Orange County will soon launch a new Veterans Suicide Prevention Pilot Program to help local veterans struggling with life changes or depression.
County Supervisor Katrina Foley announced July 1 her office had secured $500,000 for the program’s launching cost, and the county Board of Supervisor’s new budget covers $2.5 million dedicated to the program’s early intervention mental health services.
Originally proposed by Chase Wickersham—a Vietnam War veteran appointed by former county Supervisors John Moorlach and Michelle Steel to the Orange County Veterans Advisory Council—the program is aimed at addressing the “national crisis” of growing suicide cases among elderly veterans, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, a spokesperson of Foley’s office told The Epoch Times in an email….