How USAA’s Face the Fight Is Building a Coalition to Combat Veteran Suicide

Military.com
Jul 13, 2023

Although veteran suicide rates have declined slightly since 2018, they are still alarming: 16 veterans die by suicide every day, a rate 57% higher than the larger American population. In response, USAA has launched Face the Fight, a coalition of philanthropic foundations, veteran-oriented non-profits and corporations that are pooling resources in a nationwide, concerted effort to cut veteran suicide rates in half by 2030. This Military.com article explains more about the initiative, including insight from Katy Dondanville, PsyD, who leads an external advisory committee of subject-matter experts. Dr. Dondanville is associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and director of the STRONG STAR Training Initiative.

Coalition’s bold goal: Cut veteran suicide rate in half by 2030

The National Desk
Jul 12, 2023

A newly launched coalition has an ambitious goal of cutting the veteran suicide rate in half by 2030. Coalition leaders say the goal is aspirational, but he also said it’s achievable. This TND story includes interviews with Brandon Carter, president of USAA Life Insurance Co. and USAA executive sponsor for the “Face the Fight” initiative, and Katy Dondanville, PsyD, one of the experts who helped shape the initiative’s strategy. Dr. Dondanville, a clinical psychologist and faculty member with The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, also serves as director of the STRONG STAR Training Initiative.

UT Health Science Center San Antonio joins USAA and Face the Fight™ to reduce veteran suicide

The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
Jul 11, 2023

The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (also referred to as UT Health San Antonio) is providing experts trained in military and veteran mental health to help San Antonio-based USAA launch Face the Fight™, a social impact initiative with an aspirational goal to cut the veteran suicide rate in half by 2030. Read on to learn more about this important effort and how it is being supported by Katy Dondanville, PsyD, and her team with the STRONG STAR Training Initiative.

Ambitious new campaign aims to reduce veteran suicide by half

ABC News
Jul 10, 2023

ABC News story discusses the scourge of veteran suicides and a valiant new national effort led by USAA, called “Face the Fight,” to raise awareness and support for veteran suicide prevention. The story includes expert comment by Dr. Katy Dondanville, a clinical psychologist and associate professor with The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and research collaborator with the STRONG STAR Consortium. Dr. Dondanville and her team serve as academic medical advisers on this long-term initiative.

UT Kind: UTHSA psychologist’s heroic work with veterans is personal

The University of Texas System
Jun 29, 2023

As part of UT Kind – a newly launched series of short videos that spotlight inspiring students, faculty, staff and alumni from UT institutions — The University of Texas System features STRONG STAR research therapist and co-investigator Tabatha Blount, PhD. Dr. Blount’s work with military members and veterans as a trauma-focused psychologist at UT Health San Antonio is personal. Raised in a military family and married to a serviceman, she is committed to helping those who serve overcome the challenges of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Her passionate and impactful work with struggling service members and veterans recently earned Dr. Blount recognition as a “Health Care Hero” by the San Antonio Business Journal.

New Intensive Therapies Available to Treat Combat PTSD

Giddy
Jun 01, 2023

Citing recent research led by Dr. Alan Peterson and the Consortium to Alleviate PTSD, this Giddy article describes what PTSD is, how common it is, and how intensive treatment with Prolonged Exposure therapy can help lead to recovery.

Podcast #26: Racial Stress and Trauma

PTSD Bytes, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
May 09, 2023

Everyone responds to racism differently, and reactions can include anxiety, depression, and even PTSD. STRONG STAR collaborator Dr. Brittany Hall-Clark discusses racial stress and trauma and shares how to heal from trauma while living in a world where racism still exists. Learn about different types of treatment for race-based stress, and tools to empower you to cope.

Insomnia, Sleep Apnea. When Is It Time to Talk to A Doctor?

Chronic: Life With Never-Ending Pain
Apr 25, 2023

On this episode of ‘Chronic’, we talk about all things sleep with sleep expert Vincent Mysliwiec. Mysliwiec is a professor of research and the director of sleep medicine at the STRONG STAR research unit at the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio. His expertise is with sleep disorders experienced by those in the military. We talk about ways to combat insomnia and sleep apnea, painsomnia and the importance of quality sleep.

Patricia Resick Co-Authors Book on Cognitive Processing Therapy for PTSD

Duke University School of Medicine
Apr 14, 2023

Congratulations to STRONG STAR collaborators and Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) experts Patricia Resick, PhD (therapy developer), Shannon Wiltsey Stirman, and Stefanie LoSavio on their new book that aims to make front-line PTSD treatment available and accessible to all who need it. They recently published “Getting Unstuck from PTSD: Using Cognitive Processing Therapy to Guide Your Recovery,” the first self-help workbook for CPT, a leading, evidence-based treatment for civilians and military/veterans with PTSD. Learn more and access the publisher’s website in this news release by Duke University School of Medicine.

More gun control, no energy drinks: Military suicides are down, but experts say it’s not enough

San Antonio Express-News
Apr 06, 2023

STRONG STAR Director Alan Peterson, PhD, and other experts are quoted in this article reporting on a recent decline in military suicide numbers.