What can Utah do better to prevent veteran suicide?

Suicide is a leading cause of death in Utah and across the U.S., and veterans are at higher risk of suicide-related death.

Meanwhile, research shows veteran service organizations have been having a difficult time engaging with some of the most at-risk veterans and their families and getting them mental health or suicide prevention resources.

To help address those challenges, a new report from the University of Utah’s Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute surveyed what Utah’s veterans say are their biggest barriers.

The issue, the survey found, is complex. Some veterans wrestle with what the report called the “warrior ethos,” or fear that they’ll be seen as “weak.” But other obstacles, researchers wrote, are “more systematic, such as wait times and fear that accessing services could limit mili