering. [He] died by suicide on March 31, 2011.”

In Hunt’s honor, Congress passed a national law to fund veterans outreach, especially in rural communities. The Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act required the VA to initiate a pilot program on Peer Specialist Community Outreach for transitioning military service members and veterans.

The purpose of the Boise VA Medical Center’s Clay Hunt Behavioral Health Summit was to bring veterans in rural communities together to enhance access to mental health services and address the mental healthcare needs of veterans and their families.

“The VA funded opportunities for us to come out and be more involved with more veterans — especially in the rural communities [that] we don’t get to come out [to] — and meet with you all and learn more about what your needs are and how we can serve you better,” Dr. Berndt said. “Our overall goal is to reduce the amount of completed veteran suicide everyday and annually.”

Susie Klepacki, local recovery coordinator for the Boise VA Medical Center, reported that there were more than 42,000 deaths by suicide in 2014.

“That’s the most recent information that we have,” Klepacki said, adding that suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States, and 20 percent of those statistics are veterans.

“We just need to ensure that we’re reaching out and ensuring that there’s care available,” Klepacki said.

However, she noted that Hunt was engaged in care, and the VA is looking at other resources that it can “be wrapping around our veteran population.” She added that the VA rolled out preventative care about 10 years ago.

“With the crisis line, a veteran or a family member can make a confidential call and talk to somebody 24/7,” she said, stressing that the line is not only for veterans who are contemplating suicide, but also for veterans and family members who are “just in a spot where [they] need somebody to talk to.”

To access the Veterans Crisis Line, dial 1-800-273-8255 and press 1. Confidential chat is also available by texting 838255 or visiting VeteransCrisisLine.net

According to a VA pamphlet, “The Veterans Crisis Line is staffed by caring, qualified VA responders — many are veterans themselves — who understand what veterans have been through. The Veterans Crisis Line, online chat, and text are available to all veterans and their families and friends, even if they are not registered with VA or enrolled in VA health care.”

The pamphlet also discusses warning signs of suicidal thoughts, which include:

• hopelessness or feeling like there’s no way out;

• anxiety, agitation, sleeplessness, or mood swings;

• feeling like there is no reason to live;

• rage or anger;

• engaging in risky activities without thinking;

• increasing alcohol or drug abuse; and

• withdrawing from family and friends.

Signs that require immediate attention include:

• thinking about hurting or killing yourself;

• looking for ways to kill yourself;

• talking about death, dying, or suicide; and

• self-destructive behavior.

If you are a veteran or know a veteran who is experiencing any of these signs, call the Veterans Crisis Line immediately!

Klepacki also discussed Make the Connection, which is a new, interactive website for veterans featuring hundreds of candid video testimonials told by veterans and their families. Veterans can visit www.MakeTheConnection.net and enter information about their gender, branch of service, the era that they served in, signs or symptoms that they are experiencing, and any diagnoses that they may have.

“Vignettes will start popping up of other veterans who identify with you,” Klepacki said. “What the VA has learned is veterans connect very well to other veterans. Talking to another veteran really promotes recovery.”

A VA pamphlet encourages veterans to use the free, confidential website to, “Hear veterans just like you tell their stories of strength, resilience, and recovery.”

The pamphlet adds that, “Although their individual problems may differ, these veterans share similar experiences of reaching out for support from loved ones, fellow veterans, and the professionals at VA. They all were able to find solutions that worked for them and get back on track.”

Dan Ashley and Greg Ford attended the summit to discuss Vet Center services.

Officially titled “Readjustment Counseling Services,” Vet Centers are a community-based arm of the VA that provide a wide range of counseling, outreach, and referral services to veterans and their families. Types of counseling include individual, group, marital, family, sexual trauma, and bereavement, and services are provided at no cost to eligible combat veterans and their families. Counseling services are also available to active-duty military personnel.

Ashley, who is an outreach specialist at the Boise Vet Center, explained that “Vet Centers were created with the idea of a peer-to-peer or veteran-to-veteran program where we, not only have the military background, but also professional training and experience too.”

Oregon Vet Centers can be found in Bend, Eugene, Grants Pass, Portland, and Salem, and Idaho Vet Centers are located in Boise and Pocatello. However, Mobile Vet Centers are used to bring services to other areas using motor coaches with spaces for confidential counseling, which is provided via telehealth and in person.

The Central Oregon Vet Center’s mobile unit is parked in the Ericksons Thriftway parking lot in Burns the fourth full week of the month on Thursdays.

Ford, who is an outreach specialist at the Central Oregon Vet Center, said, “You don’t have to be enrolled in VA healthcare to come see us. In fact, we don’t even care what your discharge status was.”

Ashley explained that the Vet Center can work with veterans who didn’t receive an honorable discharge for an unlimited period of time. He added that, after talking to some of these veterans, he’s been able to develop a case for upgrading their discharge so that they can receive medical benefits from the VA.

“If they can’t, they’re still able to come into the Vet Center and get that behavioral health component and other resources that we’re going to provide them in the community to help mitigate a lot of those issues and problems that they’re struggling with,” he said.

Dr. Berndt also noted that the VA can now offer initial care for other-than-honorable-discharge veterans for about three months, especially for mental health needs.

“During that period of time, we try to asses [whether] there are avenues where we can help adjust what that other-than-honorable discharge was so that we can get them qualified for service,” she said. “Maybe some of the behavioral health/mental health things that they might have been struggling with due to combat or other experiences have impacted them, and then they end up with this discharge.”

She added, “That seems like that’s a bad catch-22 and that we’re not really providing the care that [the] veteran needs due to the circumstances of the discharge.”

During the open discussion portion of the summit, many Harney County veterans expressed that they’d like to receive regular, in-person mental health and medical services locally, and a lengthy conversation ensued.

Ultimately, the Clay Hunt Behavioral Health Summit encouraged veterans to remain engaged, seek support, and take advantage of available resources.

“Coming to meetings like this and learning what’s out there for you and connecting with other veterans and groups are ways for you to improve [your] support mechanism and recover,” Ashley said. “Those memories and traumas will always be there, but you will also find ways of how you can manage them and enjoy life.”