Leveraging Community Asset Mapping to Improve Suicide Prevention for Veterans

The US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has made concerted efforts to improve community collaboration, which can help address stressors that contribute to suicide risk in veterans. However, not all veterans have access to VA care, and some may require services outside the VA purview. One strategy to further connect veterans to services to reduce suicide risk is community asset mapping (CAM). CAM, also known as asset mapping or environmental scanning, involves identifying and gathering contact information about local community resources so that these resources can be shared and utilized.

This article describes the CAM process to address risk factors and related social determinants of health that may contribute to suicide risk. VA suicide prevention CAM includes creating a list of points of contact for community referrals, such as veteran service organizations, vet centers, Community Veterans Engagement Boards, state suicide prevention coordinators, and community mental health organizations. CAM allows for the centralization of resources so veterans and referring practitioners can better access these resources and use them to mitigate the factors that put veterans at risk of suicide.

Continued efforts to build and strengthen partnerships between VA and local communities are essential to prevent suicide among veterans who are served both within and outside of the VA system.