Idaho U.S. Senator Mike Crapo joined a bipartisan group of Senate colleagues in sending a letter to the U.S. Department of Defense expressing concerns with the high rates of suicide in the National Guard.
Citing information from the DOD Annual Suicide Report for 2018, the letter acknowledges the suicide rate for members of the Guard was more than 30 suicides per 100,000 population, higher than that in both active military and the Reserves. The Senators emphasized the unique position of National Guard servicemembers as both soldiers and civilians necessitates tailored solutions for accessing mental health care and community-based support.
The letter requests a brief by December highlighting any gaps that remain across DOD, branch-level, or interagency suicide prevention programs for the Guard. The Senators also requested further analysis of any explanatory factors contributing to differences in suicide rates between the three components.
Earlier this year, Senator Crapo joined Nevada Senator Catherine Cortez-Masto in introducing bipartisan legislation to address the epidemic of veteran suicide by expanding access to mental health services for veterans.
During an August roundtable discussion at the Boise Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Senator Crapo re-committed to furthering efforts to ensure National Guardsmen and women receive adequate mental health treatment for their service. (Idaho Sen. Mike Crapo)
