VA Office of Mental Health & Suicide Prevention 2023 Report & Albany VA Resources

“We would like every Veteran to know the Albany VA Medical Center is here as a resource for you 24/7/365, we serve over 22,000 square miles and 35,000 Veterans every year and we are here to serve”  stated Medical Center Director Darlene Delancey adding “based on census data,  we serve about 60% of eligible Veterans living between Kingston and Canada.  If you are a Veteran not getting your healthcare at the VA, with new laws like the PACT Act and the COMPACT Act, there is no better time to allow us to serve you.”  Chief of Mental Health Annette Payne, PhD. shared “A lot of what we do is dispel myths and what the Director noted is an important part of the message. We know from the research, the majority of Veterans who complete suicide, have never been to the VA for care.” 

Dr. Payne continued, “Asking for help is not a sign of weakness, mental health is just as important as physical health.” adding “the VA has a host of resources for Veterans, they can call the Crisis Line at 9-8-8, this is 24/7/365 (press 1 for the Veterans Crisis Line).”  The other myth we hear often out there, if you call the Crisis Line, you will end up in the hospital.  “It’s simply not accurate, the majority of calls to the Crisis Line, are just a conversation with a Veteran during a difficult time, and then a referral to the resources at their local VA.”  Dr. Payne noted, Veterans can also text with the Crisis Line at 838255 if they are not comfortable talking.

Chief of Social Work, Jennifer Audette added, “We have inpatient care, outpatient care through individual counseling, group counseling, we have resources like Compensated Work Therapy, Peer Support, we have a food pantry, the Caregiver Support Program, the Healthcare for Homeless Veterans program.  The nice thing about VA is, if Albany doesn’t have a specific resource, for example residential PTSD treatment, we can refer to another of the 100+ VA hospitals in the country. We also have a strong network of community partners, for example we partner with SUNY Cobleskill for equine therapy as part of our addiction’s recovery programming.” 

Acting Public Affairs Officer, Sean Tuckey & OIF Veteran contributed, “There are also alot of resources for Veterans if they’re not sure they are interested in treatment or not sure if its right for them.  There are smartphone apps  that help with sleep, mindfulness exercises, smoking cessation programs and an app to help Veterans cut back on their alcohol use.  We also have some great YouTube videos, so if for example a Veteran wants to learn about CBT Therapy they can watch a short video.  We also a link where Veterans can read about treatments at the Albany VA.”

Business Office Manager Erwin “Dom” Dominguez, a Global War On Terrorism Veteran himself, added “Sometimes the most difficult step is the 1st step.  If a Veteran has never been to the VA they can contact the Business Office at and set up a time to enroll or stop into the Hospital during the week from 7:30-4PM, one of the myths out there is enrolling can be an all day process but with the PACT we can have you enrolled, take your picture for your ID and have you on your way in no time.”

To read the National 2023 Annual Report from the VA Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Click Here.