Approach Considered To Address Suicide Rates

Legislators are considering a proposal to invest in suicide prevention for Montana veterans, an effort proponents say will help to mitigate high rates of suicide in the veteran population.

Sen. Mike Yakawich, R-Billings, is the sponsor of Senate Bill 95. He said the bill has had a long journey to pass the Senate and arrive at the House for deliberation.

The final proposal includes a request for $300,000 to implement a three-pronged approach: screening services, educating providers, and peer support.

Jestin Dupree, a tribal council member for the Fort Peck Tribes and the chairman of their Veterans Committee, said this bill is important to address the veteran suicide epidemic, particularly in rural areas with fewer service providers. He shared his own experience of going to the VFW in his community for help, and finding no behavioral health workers there. He said they set him up on a telephone meeting with someone who proved to be unhelpful and further exacerbated his situation. “My question is, what if I were to take my own life after that conversation? There’s a lot of veterans and there’s not a lot of help out there right now,” Dupree said.

There was one opponent present in the hearing, Kathleen Wedemeyer from the Citizens Commission on Human Rights, a nonprofit organization co-founded by the Church of Scientology. She said the bill needs to prioritize examining past treatment failures, particularly the frequent use of psychotropic drugs that she said often make situations worse.

“We would like to see it amended to stress or emphasize non-drug, non-coercive treatment options,” Wedemeyer said.

Yakawich responded that the bill is focused on the three areas mentioned above, and does not focus on drug treatments for veterans.