A message from the Maine Bureau of Veterans’ Services
 |
|
|
|
|
Maine Launches New 988 Line for Suicide and Mental Health Crisis
The Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) announced the launch of the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, a new three-digit dialing code available nationwide as an easy-to-remember connection to help for anyone experiencing a behavioral health crisis.
The 988 Lifeline went live in Maine, and across the country, on July 16, after more than a year of preparation by DHHS and a stakeholder coalition including partners from crisis services, 911, EMS, and law enforcement.
The 988 Lifeline responds 24/7 to calls, chats or texts from anyone who needs support for suicidal, mental health and/or substance use crisis, and connects those in need with trained crisis counselors. Individuals can also dial 988 if they are worried about a loved one who may be experiencing a
crisis and need support.
Nationally, 988 is the new three-digit dialing code connecting people to the existing National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
(1-800-273-TALK) and the
Veterans Crisis Line (1-800-273-8255, Press 1).
Maine veterans who call 988 and then press 1, are routed through the Lifeline network and connected to the Veterans Crisis Line (VCL). Specialists provide therapeutic support and assessment in the moment, and connection to community-based resources such as one of Maine’s regional mobile crisis teams or to the Maine Veterans Health Administration’s Suicide Prevention team. All 988 callers in Maine will continue to be served by local providers.
The new number is a result of the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act. The law authorized 988 as the new three-digit number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (Lifeline). Under the law, all telephone service providers in the U.S. had to activate the number by July 16, 2022.
Because VA administers the VCL through the Lifeline’s national network, the service was affected by this transition. The old VCL 1-800 number will still work, as will the chat and text functions.
For more information about the Veterans Crisis Line
and 988, click here.
|
Maine Department of Labor Kicks off 2022 Hire-A-Vet Campaign
MDOL’s 8th annual Hire-A-Vet Campaign is returning to the Augusta Civic Center on August 18th, for their campaign opening ceremony and kick-off with our traditional in-person hiring event. The opening ceremony begins at 10:00 a.m., with the hiring event starting immediately after. MBVS will also have a Veterans Services Officer on-site to provide information about VA benefits and to assist veterans filing claims.
While the Hire-A-Vet events are veteran-focused, they are not veteran exclusive, and the public is welcome to attend. Every event is no cost and open to all job seekers. As in years past, they will also be holding monthly virtual hiring events along with educational programs for job seekers and employers.
The goal of the Hire-a-Vet Campaign is to see 100 veterans hired in 100 days, though they routinely surpass those goals every year! In 2021, the Hire-A-Vet campaign team was able to assist nearly 220 veterans with job placements, with an average wage of over $24 an hour, and fourteen counties in Maine participated in the various hiring events.
To find out more about the Hire-A-Vet Campaign and the other veteran-specific employment supports and events provided by Maine's Department of Labor, you can click here.
|
Alternative Therapeutic Programming for Maine Veterans
We are fast approaching September, which designated as Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, and with summer still
in full swing, it seems appropriate to talk about
alternative therapies.
Alternative therapies can be vital in helping to improve mental and physical health wellness. Connection with peers and an opportunity for outdoor activities can be significantly impactful for veterans that are struggling with feelings of isolation, PTSD, or depression. Maine is fortunate to have a wide variety of organizations that provide such programming for our
former service members:
House in the Woods Military and Family Retreat was established in 2010 and organizes free hunting, fishing, and recreational activities to bring veterans and their families together in Maine’s great outdoors. Not into hunting or fishing, but interested in camaraderie with other veterans? House in the Woods also hosts “Coffee with a Vet” every third Wednesday of the month, from 7:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m. House in the Woods is located in Lee, Maine and you can find out more about
their organization here.
Operation ReBoot Outdoors provides healing to veterans and first responders through hunting, fishing, and other outdoor recreational activities. These activities provide a sense of security and belonging for those who have suffered combat trauma and physical limitations. More about their bear, deer, moose hunts and fishing derbies can be found on their Facebook Page.
Travis Mills Foundation added the Warrior Pathh Program in 2020, as an alternative offering for veterans. The program is designed to cultivate and facilitate posttraumatic growth with a seven-day initiation at the Foundation, followed by 18 months of training by fellow veteran guides. This program is offered to Active Duty, Retired, and Post 9/11 Combat Veterans, as well as to First Responders. More about Warrior Pathh
can be found here.
Maine Veterans' Project focuses on suicide prevention and reduction of PTSD or similar stressors amongst combat veterans and other veterans that have felt the rigors of their service. The organization oversees several alternative therapy programs and
they provide an array of services focusing on home improvement (urgent and emergent repairs), vehicle donations when there are no other options for the veteran.
· The Carlisle Academy operates the Veterans Program, which provides equine therapy services for veterans and their immediate family members. Those who have served and their loved ones have an opportunity to learn, or rediscover, equestrian sports and successfully master a new skill, while providing a foundation for positive experiences and
improved well-being.
First piloted in the summer of 2008 under the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International (PATH) Equine Services for Heroes Program to assist veterans in their recovery and reintegration back into their communities, Carlisle’s Veteran Program has now expanded into recreational and competitive sport programs in partnership with United States Equestrian Federation and the U.S. Department of
Veterans Affairs.
The Academy is an International Para-Equestrian Center of Excellence Program, an accredited Paralympic Sport Club, as well as a PATH Premier Accredited Center with a 19-year history. More can be learned about Carlisle Academy
on their website.
These are just a few examples of the many veterans-focused organizations providing alternative therapies that are found in Maine. Maine Bureau of Veterans’ Services’ Resource Guide provides a catalogue of Veteran-focused programs and
service organizations. |
What's Happening
August 6 – Rock, Paper, Scissors (RPS for Vets) contest, raising money for veterans in need, to be held at the University of Maine at Machias Campus, from 12:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m.
August 6 - 3rd Annual Operation ReBoot Outdoors BBQ Raffle Fundraiser at Rock Mountain Farm, Poland from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
August 14 – MVP Paintball at Maine Military Supply in Holden Maine, from 12:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m.
August 18 – MDOL's Hire-a-Vet Campaign Kickoff at the Augusta Civic Center from 10:00 a.m.- 3:00 p.m.
August 21-26 – Project New Hope's Military Caregiver Retreat, Oceanwood Conference Center, Ocean Park, ME. You can register here.
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|