Maine Veterans Connection

And welcome, once again, everybody, to the main Veterans Connection sponsored by the main Bureau of Veterans Services. And once again, we're coming to you from the studios of the Williams Broadcasting Group, creative programming for radio television and fully diversified podcasts on the web. I want to remind you that we are live streaming our show today, and if you've never listened to us that way before, we'd encourage you to do that. All you've got to do is go to our website at Williams Broadcasting.net and on the front page up on the right hand corner, there's a little icon that says, "Listen, live, just click on to that." And you'll be with us. Also, I want to remind you, you can go right to our graphic on our homepage, main Veterans Connection. It will take you to the homepage, listen to the show there, or any one of our archive shows. We'd appreciate you doing that. But maybe most importantly, we want you to pick us up on demand. That's right. Any app that you normally listen to your favorite podcast on, you can be listening to the main Veterans Connection podcast as well. So we would encourage you to do that. I'm John Williams, and my co-host, Ryan Lorraine, who is the director of communications for the main Bureau of Veteran Services in my studio with me today. Ryan, how are you? I'm doing all right. Happy to be here. And start now, September 11th. We didn't mention 25 years since we lost nearly 3,000 folks across the country with September 11th. This morning, we had two different events happening in Augusta that we were a part of. One at the University of Maine at Augusta, and our Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Augusta, where we had major general Diane Dunn speak as well as Justin Crocke with the University of Maine. And you know, just want to certainly mention that and the impact that it's had on our country. It's a day of remembrance. It really is. And, you know, I mean, I can probably say with some confidence that I'm a lot older than everyone that's on this podcast today, and I was just about turning age 50 when that happened. And it certainly left a mark on me as the Chamber Director for the Oxford Hills area, and sort of gathering people together and getting people together. And certainly, you know, 25 years later, it still resonates so clearly to all of us in this country and remembering all of those lost lives. And that includes not only the citizens and the people that were working in the towers and in the plains, but also all of those first responders that lost their lives as well, sacrificing their lives to save people on that just horrendous day. But we remember that, and we'll never forget it. And it's important that people take the time to make sure that they are, I call it up to date, on what our history tells us and how our history educates us. And that certainly is one of the hallmarks of that. But having said that, you know, we've got a great program today, Ryan, and I'm going to let you go ahead and introduce the program and introduce our special guests. Yeah. Well, thank you. And, well, September is National Suicide Prevention Month, and a big piece of that with what we do for main veterans is the main health affiliates, health affiliates of Maine. And with us today, we have Kate Marble and Phil Trevino, and welcome to the program. Thank you so much for having us here. So good to be with you, Ryan. Thanks for being here. And kind of just to start things off, if you'd like to just kind of introduce yourself and what health affiliates of Maine does, and how that is incorporated with veteran suicide prevention for veterans in Maine. Sure. So I'm Kate Marble. I'm the Clinical Director at Health Affiliates, Maine, and have been since its inception in 2010, the Licensed Behavioral Health Organization that serves individuals and families all throughout Maine. Basically, our vision has always been to reduce the stigma in accessing behavioral health care. As you know, one population that can struggle to access behavioral health care is our veterans and active military. And so we wanted to make sure that right from our founding, we were developing a way for that population to access care. I'll turn it over to Phil real quick. Sure. Thanks, Kate. Yeah. So, Phil Trevino, I am actually an Army vet of 28 years. I retired back in 23, and then with all the affiliates now for going on a year, I can't believe it. So, yeah, I am the community engagement specialist, and so I work directly with veterans in the community and connecting them to mental health support through health affiliates, and also just to connect them with other community resources and partners that we work with. Maybe I can jump in right off the bat and maybe ask you a question, Kate, talk a little bit about health affiliates of Maine, you know, and talk about who you are, talk about what it is that you do, so the Maine, so the people that are listening to this podcast today can get a solid idea of who you are and what it is that you do, and then maybe talk a little bit about, you know, getting involved in veteran suicide prevention efforts here in the state of Maine. Yeah, absolutely. So health affiliates Maine has outpatient therapy services, psychiatric medication management services, case management services, and peer support, and we specifically have a carve-out to work with our veteran population and national and air guard specifically to ensure that the unique services that they need are available to them. We started working with a national air guard originally with our outpatient services in around 2011, and doing some training for our providers to make sure they were able to provide culturally competent care that they knew what veterans experienced and what they need, and that they were able to provide the best cutting-edge services. In 2018, we added case management services specific to veterans through a grant, and then in 2022, we added the Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Grant to expand our work to include veteran suicide prevention. Suicide prevention is a different nut for sure, but once you begin working with veterans and the people who serve them, it just stays with you. And when you're seeing that there's a need there, and that you have an ability to help that population, you definitely want to keep showing up and doing more. And I feel like that's our history with veterans is that we started working with veterans, wanted to do more and more and more, and here we are now meeting a unique need related to suicide prevention in the population. Yeah, could you talk about a little bit about how, you know, you deal with suicide prevention across the board with the entire population, but specifically, you know, what are the differences that you see with the veteran population and trying to reach that segment? Yeah, so I'll talk a little bit about, like, general suicide prevention, and then I'll ask Phil kind of to chime in about the uniqueness of working with those with veterans within suicide prevention. Prevention for me is, I think of the adage where people are, several people are being pulled from a river and everyone's working hard to save them downstream, but no one's gone to upstream to see how they're ending up in the river in the first place. And to me, that's exactly what prevention is in a nutshell. We need to look upstream and see what would lead someone to think that suicides their only option because that's usually what it is, right? They've got to a point where they feel that suicide is the only choice that they have left and how can we surround that person with support and connection and as many alternatives as possible so that they don't choose that option. And Phil, when we work with veterans, it's definitely really unique if you want to speak to that. Sure. Yeah. So the big thing with health affiliates is advocacy, right? So, especially for a veteran coming from a place where maybe they're experiencing some challenges and it could be related to mental health and a need for counseling or it could be something entirely different. Wherever they're coming from, the biggest thing is to pair them up with someone they can hear them. And so I know with how the affiliates basically, our agency makes it a point to hire veterans or case workers who have served in the military or are family members of veterans. And so they have an ability to hear the veteran, to speak with the veteran, to kind of relate with them on their own terms and then basically just work with them to identify what their biggest challenges and needs are. So yeah, it's a unique population, it's something where I think it's the 1%, right? I mean, there are not a lot of folks that serve and those that do serve have a tremendous amount of pride in what they've done where they've been and what they've contributed. But at the same time, it sometimes can be a little bit difficult to relate with a civilian culture and just to be able to translate what they're experiencing. in to I guess into a language where they can be connected to services. So yeah, yeah, it's a good thing. Phil, go ahead. Go ahead, Kate. I was just going to say, unfortunately, even though veterans are a small pop part of our population, we do have a large population in Maine, and unfortunately they do face a higher risk of dying by suicide. So we always have to keep that in mind that even though suicide prevention, the general pop, population is important that we know our veterans are at a higher risk and we really want to make sure we're addressing those unique needs. You know, and it's a good point, Kate. I want to get back to Phil for just a minute. Phil, you know, you being a veteran and you being in the communications part of this. One of the things we talk a lot about in this program is the challenges of connecting with the veterans in the state of Maine. It's a rural state. You know, and oftentimes it's difficult to sort of measure, you know, whether you're getting to the veterans, whether they're hearing the information about any multiple types of services that are available out there. And certainly this is one of them. You know, what do you see as the communications person associated with, you know, with health affiliates of Maine, when it comes to connecting with the veterans, what are the biggest challenges you face? And what are some of the things that you're doing to overcome some of those challenges? Right. Let's so appreciate the question. Well, I mean, we all know that veterans face a higher risk of dying by suicide. Lots of different reasons for that. You know, some have been exposed to death, danger, loss in combat. Others have had tough experiences in garrison, feel environments back home. You know, or something just happens to them that just strikes them in a tough way. Maybe it hits a nerve and they just get stuck. Other veterans enter into the service of the history of personal challenges. Whatever the case, many veterans struggle to find the words really to process the it and then heal from whatever it is they're struggling with. This then of course leads to other harmful habits, right, that then they've got to contend with secondary challenges like addictive behaviors, loss of housing, financial stress, that sort of thing. In addition to that, many experience isolation, right, and just a loss of a loss of purpose after service, chronic pain, PTSD, any number of issues that come up and each of these topics are, you know, they're own animal. They're related, but they would be a separate conversation. All this to say that military experience is fun. It just if fundamentally shapes and changes a person from the inside out. And our big thing in health affiliates is to come alongside the veteran and help them to name that thing. That challenge, that struggle that they have and then assist them along in the healing process. So to actually reach these veterans to fill husband instrumental in trying to get out into communities, wherever they may be, you know, we work with the main bureau of that to the VA at their veterans expose, which have been largely attended to try to make sure that we're getting to every corner of main to make sure people are hearing about the program. Thanks, Kate. I was, I was just going to mention that actually we have our homeless veterans, mobile stand downs going on across the state right now, and I know Phil has been a big piece of that and at all those events. I was just wondering what is, you know, what's the biggest barrier that you're seeing out there right now that is keeping veterans from asking for help. I know that you're out there, you're, you know, if they happen to come to one of our homeless veterans stand downs. We're able to reach them there, but what's preventing them from really reaching out and it, you know, talking to someone that when they need help. Yeah, I really wanted to go on. Yeah, absolutely. Well, three things come to mind. First is, I think some of this is military culture, right? And this is what we're talking about earlier. How, how does someone in the military transition to work just back into a civilian culture. Where they're coming from, they've kind of had been in their own military world in a lot of ways. And so I would say just I want to be paint broad brush strokes here because my experience is very different than someone that's come, you know, that's been in the Navy or in the Air Force. But I would say at least in terms of shared barriers that a lot of military folks face, there's, there's a team player mentality that's ingrained in a lot of service members from day one. So it's just this idea that if you get knocked down, you get back up, right? You rubbed her on whatever it was, whatever hit you hard, and you sold her on right as a team player. And you bury your challenges and your struggles because you want to be there for other folks. And so that's it's hard. It's hard to to function, right? If you're not, if something inside of you needs to be addressed and work through the second barrier, I think a lot of military folks faces. Or really it's just this attitude of putting others first, right? The sense that someone else deserves that support more than I do. There's another soldier, sailor, airman out there struggling and needs a hand, but I don't want to take that whatever it is they could use a resource away from them and use it for myself. So the third barrier I can think of it has to do with has really career implications and a lack of regression. There are a lot of service members that don't want to be labeled mentally unfit because that may affect their careers in a negative way. And while it's becoming increasingly acknowledged as mental health is becoming increasingly acknowledged as legitimate need, some leaders may still view it in a negative light. So those are just breaking through that, right? And being there and trying to connect with veterans in the community to help them see that there is a place where they can come and connect with someone. And advocate who can understand them, who can really acknowledge some of the barriers that they've had to face and then connect them with resources. That's really what we try to do. I love to hear you say that, and I want to jump over to K for just a moment. When you talk about mental health in this country, it's a huge subject right now that as you mentioned a moment ago Phil has been buried for decades or perhaps forever until recently when we're seeing professional athletes come out now and start talking about their mental health issues. And how it affects them and affects their lives and that type of thing. And certainly in regard to what you were saying Phil about the fact that people that are in the armed services, people that people that are veterans are always putting somebody else before them. And so it becomes more and more difficult for them to talk about it, but getting back to the whole the whole subject of mental health. In your mind, Kate, what is it that your organization is doing to try to even elevate just the just the entire subject concerning mental health so that that type of service, that type of help becomes more accessible to everyone. And of course, it becomes more accessible to the people like the veterans that are more difficult to reach. Well, first like our biggest thing is talk about it, right? Like we start right off with our vision, our mission statement is we believe all people struggle at one time or another with substance use or mental health issues. And we just right off the bat, everybody leadership throughout where we, we tell our stories, we talk about ways to get support in that ways we've gotten support. And the more people hear you speak about it and they're like, oh, this is okay, I can talk about this the more they're going to. I mean, whenever someone is vulnerable and talks to people about what they're experiencing, you see that connection. I've seen it with Phil at outreach events, right, where another veteran approaches him and they have a shared common language and they're able to really connect instantly. And then almost within minutes they're talking about some shared experiences and there's an inroads to be able to talk about mental health at that point. And then I think training as many people as we can to just talk about it to just say suicide to say, you know, are you thinking about killing yourself if you feel like someone's in that place. These are things that are part of the human experience and trying to make that known that this is a human experience for people. And then just continuing to be persistent with that and showing up where veterans are showing up on a regular basis. So that we're there when they're ready, right, we want to be in the we don't want them to when they're ready not have anybody around to turn to. So trying to make it out the word to make sure they know what to do when they feel like I can talk to someone and for us we've learned that we need to have veterans on staff, we need to have peer support. That's a newer component to our program because people need that shared language for sure. So with the September is national suicide prevention month and kind of narrowing down the prevention aspect of it. What are some signs that you look for we have a lot of veterans and their families that listen to this program, what are some signs that would kind of indicate that someone should be talking to or connecting to different resources. Yeah, I mean, I think for one, I think it's the people around them that might see it first, right? They might recognize that someone is not themselves, that something they're not engaging in activities that they used to engage in, like, "Hey, you used to go to bowling every week. Now I'm not seeing that person." They've disappeared. There can be a hesitance to get into other people's business, but it's like, "No, reach out. What's going on for people? Because if somebody has changed in your life and you're kind of taking note of that, that's a sign that maybe something's going on and we want to support people and knowing what to say and having those connections. Should we talk a little bit about, and I'm not familiar with this, but there's something here about the Fox Grant, and maybe talk a little bit about what that is, Kate and what it means to veterans and how health affiliates have main is working to be involved with that." Sure. So the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant, it's a VA grant program that supports community-based suicide prevention. In Maine, the main Bureau of Veteran Services received the grant, and they work with partners such as health affiliates main to strengthen our outreach, our prevention, our connection, and the grant honors Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox. He was an Army veteran who died by suicide in 2020 at the age of 25, and his family has advocated and advocated to make sure that there are programs helping prevent any other family from going through this tragedy. So in Maine, we have this grant to make sure that main Bureau of Veteran Services as well as ourselves are making sure that community-based providers can identify who veterans are. It's amazing how many providers weren't even recognizing. It is part of the health experience if you're a veteran. So making sure they're asking that question, asking about their service, screening for behavioral health needs, suicide risks, providing education, providing lethal means safety, connecting people to different pathways, and we're one of the pathways that providers can connect to for someone to receive some support. And then we connect every veteran that we serve to the main Bureau of Veteran Services. I know, obviously, on this podcast, people are probably very familiar with the benefits of the main Bureau, but many veterans don't know what they're eligible for, right? And it's impacting the quality of life. And so we want to make sure we're connecting them and figuring out exactly how main Bureau of Veteran Services might be able to support and be helpful with them, yeah. So if I'm a veteran or sitting here as a family member of a veteran, and I'm listening to this and I'm saying, you know, someone I know and care about is really checking some of these boxes. What is the best path for them to get connected? To the program itself, you would want to call us, right? And hey, we're going to answer the phone. That's not a common experience anymore either. We have a human being answering the phone. That person is going to have a conversation about what the needs are, why they're calling. And if our program can match what they're looking for or what we feel that how we might be helpful to them. So a lot of listening first to just figure out, OK, what is it? What is it that's going on for you? Phil, you take these calls at times where we're looking to see if they're right for the program. There is a screening that we have to do. There is criteria to participate. But no matter what, we're going to connect that veteran to something, right? So whatever their experience is, we're going to make sure that they have some way to connect to something when they leave us. I'm sorry. No, no. Go right ahead. I was just going to follow up on that. But I'm sure you're going to answer the question. So go right for it. Well, I'm going to attempt. And we've said it before. We've used that term a number of different times connection, right? It's something that we can't stress enough. It's fundamental and basic to relationships. Be able to see someone here and not just hear the words or saying what to listen and to really get where they're coming from. That is so critical. And it's really something that we try to major on when a veteran calls in, we want to hear and we want to listen closely to what he's trying to say. And Kate has talked about, right? So if a lot of it on the front is just an initial assessment, figuring out, okay, what is it you're looking for? Can we support you? Is it a good fit? And if it's a good fit, then we can proceed. We can look at some of what we have to offer in terms of case management services or peer support. I think in something else too, we were talking about just in general before the phone call, Kate and I, it that there just seems to be in our culture more and more a disconnection. While we do have social media, right, and folks are constantly their phones are constantly online, a lot of folks still just feel very disconnected. I'm able to really communicate clearly, especially those that are dealing with some some challenges that they're still trying to work through, our veterans, whether it's PTSD or depression or anxiety or anger, there's a lot there that stands in the way of that. So, yeah, we try to make it as easy as we can for a veteran to call in to actually speak with someone and then really to start, to begin to unpack, right, and address a little bit about what he's been, what he's been dealing with to receive help. You know, one of the, you know, what you just said is so relevant from that perspective and what you were talking about is as well, Kate, and that gets back to another point. And, you know, veterans need to be connecting with you period. Even before maybe this mental health crisis happens and you mentioned that at the beginning of the show when you talked about the fact that there's, there are people that are waiting for this to happen downstream, but the whole purpose of things like your organization is to get to that point before it ever happens so that you can begin to help them, you know, kind of deal with the prospect that they are going to have some kind of a crisis. How important is that to you? And when you think about that and you think about being the organization that sort of is moving upstream to confront this issue before it ever becomes a crisis, what is it got, what has to take place for that to happen from the perspective of making sure that you connect with those veterans, knowing how difficult and challenging that can be at times and knowing fully well that veterans just have this mentality that maybe, you know, I don't want to do this because I have too much pride, I don't want to do this because somebody else needs it more than I need it, that's type of thing. Yeah, and I think when we make that connection, any connection we have, sometimes it takes two, three connections, right, before someone is willing to actually go forward and talk to us about what might be happening for them because they need to know that we're going to still be there and answer the phone for them later on as well. And so they, you know, essentially, if someone is saying to themselves, you know, to speak to Ryan's point, too, if they're saying to themselves, like, I'm super overwhelmed, I don't know what to do, I just can't keep going on like this. That's often when we get that reach out from a veteran, and it's sort of when they, when they call with that, is really taking the time to listen and not just automatically go into, you know, our culture is just a problem solver, we just want to give people solutions and have them on their way. And for us, it's more like, no, we really want to get to know you as a person and get to know what are, what are all the factors that might be impacting you in this moment? And the other thing I just want to say before we get into what might be impacting a veteran is also we get a lot of referrals from friends and family members who are calling with that veteran, right? So someone else has encouraged them to go ahead and make that call to us. So they definitely have recognized something in that individual. They've heard about our program and they're willing to sort of bridge that gap. Yeah. I mean, just, I want to just, I want to continue just one thought concerning that. That's why it's so important, I assume, Kate and Phil, that family members, friends, people who are aware of veterans living amongst them that feel as though there may be an issue, that they may be connected with you as well. Is that, is that true? Yeah, Phil, if you want to speak to sort of your thoughts around, you know, we get a lot of veterans thinking that their situation isn't bad enough to reach out or their friends think it's not bad enough to reach out. Right. Yeah. Well, I mean, so we've spoken a little bit about prevention, but it's, it's, we don't want to wait until, until things are so, so bad that they've, they've reached a crisis and it's, it's hard, it's hard for a lot of veterans to find words to, to have that, that courage to step forward, you know, boldest to step into the challenge. It's, it's almost like, you know, the, the, the boss or they don't want to face, but it's so, so important. And so, yeah, it's, I think especially for military folks, there's something to, we talked about the barriers earlier, but there's also a pride there, a pride that I can figure this out on my own, that I can work through this, like as hard as it may be, I've been able to figure things out thus far, and so I can soldier through this, but sometimes they reach a point where they just, they're not able to function like they normally do, and that's where they need folks around them, friends and family who can have that sense for who they are, and what they look like in more normal circumstances, and they're able to kind of step in and ask the veteran, what's going on? You don't seem like yourself to double them back and to plug them in, so yeah, it's, it's a challenge. It's, I will tell you that in a lot of events that I've been to, veterans events, and whether it's an expo, or I was just recently at the Windsor Fair, I could tell, I've noticed among different generations that there seems to be, it's a little harder to reach veterans, the greatest generation, the boomers, a lot of these guys and gals, you know, they come from a time when mental health very much had a stigma, and so for them, it's not something that challenges that they faced or, you know, motions that they're dealing with, it's just not something they talk about, but being able to, being able to, like, just maintaining that presence, you know, and just continuing to show up and to advocate and, you know, to have the conversations, I think the multiple exposure exposures over time to the different veterans and the different, you know, generational bands, I guess you could say, it does make a difference. And a lot of times for us, our in-road is sometimes not the mental health as much, so sometimes for us, the in-road is they're having trouble with housing, finances, employment, things like that that are easier to talk about, like, they have, it's easier for them to say, like, I'm having trouble with this housing issue, and I'd like, or I'd like, I've heard about this resource, and I'd like to figure out that resource. And once you're in the door, then over time, that relationship will build and you're able to really build that rapport and feel more comfortable, you know, they feel more comfortable opening up about what they've experienced. So sometimes, rather than someone just feeling, you know, that they're able to talk about depression or post-traumatic stress or the motions or feelings, it's, okay, what's stressing you out? What's stressing you out right now? And people can really relate to that language, they don't find it as stigmatizing, and sometimes they're able to say, well, it's this, and we can get in there and start making some success in that area, and then that trust starts to build with them as well. And that's that upstream thing, right, is like, these are the things that all make people's options shrink when people have these stressors going on in their lives, when they can't get employment, where they can't function in their relationships with their family. These are the things that are upstream that we can cope with and deal with and talk about so that they can really make a plan for when they may have a crisis down the road. Yeah, I think that this, and I think, isn't that interesting you should talk about that because isn't that something we all deal with? And we're all going to have a crisis. That's exactly right. And so being able to talk to a veteran and say, you know what, you know, it's, you're not unique in this, in this particular area. And yet it's very important that you are able to talk with us about this so that we can get you to the point where it doesn't become such a crisis that you do something, you know, you do something that everyone will regret. And I think Ryan, you would agree that we have those same kinds of anxieties. That's absolutely. You know what I'm saying? Right. I mean, everyone's facing those situations and really identifying and speaking to veterans or anyone out there in the general public. What is the underlying problem in getting to know and build those connections with people to figure out, you know, is it an employment issue? Is it a family issue kind of really some of those, those underlying issues that you get to speak with people? And those are the questions in part of the screening process to be a part of that. And what, you know, if you identify those issues, I'm sure that you have a list of different resources that you can connect veterans to? Absolutely. And that's our key. I can't say enough about our case managers. You know, they're, they're really fabulous and they're not going to give up. They're very creative. And the most challenging circumstance, they're going to try to find a resource and support. And, you know, I think part of Phil's role of doing the community engagement is more than just connecting with the veterans. It's, it's making this network of support that we have so there's no, so that we can access those one of veteran needs, needs them. And Phil, I don't know if you want to talk more about those connections that have been made. Right. So I'm thinking back to, to the, the rumford homeless vet stand down. I was just at a few days ago. And you know, it's, it's, it's maybe your vet services just doing so much good work right now in a banding together, all sorts of different veteran organizations to make available to veterans. Who could use them? Right. Use the services. And I think a lot of these are, these are great opportunities. Not only for the veteran, just to know what's out there, these different events, these different veteran events. But also for the, the service organizations, just to, to see them, to hear them, to, to surround them. And we, we've talked about a few of them, right. So there's, I, I could goodness gracious, right off a long list of folks, but it's some of the, at least on the mental health side, there's, there's several of us, you know, there's, there's preble street, there's vet singing committee, there are other folks that are offering case management services to support, but beyond mental health, I mean, there are organizations like, you know, Pintry Legal that have veterans in a tough spot and, and, you know, she's, she's looking for a helping hand for some legal advice, she can go to them. There are, there are housing organizations out there that, that really want to, to support the veteran if he's, if he's in a tough spot and he's looking for a place to, a place to stay, I, I'm thinking of booth day vets, they actually, they've got an incredible program where they, they provide, I think there's some, some, some mobile trailers, and which they can pretty much move anywhere in the state to support a veteran in need, you know, these are just a handful of things. I mean, I could, I could go on transportation services out there. Of course, there's the VA, right, and there's, there's the health side and the benefits side, training and education, you know, voc rehab. So, so, I mean, our big thing is, is no wrong door. If someone comes to us and it turns out that they're not necessarily in need of behavioral health services, but they could use a hand in another area, that, that's what we're about. We're about connecting them with, with the right resource to, to support them and get them, get them moving along in their way. We are talking with Kate Marble and Phil Trevino with the Health Affiliates of Maine and during suicide prevention month here in the state of Maine, in relationship to the needs of our veterans. And yeah, it's, it seems to me that there's just, there's just, there's so many opportunities. I guess that's the thing. And I think Ryan, that's part of what you do all the time. There are so many opportunities to sort of connect veterans with these different services that, that Kate, you and, and Phil are talking about, and, and the importance of making sure that we're getting the word out there about that. And, and, you know, as, as you mentioned earlier, I think Ryan, social media, social media. But the fact is, is that if a veteran doesn't have access to that, the kind of thing that we sort of take for granted, then there has to be more effort on the part of organizations, you know, exactly like what you're talking about, the Health Affiliates of Maine, that want to get out there and connect with veterans in different situations. And, and I, and I think that's what I'm hearing today, especially. And so when you, you know, maybe I can ask you this, this question, Phil, from your perspective, what gives you hope when you look at the suicide prevention work that is happening currently here in the state of Maine on the optimistic side of things? Right. Yeah, that's, that's a loaded term, hope, right? I mean, one gives people hope. And goodness, I mean, there's, it's, we, we live in a, in a culture where loneliness is epidemic and, and there are a lot of folks that just, they, they're so hunger for the ability to connect with someone. But either they just, they don't, they can't bring themselves to, to dial health affiliates and, you know, refer themselves or they just, they can't fight it themselves to, to acknowledge it, whatever their challenge is, I, I would say the hope in our culture, there's, there's, there's so much to be hopeful for, first of all, but, but I would say one of the things that I think about is that mental illness is something that's becoming increasingly acknowledged and, and discussed. I mean, it's, it's still a stigma in the military culture. You know, it's, it's a challenge. I think there are some organizations that, that really just, they see it for what it it is. and they work with a service member, right, to help them just to move more in a healthy direction. But still, there's a lot of stigma. There's still some, it's almost like I'm trying to think of the right way to put it, but there's something about just discussing challenges. Working through PTSD or depression or anger, you name it, that just, it's difficult. But I would say increasingly, there is a language for it. There are veterans that know that there are services or organizations that are there to support them. And I think the more we continue forward and the more we really just remain present or remain active, we continue to engage at different expo, at different opportunities. Steve, just county, or I should say, the different fares, right, the different, you know, MBVS events. I know MMCN is a very main military connection network, I'm a community. I mean, there's a lot of folks out there that are banding together to surround our veterans and, you know, communicate and clearly and draw them in. That's going to be the biggest thing, right? So they can see, hey, I'm not alone. There are others that care about me. They're very much, you know, want to support me. And I can, I can do this with their assistance. And I think that's a real big piece of the expo's that we hold across the state. We do our quarterly expo's. We do all of our different outreach events, but a big piece of that is inviting the different organizations, whether that's vet to vet, or if it's, you know, Operation reboot or the main veterans project, it's a lot of the building camaraderie, you know, with veterans and to kind of build a community where they can speak to each other in that sort of language and through their experiences. Yeah, I think, sorry, I think one of the things that gives me hope too is I've just been able to witness what people can do from their role anywhere. So every single one of us can be part of suicide prevention by just saying hello to someone, by recognizing them, by making them feel seen, you know, you're walking in Hanover and someone has the vet hat on, you know, people, you know, you say, say something to them about the sacrifice or, hey, my dad was a vet. Also, thank you for your service and start a conversation with them, right? That alone makes people feel heard and seen. And so the hope for the hope that I have with suicide prevention is the more that we learn that connection is really the key is that we all make all have that ability. Connection is something every single one of us can do. And so it's attainable, right? And so if everybody makes a commitment to connect to the veterans and our lives and in our communities, we can solve this. We can. Right. And September is a big, there's a big push for buddy checks. It's just checking on your buddy. I know that even this month, I've reached out to some friends personally. I'm not a veteran. However, you know, it's a good chance and good opportunity to check in with maybe a friend you haven't spoken to in a while and just, you know, see how they're doing check in and, you know, just an overall good thing to do. Yeah, I think, I mean, that is the key. I think, you know, that's a good point. You just made Ryan and I'll tell you why without mentioning names, I mean, I've, I've got a very good friend that was a Marine. And, um, and, uh, there were, there were some issues associated with the family and that type of thing. And, and, and, you know, without without getting into any specifics, I just made it, I made sure that I was connecting, you know, and continuing to connect. And, and I think Phil and Kate, you would agree with that, just the fact that you're there and you're listening, maybe even just listening. And, and maybe it's just sometimes a few minutes of listening to it. And then, and then always being encouraging, you know, to, um, either, either seek help or, or work things out, you know, whatever that happens to be. And it, and ultimately it did. And I, and I think sometimes those kinds of connections are so critical. And sometimes we don't think we're making a difference. And yet, and yet I think both of you would agree. And I know you would agree, Ryan, that we can make a difference. You know, um, as, just the thought that you picked up the phone, like, who does that anymore, right? You picked up the phone, you cared about someone enough to pick it up. Like, that's huge. Yep, I agree. And one of the things that you mentioned early in the program and, and I just wanted to sort of pursue as we sort of conclude our conversation today is that are, do you folks encourage volunteers to work with you on behalf of what it is that you're doing and, and is there a place for that? Yeah. So we actually don't have a volunteer workforce right now, although, hey, that sounds like a great idea. Um, we haven't been doing that because we really want to, at this point, we haven't, we haven't expanded to that point, but you just gave me a great idea for our future. It's, it's to expand it even further. Um, but if someone does want to volunteer for veterans, or to be part of, um, like buddy to buddy type programs, we know those connections, and we can help you get to those organizations that are doing that because that's super, you know, super important as in building those networks. Yeah, I know, I know main vet vet, they're always even posting on their social media, they'll identify a veteran in a certain area, and kind of list their hobbies and things that you may be able to connect to and even just taking a moment out of your data to volunteer for something like that to, you know, someone's in need and, and connect with them. Yeah, and I think there is a wait list, too, you know, so volunteers are needed for that, for sure. Well, there you go. We've, we've started, we've started a movement here. Which is, which is great. Fill any final thoughts on your part with you being a veteran, um, and, and, you know, not to get into anything personal, but certainly it seems to me that you can identify with some of the issues that are unique from the perspective of, um, of what it is that you did. And, and, and what, what you have come from. Am I correct in saying that? Yes. Yeah. I thank you, uh, for the opportunity, John Ryan and, and just the chance to, to talk. Um, it's, uh, I'm thinking back to, to 9/11, actually, and, uh, I, it's a lot of folks can remember where they were, and, and what they were thinking. And I just remember sitting in front of a television set, watching a plane flying to one of the trade towers and, and just thinking to myself like it's, this is, this changes everything. Um, and, uh, you know, it's, there's a, there's a high probability that I'm going to be deployed. Um, and, and I blinked and goodness, I think it was two years later. I found myself in, in, uh, actually, it was three years later. I found myself in Iraq. And so, um, there are experiences that veterans have, uh, that, that shape them, that, transform them, uh, that, that change them fundamentally. And, and, and there's a lot that veterans carry around that they don't really feel like they can, they can share, they can talk about, uh, for a number of different reasons. I mean, it's, it's hard to translate experiences like, you know, just Iraq or Afghanistan or, you know, at Poland or any, any number of places, right? We've got, we've got our service members deployed across the globe. It's hard to translate, uh, what they've seen where they've been, what they've, what they've experienced. And especially if there's been trauma there, uh, to be able to, to step into that, uh, and to work through some of it instead of bearing it, instead of, instead of just neglecting it, uh, you know, or, or self-medication or whatever that may look like, uh, it takes boldness. Um, I would just say to the veteran, hey, if, if you're out there and you're hearing this and you're thinking, I, I just, I'm still struggling. I'm, I'm having a hard time with this. I'd rather, you know, it's easier just to, to keep doing what I'm doing. I would really encourage you, uh, just to know that there are folks out there, uh, that, they care a whole lot about you. And, and that actually do understand they can relate. Uh, they, they want to, to support you and work with you. Um, I know that's certainly our hearts desire. And so, uh, so I thank you, gentlemen, uh, thanks so much, Kate, for the opportunity. Um, I just, yeah, I want to be an encouragement. We want to be a support. We want to let folks know that we're available. Uh, it really, I mean, goodness. We, we've got case workers across across the state, um, you know, from north to south and, and, uh, we're able to, we're actually able to get to the veteran. Uh, we can, we can, uh, be there to support them and to hear them, uh, to really listen, uh, and then connect them with the resources they need to, again, move in a more positive direction. Absolutely. Uh, any final thoughts, Ryan? No, I just, just the fact that I want to stress that, you know, although September is national suicide prevention month, it is a year-long effort, uh, with us, how the affiliates have made, uh, you know, everyone, um, you know, he's out there working hard on this all year long. And certainly on our website, if you go to main.gov/bederns, we have a list of resources on there where you can connect, um, you know, to a bunch of different available [BLANK_AUDIO] options and we're happy to help feel free to give our office a call and we can direct to you where you need to be. Yeah, Kate, any final thoughts on your part? Yeah, just one thing I need to mention is that if you're in a different place and you're need you're actually in crisis right now, I do want to let you know that you can dial nine eight eight and press one. That's a specific veterans crisis line. And so they're ready to help often veterans themselves, but definitely trained to talk and work with veterans and it doesn't hurt to make that phone call. Well, that's easy. Nine eight eight and then press one, correct? Yes, yes. Wow, that's and that's something I think is really important that people remember. You know, I mean, it just all it takes is that that one thing, you know, just to do it. And get and get people who understand and acknowledge what it is that you're going through. And so we thank you very, very much. Both you, Kate and Phil for taking the time to be with us today. And I think this is so important and don't worry. We'll we'll have you back. We'll have you back. Okay, okay. We want to we want to continue that conversation. So thank you so much. Ryan, any last words on your part? Nope. Thanks for coming on here. And you know, certainly go on to our website for all of our upcoming events and resources and benefits and we're we're all around the state. So we're happy to help. Absolutely. Once again, I'm John Williams for Ryan Lorraine, who's the director of communications for the main bureau of veteran services. This is main veterans connection. I also want to thank once again, Kate Marble and also Phil Trevino from health affiliates of Maine for joining us on this important show today on the main veterans services and connection. Once again, we'll see you again in less than a month, right Ryan? Very soon. We've got lots of things coming up, including mission dogs. We'll be talking more about that as well. Once again, I'm John Williams for Ryan Lorraine. It is Maine veterans connection. Have a good day, everybody. Make it a good week ahead and please make it a safe one. We'll see you again soon. Bye-bye. [MUSIC]