Metro Atlanta
Metro Atlanta

New vet crisis line in Atlanta

By Craig Schneider
July 31, 2016

U.S. Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald announced Sunday in Atlanta that the agency will open a new mental health crisis line in Atlanta by the end of the year.

Speaking before the national convention of disabled veterans in Atlanta, McDonald said the crisis line will add 200 responders on duty everyday at all hours.

“We are keeping a sacred trust to help veterans in need,” McDonald told the large crowd.

McDonald said the mental health needs of veterans have increased greatly in recent years.

U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson, also on hand, praised the move. He believes the center will reduce the crisis of suicide among vets.

“Those in need of mental health services need instant access to VA services,” he said.

Isakson, who is chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, added, “They gave us everything they had when we needed it. We owe the same to them.”

About the Author

Craig Schneider
More Stories

Keep Reading

A bicyclist rides on the Beltline by Atlanta’s Krog Street Market on Sept. 16, 2025, just before the start of what experts projected would be an unseasonably warm fall. This week’s temperatures are in line with that prediction, as highs are expected to tie or break records. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com

Mid-November heat wave could break metro Atlanta temperature records

Metro Atlanta temperatures are expected to reach near-record highs over the next few days, just a week after North Georgia froze over.

1h ago

DeKalb votes to move forward with $77 million ambulance contract

DeKalb County commissioners voted to approve a new $77 million ambulance contract with the county's existing provider, American Medical Response.

Girl stabbed to death by mother found positioned in a recliner, warrants say

A Sandy Springs mother fatally stabbed her 11-year-old daughter, whose body police found cleaned and placed in a recliner, according to Fulton County court documents.

The Latest

A bicyclist rides on the Beltline by Atlanta’s Krog Street Market on Sept. 16, 2025, just before the start of what experts projected would be an unseasonably warm fall. This week’s temperatures are in line with that prediction, as highs are expected to tie or break records. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com

Mid-November heat wave could break metro Atlanta temperature records

1h ago

DeKalb votes to move forward with $77 million ambulance contract

Girl stabbed to death by mother found positioned in a recliner, warrants say

Featured

Rose Scott signals as "Closer Look" goes on the air in the WABE studio. An Atlanta resident left WABE a $3 million donation, a boost after WABE lost $1.9 million in annual funding from the Corporation of Public Broadcasting. (Ben Gray for the AJC 2023)

Credit: Ben Gray

Donor leaves WABE $3 million, largest individual gift in station’s history

An Atlanta resident has bequeathed WABE a $3 million donation, the largest one-time individual donation in the nonprofit media operation’s 76-year history.

Usher sues business partners over failed Buckhead restaurant plan

Atlanta singer Usher wants his money back after loaning $1.7 million to music producer Bryan-Michael Cox and others to buy a Buckhead restaurant property for $6.3 million.

Braves’ original ‘Freeze’ is retired. But you probably still can’t catch him.

As the Atlanta Braves prepare to find their next sprinting mascot, Nigel Talton is enjoying his new career coaching high school athletes at McEachern High.