Mt. Carmel Veterans Service Center setting 2023 goals and missions
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Mt. Carmel Veterans Services is gearing up for another successful year helping veterans and their families in the community.
On a routine basis, Mt. Carmel Veterans Service Center offers veterans behavioral health and wellness, employment, permanent affordable housing assistance, and basic supportive services. Such as food drives.
"We want to ensure that as the economy gets tight that we're providing basic needs," Mt. Carmel Veterans Service Center Executive Director Robert McLaughlin said. "But more importantly than giving the basics, whats the cause of the need."
There are 400,000 veterans in Colorado. Approximately 100,000 of them are in El Paso County. Mt. Carmel is continuing to work to support veterans in the region and in nearby rural areas through events, fundraisers, and supportive services. Including growing Next Chapter, a pilot program launched in El Paso County in 2022.
"When you talk about suicide prevention it's really about providing hope where there might be hopelessness," McLaughlin said. "For us what we do every day is that, if somebody's in a bind and needs a boost we provide it, and we want to expand that."
UC Health partnered with Mt. Carmel to create this 3-year pilot program through a state grant to prevent veteran suicide.
"I predict success and the goal is to spread that program to other counties in Colorado," McLaughlin said.
The goal is to touch 700 military members. In 8 months they've already met 200.
Another goal is to further help rural veterans.
"When you look at where services are, the tyranny of distance is a problem," McLaughlin said. "We've come alongside the VA for the community network of care program. So services behavioral and physical care can happen close to where the veterans live."
They have a satellite office in Pueblo and representation in Trinidad. They're looking to expand to the Western Slope.
All in all, what sets Mt. Carmel apart is the passion.
"The majority of my staff are veterans, combat veterans," McLaughlin said. "They've been there, done that. So they come to work every day with a passion to make sure they're helping people that need it."
