Clinic launches suicide prevention campaign for women veterans: 'We are here for you'

Emma Rose Brown, The Virginian-Pilot on Oct 6, 2025

Published in Women

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NORFOLK, Va. — This September, the Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at the Up Center in Virginia Beach launched a campaign to raise awareness for what it calls an overlooked mental health crisis: the high rate of suicide among women veterans.

Women veterans are dying by suicide at nearly twice the rate of their civilian counterparts — a number that has increased significantly in the post-9/11 era. While all veterans face higher rates of suicide than their civilian peers, women who served face unique challenges, both during their service and in the systemic gaps that follow them home.

During National Suicide Prevention Month, the clinic launched the “Have Her Six” campaign for women veterans.

The name refers to the military term “got your six,” meaning to have someone’s back. The public awareness campaign highlights the issue of suicide among military women, shares prevention strategies tailored to women veterans and service members and encourages greater support for women who serve.

Women veterans have specific and challenging experiences in military service and beyond, says Tanetta Hassell, the clinic’s director. A disproportionate number of women veterans face military sexual trauma or intimate partner violence. For many, these issues go untreated during service, and once they discharge, they may not know where to go or may not find providers who understand their experiences.

Hassell, herself a daughter and sister to military veterans, says it’s important to meet their women veteran clients where they are.

“We are who we serve at the clinic,” said Hassell. “We have women on staff that are military affiliated or they served themselves to try to reduce some of those barriers that might be there for women at other settings.”

Hassell says her clinic offers veterans a chance to be seen within 10 days of initial contact, regardless of insurance status or ability to pay. The clinic also provides child care, the lack of which often is another barrier to access.

In addition to campaigns like Have Her Six, Hassell says the clinic works with the Department of Veterans Affairs, United Way and other partners, as well as advertising their services on social media.

Research conducted by the clinic found that there are gendered misconceptions about suicide risk among women veterans, particularly around firearms. According to their study, in 2022, veteran women were over 144% more likely to die by firearm suicide than their non-veteran peers.

The report also notes that many women veterans are ineligible for or not connected to the VA for care.

“I think sometimes that might create an assumption that women are not resilient or that they’re not willing to access care,” Hassell said.

But she knows that’s not the whole story. At the Cohen clinic, which is now in its sixth year in Hampton Roads, 20 percent of its military clients are women, which is nearly double the proportion of women in the U.S. veteran population.

Today, there are over 2 million women veterans in the United States, and women represent the fastest growing segment of the group.

Hassell’s message to women veterans?

“We are here for you. We know how resilient you are. We know that you’ve overcome a lot. It’s safe — you’re eligible for our care, no questions asked.”