UA study to take ‘deep dive’ into risk factors for veterans, suicides
University of Alabama researchers, America’s Warrior Partnership and The Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation have partnered on a $2.9 million study to explore risk factors that contribute to suicides, early mortality and self-harm among military veterans. “Operation Deep Dive,” funded by the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation, aims to create better understanding of the risk factors, particularly at the organizational and community level. Drs. Karl Hamner, director of the Office of Evaluation for the College of Education, and David L. Albright, Hill Crest Foundation Endowed Chair in Mental Health and associate professor in the School of Social Work, are the principal investigators for UA on the study. Innovative new approach Recent research has shown that neither PTSD nor combat exposure is a good predictor of veterans and suicide, so researchers must cast a wider net, Hamner said. “Previous research has focused primarily on individual-level risk factors, like prior suicide attempts, mood disorders, substance abuse and access to lethal means, but suicide is a complex phenomenon, and those factors don’t paint the whole picture,” Albright said. The study is innovative in that it focuses on veterans across the spectrum of service, gender and lifespan, using data from America’s Warrior Partnership and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, new data collected during the study, and data from the Department of Defense. For instance, female veterans, who are 2.5 times more likely to commit suicide than civilian women, will be spotlighted in the study. Both the DOD and the VA will be vital in identifying veterans with varying medical histories, combat experiences and discharges from military services. America’s Warrior Partnership will also help fill the gaps in identifying veterans who don’t fit criteria for VA benefits, like National Guard or Reserve personnel who aren’t activated, or anyone who has a dishonorable discharge, which could be for a variety of reasons. “The scope of this study is timely and so needed that we really believe we can move the needle,” Hamner said. A better understanding The first phase of the study is a five-year retrospective investigation of the DOD service use and pattern of VA care utilization to examine the impact of less-than-honorable discharges on suicides and suspected suicides, and the differences in suicides between those who receive and do not receive VA services. “Helping to identify the trends or predictors of veterans’ suicide could help immensely in reducing suicide rates and provide much-needed interventions for this community,” says John Damonti, president of the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation. “This project will take a deep dive to better understand what was happening at the community level to design better, more targeted intervention programs.” The second phase will incorporate these findings into a three-year study that will include input from medical examiners, mental health experts, veterans, family members and the community to conduct a “sociocultural autopsy” of all new or suspected suicides in America’s Warrior Partnership’s seven partnership communities, as well as in comparison communities. The results will explore how community context and engagement affect prevention of suicides in veterans and why some former service members commit suicide, while others do not. “The overarching goal of the study is to understand triggers of suicide in order to prevent potential suicides before they occur,” said Jim Lorraine, president and CEO of America’s Warrior Partnership. “With each organization bringing its own areas of expertise and data, we can make a difference in the lives of our nation’s warriors, particularly the most vulnerable veterans.” Both Hamner and Albright are committee chairs for the Alabama Veterans Network, or AlaVetNet, which connects Alabama veterans to resources and services. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey recently signed Executive Order 712, which tasks the group in helping reduce and eliminate the opioid crisis as well as reducing the high veteran suicide rate. This story originally appeared on the University of Alabama’s website. Republished with permission from the Alabama NewsCenter.
Alabama certifies Doug Jones’s victory over Roy Moore in Senate election
Alabama has officially certified the election results of Democrat Doug Jones’s historic upset Senate victory over Republican Roy Moore on Thursday. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, Attorney General Steve Marshall and Secretary of State John Merrill signed off on results from all the Yellowhammer State’s 67 counties. The certification included both provisional and military ballots in the total, leaving Jones’ with a margin of victory of 21,924 votes with more than 1.3 million ballots cast. Jones said he’s eager to get to work in the new year. “I am looking forward to going to work for the people of Alabama in the new year,” Jones said in a statement. “As I said on election night, our victory marks a new chapter for our state and the nation. I will be an independent voice and work to find common ground with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to get Washington back on track and fight to make our country a better place for all.” Thursday’s certification follows Moore’s refusal to concede in the wake of the
BBQing isn’t an option, feral hog poison field tests coming to Alabama in 2018
Wild boar, razorback, feral hog, wild pig — these are just some of the names we attribute to one of the most destructive and formidable invasive species in the country. Feral swine adapt to just about any habitat, have few natural enemies, and reproduce at high rates. Since the country can’t barbecue its way out of the $1.5 billion in damages and hog-control costs each year, the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has approved a new measure to control the 6 million, and counting, feral hogs. Beginning in 2018, the APHIS will being field-testing poison baits, made from a preservative that’s used to cure bacon and sausage, to help control the hog population. “Wildlife Services takes the selection and use of toxic baits for use in wildlife damage management very seriously. The final environmental assessment, FONSI and EUP are the result of years of collaborative research by WS and multiple private, state, federal and international partners,” said Wildlife Services Deputy Administrator Bill Clay. “With these in place, we can now begin field trials to help determine the effectiveness of the sodium nitrite toxic bait for removing feral swine sounders in natural settings, as well as any potential impacts to non-target wildlife.” The new program will first be tested in Texas in early 2018 and then in central Alabama midsummer. “Although trapping, aerial operations, and recreational hunting of feral swine have effectively reduced damage in some areas, studies show that at least 70 percent of feral swine must be removed each year in order to prevent population growth,” added Clay. “Should the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approve the toxic bait for use with feral swine, it could become another tool in the toolbox for integrated feral swine damage management.”
Best of Alabama innovation stories of 2017
As we watch 2017 give way to 2018, it’s a good time to look back on some of the great things that happened in Alabama this year. Alabama NewsCenter has tallied the results in each grouping of stories to see which ones you responded to the most, and we’re sharing your five favorites along with a story (or stories) we wanted to make sure you didn’t miss. If 2017 had a signature buzz word or phrase, it may well have been the “innovation economy.” Alabama cities were certainly touting their own place within the innovation economy, and the evidence was in the actual innovation taking place in the state. Here are the Top 5 Alabama NewsCenter innovation stories for 2017: Researchers believe immunotherapy could be the best way to fight many forms of cancer in the future, but not all patients’ bodies respond to immunotherapy with prolonged, promising results. UAB is spearheading research to better prime the body for immunotherapy so it can achieve better results. For the first time ever, Birmingham hosted Venture for America in its apprenticeship matching event. More than 40 companies interviewed 200 of the best and brightest VBA fellows to find them internships with innovative companies in Birmingham, San Antonio, Nashville and New Orleans. Another major innovation feather in Birmingham’s cap this year was playing host to the national e.Builders Forum. The International Business Innovation Association held the two-day event at Birmingham’s Innovation Depot in September. Innovate Birmingham has been a priority for the Birmingham Business Alliance and its partners for the past few years, but the program took a major step forward with the hiring of Bob Crutchfield as its executive director and an official roll-out during Birmingham Innovation Week. Although it didn’t make the final cut, Birmingham was one of 10 cities on the semifinalist list in the Smart Cities Challenge from the Smart Cities Council. Winners of the Smart Cities Readiness Challenge Grants were Austin, Indianapolis, Miami, Orlando and Philadelphia, but by being in the running, Birmingham signaled its growing presence in the national and global innovation economy. Editor’s choice: While we like to acknowledge big-picture innovation and the state’s place in the innovation economy, the best innovation is in those gee-whiz ideas from the innovators themselves. This year was the inaugural class of Birmingham’s Velocity Accelerator program that helped nurture new ideas from innovative entrepreneurs. Some were from Birmingham or other parts of Alabama, while many were not. We brought you each of their stories. Click here to read more. Republished with permission from Alabama NewsCenter.
Roy Moore files lawsuit to delay Alabama Senate results
An election complaint was filed Wednesday on behalf of former U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore and his campaign in the Circuit Court of Montgomery, Ala. in an effort to block state officials from declaring Democrat Doug Jones the official victor in Alabama’s Senate special election. In the complaint, Moore alleged there was voter fraud and called on Secretary of State John Merrill to postpone the certification of the Dec. 12 election results until a thorough investigation has concluded. “This is not a Republican or Democrat issue as election integrity should matter to everyone,” Moore said in a statement late Wednesday night announcing the lawsuit. “We call on Secretary of State Merrill to delay certification until there is a thorough investigation of what three independent election experts agree took place: election fraud sufficient to overturn the outcome of the election.” According to Moore, three national election integrity experts reached the same independent conclusion: “with a reasonable degree of statistical and mathematical certainty… election fraud occurred.” However, Merrill has gone on record saying it is “highly unlikely” that Jones would not be certified as the winner, given the unofficial results: — Jones received 671,151 votes (50 percent), to Moore’s 650,436 votes (48 percent). With an additional 22,819 (2 percent) write-ins. Merrill must now certify the votes, which includes counting provisional and military ballots. He said the certification process will start no earlier than December 26, and not later than Jan. 3. Certification is expected to be complete Thursday, Dec. 28.
