MINUTES for 2019-05-28 FINAL - Laserfiche WebLink

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Veterans Advisory Committee Minutes May 28,2019 Page 6 Messina: I did want to add something Deb talked about. You guys are the Veterans Advisory Commiittee. I'm not sure if these guys did decide at this meeting or a future meeting to send a care package to the family. Is this something that would be ok to do, J. Deputy Corporation Counsel J Yoshimoto: Our duties are to advise the Mayor, so, it could make a suggestion to the Mayor. The Mayor's office has more discretion. Lewis: At least to reach out, a letter of condolence or something. They've got to be devastated. Wery: Sometimes things are so personal and so hurtful, you don't want anybody sticking their nose in your business. Lewis: That's true, you may not but it was published in the newspaper, not that he committed suicide but that they had the loss so that's public information. It wouldn't be beside being a fellow Veteran, family, because grief counseling and other things can be available to the family. Wery: I'm sure they've been notified of those things. Lewis: Yes, they may have but sometimes it takes more than one time to notify someone before they're ready to listen and enough time has passed, there's been a little bit of time, it might be nice. These are one of those things that you have to gently continue. Messina: You guys as Clinicians, what do you think? Nahakuelua: Well, I'm not a Clinician yet, I have maybe till August, I make my two years and then I get the credentials to take the State test to become a Clinician, but as one in training that would be awesome if the Mayor acknowledged condolences of a fellow Veteran. Lewis: Yeah, he doesn't have to go into details but here are the avenues or grief. Roddy Sueoka: I think that, and its probably just because the more you go through thi, my biggest thing with this one is, we would have to send every Veteran that passes away something. I don't want to say that suicide isn't a special thing, but it is. Not everyone passes away and even in the government side, we recognize it and we're trying to prevent it. It's just a hope and prevent kind of thing that we do, which is all we can do for suicide. But, it's not, if you pass away because of suicide and you're still active duty, they don't necessarily have the same, I know were trying to change it, but we don't have the same ceremonial going away party. Chair Doolittle: It's still almost a court martial offense.