Marine Corps Base Quantico (MCBQ) received its first ever Outreach Recognition Award from the Defense Suicide Prevention Office (DSPO) Feb. 22 for the Quantico Marine Corps Community Service (MCCS) Community Counseling Program’s campaign during September, which is observed as Suicide Prevention Month each year.

Dr. Keita Franklin, director of DSPO presented Col. Joseph Murray, commander, Marine Corps Installations-National Capital Region MCBQ and civilian Mary Jo Betyak-Eisler, counselor, with the recognition award for exceptional suicide prevention outreach and education efforts during the Community Counseling Program’s (CCP) 10-day Suicide Prevention Month education campaign.

According to Murray, it is because of initiatives like CCP and the experts that run the program that he does not have to worry about the Marines on base, because he knows they are in loving hands.

Within the CCP seminars, approximately 760 active duty Marines and veterans were reached with the message of suicide prevention. Another third of those in attendance at the seminars were dependents, civilians and government contractors.

DOD supports and recognizes the part that military installations play in suicide prevention.   With this year’s campaign Quantico took a proactive approach to suicide prevention and was chosen to win the award above all other Marine Corps bases.  Each of the five services was given an award for outstanding efforts in suicide prevention education.

“Maintaining combat readiness takes a community effort from the DoD, service members, their families and DoD civilians helping to increase awareness about suicide prevention,” Laurie Wilson, deputy director of MCCS Quantico Marine and Family Programs said.

Wilson believes it is the passion and vigor of military installations such as the National Capital Region that design and implement activities and events for the benefit of service members, their families and DOD civilians, which produce real change.

The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and DSPO, in the original implementation of suicide prevention, believed public health and community programs should focus on community outreach, safety trainings and clinical and preventive strategies to reverse any negative trends and reinforce the positive through addressing persistent concerns directed toward active duty and veteran populations.

The Department of Defense Suicide Event Report (DODSER) found behavioral health diagnoses such as mood swings, adjustment disorders and anxiety were implicated in 85 percent of suicide attempts.  This proves that educational efforts can make service members cognizant of each other’s behavior, so looking out for each other might very well help save someone’s life.

This was the driving force behind Clinical Supervisor Betyak-Eisler’s seminars. She helped lead CCP, MCCS and DSPO in spreading awareness throughout the community and building support to combat suicide.

It was Betyak-Eisler who emphasized that better training techniques vetting the severity of suicide and more adequate pre-clinical psychological screenings might help evaluate early onset signs of depression and further prevent possible self-harm or suicide.

With more than 160 active duty officials trained in Combat and Operational Stress Fight Aid training (COSFA), many officials have now been afforded the ability to preserve a life by promoting recovery through early identification of people in need of psychological aid and resources.

An additional 44 clinicians, prevention officers, emergency service teams and the Naval Health Clinic Quantico staff, were introduced to the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (CSSRS), which allows both clinical and non-clinical individuals to potentially foresee suicides before they occur.

According to Betyak-Eisler, half of those that received CSSRS training were first responders and the goal was fully equipping them with the ability to prevent those in at risk situations from suicide.

According to Murray, it is not the accolades or awards that make the CCP so important, but the lives it may help save in the process.

CCP asks that if active duty personnel or veterans begin to show signs of depression or suicide, contact their office at 703-784-3523 or the Veterans Crisis Line at 1-800-273-8255.