U. veteran support initiative receives $1 million grant in time for Veterans Day

Vets4Warriors, a Rutgers program supporting veterans, has received a $1 million grant from Face the Fight to help prevent veteran suicide, according to a press release.

Vets4Warriors, housed in the Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care National Call Center, was one of the nonprofit grant recipients awarded by Face the Fight, a coalition working to raise awareness and reduce the rate of veteran suicide. The grant will enable the organization to expand its services in areas with limited resources and higher rates of suicide.

Veterans and their families can receive confidential peer support through the program's services over the phone, email or online chat. The program is independent of the U.S. military and the Department of Veterans Affairs, so veterans can feel confident that anything they disclose will be confidential.

"(Vets4Warriors's) established track record and its connection with an excellent state university health care system make it an invaluable resource to all veterans," Katherine Dondanville, chief scientific advisor to Face the Fight, said. 

At Vets4Warriors, veteran counselors work 24 hours a day, seven days a week to de-escalate challenging situations before they become more serious. Since the program began in 2011, Vets4Warriors has formed more than 900,000 connections through these channels, according to Mark Graham, former army major general and current director of Vets4Warriors.

"This generous grant will enhance the critical work we began with Vets4Warriors in 2011," Graham said. "This support from Face the Fight will help us support many more veterans and their families in the years to come."