Local nonprofit expands veterans suicide prevention program in Hartford County

HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — Easterseals Capital Region & Eastern Connecticut, a local non-profit organization, has expanded its veterans suicide prevention program in Hartford County.

The Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention grant is the federal program that allowed them to expand and meet the needs of veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice for the country.

With an additional grant of $212,000, the organization secured a total of $750,000.

Robin Sharp, the president and CEO of Easterseals, said the goal is to help more than 35,000 veterans who live across the 79 towns that they serve.

Their program provides services including case management, benefits and VA enrollment, housing and employment support, mental health referrals and support groups to avoid isolation out of their Norwich and Windsor locations.

Through this expansion, the non-profit plans to reduce suicide risks by improving the mental health and financial stability of veterans.

“Our veterans are six times more likely to die by suicide than they are in combat,” Sharp said.

Sharp said that, after learning how difficult the transition from military to civilian life can be, the organization decided that they needed to step up and do more.

“These invisible wounds of war do not evaporate, they do not go away on their own,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal said. “They are a scourge that stays with men and women who serve this country and who, even in training, are often exposed to the trauma of death.”

With over 140,000 military veterans across Connecticut, state officials told News 8 that more funding is needed to support them.

“They are the chief representative of this great country,” Congressman John Larson said. “They serve and come home and often times live in silence while they suffer internally, and the work of Easterseals becomes even that more important.”

If you know any veterans having a difficult time, reach out to the suicide and crisis lifeline at 988, then press 1 for the Veterans Crisis Line.