Texas Border Business
By Joey Gomez
McALLEN, Texas – September is National Suicide Prevention Month, and in response, South Texas College’s Counseling and Student Accessibility Services Department, in partnership with the college’s Veterans Affairs office and community allies will be hosting its “You Matter” mental health event with for student veterans, staff and faculty.
The event, which will be held on Sept. 9 in Building H room 216 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., invites attendees to discover early warning signs of mental illness, contributing factors and resources to help save lives.
Organizations including Chicanos Por La Causa, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Texas Tropical Behavioral Health, supported by the Texas Veterans Commission, will be in attendance.
Veterans services representatives from STC say the event will serve to bring resources together in one place for veterans.
“This event is about making resources easier to access for our veteran students. Mental health support isn’t only for moments of crisis – it can also be a part of maintaining balance, building resilience and supporting long-term well-being,” said Javier Cardenas, STC VA certifying official and outreach specialist. “By bringing community partners to campus, we hope to connect veterans with tools that can supplement their lives in meaningful ways.”
America’s Warrior Partnership (AWP) “Operation Deep Dive” report says there are as many as 24 veteran suicides a day, plus an additional 20 deaths by self-injury, totaling 44 deaths per day.
Veterans make up about 6% of U.S. adults, but account for 20% of all suicides, according to the National Library of Medicine.
Counseling staff at STC say that while the information will be tailored to the college’s veteran population, many of the resources discussed at the event can be utilized by all STC students.
“We want to inform our veteran students that we are here to support them and care about their well-being,” said Counseling Services Manager Armando Medrano. “We understand that they may face unique challenges, and our counselors and department want to assure them that we are committed to helping them in any way we can to address their specific needs…we have decided to team up with local veteran community resources and our own STC veterans department to provide information on how students can recognize early warning signs of suicide and resources available to them.”
For more information on the wide range of services provided through STC Counseling and Accessibility office visit https://studentservices.southtexascollege.edu/disability/.
In case of an emergency, students needing suicide or crisis support can always call or text the 988 Lifeline.
Information Source: STC
