Suicide prevention training: Dover first in AMC

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Zachary Cacicia
  • 436th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  As of July 2015, Dover AFB has achieved 100 percent compliance with Air Mobility Command's February 2015 directive for face-to-face suicide prevention training for all personnel; making it the first base in AMC to achieve this goal. 

This AMC directive required all base personnel to receive face-to-face suicide prevention training. This included not only active duty Airmen, but also Reservists, civilian employees and contractors who work on base.

The 436th Medical Operations Squadron Mental Health Clinic suicide prevention program took the lead to assure Team Dover's compliance. The program's manager, Capt. Michael Vernale, 436th MDOS Alcohol Drug Abuse Prevention and Treatment program manager, and enlisted lead Airman, 1st Class Samantha Gilbert, 436th MDOS mental health technician, spearheaded the effort.

"It was a multi-team approach," said Vernale. "We used a lot of different agencies across base to formulate a plan on how we best reach out to all the members on base, both civilian and military."

Vernale held three face-to-face training seminars for 163 facilitators at the Base Theater. These facilitators, whom were volunteers from each squadron, in-turn took on the responsibility to train the remainder of the base populace. These individuals handled the majority of the training.

For those who could not attended scheduled unit training sessions, Gilbert went around base to offer make-up training sessions.

"I think the most important thing is the people who helped put this together," Vernale said. "Especially Airman Gilbert's help, as well as the rest of the team that was involved."

Gilbert worked closely with each base unit's training manager.

"I called them all multiple times," said Gilbert. "I emailed them all multiple times."

According to Vernale, the Air Force had shifted focus away from face-to-face training. But the new methods were statistically found to not have an effect on decreasing the number of suicides.

"So we went back to our basics and asked ourselves what does work?," Vernale said. "Well, face-to-face suicide prevention training did."

Vernale said the new training focuses more on opening a dialogue about suicide.

"It's less of a training and more of a group discussion on what are the risk factors, what are the warning signs and how do you reach out to people," said Vernale.

Additionally, supervisors who work in "high risk" units must take a computer-based training to further their knowledge on suicide prevention.

"We are passionate about reducing the number of suicides," Vernale said. "I think we are moving in the right direction."