Fort Bliss Wellness Fusion Campus fighting suicide trend

Military suicide rates on the rise with 349 in 2012
FOX14 News
By Gina Benitez

FORT BLISS, Texas — Military suicides are on the rise, and although combat is winding down, some experts predict it could go even higher this year.

Fort Bliss is the military institution with the lowest suicide rate per capita in the country. However, the same can't be said across the board.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has called military suicides an epidemic.

"It's OK to seek help; things happen. We understand," said Major Jorge Almodovar.

The Fort Bliss Wellness Fusion Campus is the only one of its kind on military institutions across the country. It combines all the services available to soldiers that were independent in the past and then some.

"We make a complete assessment and then we develop some training for them to identify those issues that they can see along their careers," Aldomovar said.

Issues range anywhere from physical, emotional to mental. The ultimate goal, Aldomovar said, is to change the culture of the military.

"I think in the past, we look at a soldier that is seeking help as a weakness. We want to see that as a strength," Almodovar said.
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