Tornado Alley (PROG)

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The parking lot suicides

"Trump on PTSD: Some veterans aren’t strong enough to ‘handle it’"

There are many assholes worldwide. Trump, in light of the important position he holds, is among the very worst of those assholes.

Veterans are taking their own lives on VA hospital campuses, a desperate form of protest against a system that they feel hasn’t helped them.

By Emily Wax-Thibodeaux
Photos by Jenn Ackerman
February 7, 2019

[...]

Franklin, head of VA’s suicide prevention program, called the suicide rate “beyond frustrating and heartbreaking,” adding that it’s essential that “local facilities develop a good relationship with the veteran, ask to bring their families into the fold — during the process and discharge — and make sure we know if they have access to firearms.”

[...]

‘He was making real progress’

A Rand Corp. study published in April showed that, while VA mental-health care is generally as good or better than care delivered by private health plans, there is high variation across facilities.

“There are some VAs that are out of date. They are depressing,” said Craig J. Bryan, a former Air Force psychologist and a University of Utah professor who studies veteran suicides, referring to problems with short staffing and resources. “Others are stunning and new, and if you walk into one that’s awe-inspiring, it gives you hope.”

The Murfreesboro VA hospital, where Toombs took his life, was ranked among the worst in the nation for mental health, according to the agency’s 2016 internal ratings. It has since improved to two out of a possible five stars.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/national/wp/2019/02/07/feature/the-parking-lot-suicides/?utm_term=.3a8965bcfbbd