Photo By Terrance Bell | Katina Oates, Fort Lee Suicide Prevention Program Manager, said the Defense Suicide...... read more read more
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FORT LEE, Va. (March 3, 2020) -- Fort Lee will be among five recipients of a DOD-level award later this month at the Pentagon.
The Defense Suicide Prevention Office located in Alexandria recently announced the installation’s selection for a Suicide Prevention Month Recognition Citation. The accolade highlights the “innovative and diverse range of work” it did in support of military members, their families and DOD Civilians while promoting activities for the 2019 Suicide Prevention and Awareness Month observance’s theme, “Small Steps Save Lives.”
Katina Oates, Fort Lee Suicide Prevention Program manager, expressed pride in the Feb. 7 announcement and said it validates the installation’s efforts are making a difference.
“It’s an honor,” she said. “Whenever you’re involved in missions directly impacting people and helping to save lives, you have to take it seriously. Whatever position I’ve held within the Army Substance Abuse Program, I’ve always said, ‘Not on my watch.’ I don’t want any of these balls to fall that is a detriment to somebody’s life.”
During SP&AM in September, ASAP sponsored a guest speaker presentation by Marine veteran Dana O’Brien, a well-known suicide prevention advocate. He shared with audiences his experiences relating to the suicide of his Iraqi War-veteran grandson. The speaking engagement was one of many ASAP educational and outreach activities that ranged from information booths and 5K runs, to prayer vigils and a disc golf tournament.
Oates is supported by an ASAP staff of three. She said their contributions are crucial to achieving program goals in general and desired SP&AM outcomes in particular.
“It was a team effort,” she said. “Although there’s only one name on my door, none of this could’ve been done without the help and support of this team. There are those who have been extremely instrumental in making all of this happen.”
In addition to her in-house support, Oates said the community as a whole has had a great impact on the program’s success. She credits the Religious Support Office in particular as the biggest booster of prevention and awareness efforts.
“They have been huge and key…. I will tell you none of the endeavors we’ve had to hit hard would’ve been successful without their partnership,” she said.
Ramone Maisonet, former ASAP manager and now garrison executive officer, submitted the application packet for the DOD award. He said it’s an ongoing SPP mission to provide education and intervention resources for the community, but ASAP during September took the additional step of tailoring its efforts to the unique needs of the population it serves.
“The ASAP team personalized the campaign with the events they produced,” he said, “and the promotional items they created with targeted efforts to ‘touch every person’ on Fort Lee … it really took our campaign to the next level.”
And the work paid off in a big way, Maisonet emphasized.
“During the campaign, we had two at-risk individuals who expressed suicidal ideations receive the assistance they needed when community members, who had no formal training in suicide intervention, used our promotional campaign items to get in touch with installation professionals who intervene – that’s what made this campaign different.
“I already felt like we had a wildly successful campaign because of the goodness that came out of it,” he continued, “however, to be recognized by DOD with this award made me both humbled by our efforts and simultaneously super proud of this team. They went above and beyond and are truly deserving of this recognition.”
Other organizations recognized by DSPO for their SP&AM efforts are Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, S.C; Navy Information Operations Command - Georgia, Fort Gordon, Ga.; Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait; and North Dakota Army National Guard, Bismarck, N.D.
For more information about the installation SPP, call 804-765-3941 or 734-9693/9073/9182/9234.
| Date Taken: | 03.03.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 03.03.2020 08:43 |
| Story ID: | 364352 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 233 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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