The Veterans Outreach Center of La Plata County, which opened last year to help address the physical and mental health needs of those who have served, has stabilized 15 veterans who were contemplating suicide, according to the center.

“I believe it to be extraordinary,” said Bob Collette, the Disabled American Veterans’ counsel pro tem liaison for Veterans Affairs who works at the center. “... That’s more than one a month.”

The risk of suicide is high among veterans nationally and in La Plata County. In 2017, 6,139 veterans died by suicide, a rate 1.5 times higher than non-veterans, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The high number of deaths sparked the idea for the drop-in center, which offers counseling, emergency financial aid, a place for veterans to gather and numerous other free services. It expected to serve 100 veterans a month. But demand far outpaced that prediction, with visits to the center totaling 4,500 in the first year, Collette said.

One of the veterans the center has served, Brian Glass, 53, stopped into the center Friday just to thank Collette.

The U.S. Army veteran said the center helped get him into housing when he was living in his car. It also helped him with gas, groceries, clothing, counseling, dental care and a place to find good company when he needed to talk, Glass said.

“They saved me; they don’t even know it,” he said.

Sometimes, veterans struggle with brutal experiences related to their military services and can’t find help once they return home, Collette said.

“To give them a hand is saying: ‘Thank you for the stuff you had to go through to keep us out of the mire and the muck,’” he said.

A state grant allows the DAV to distribute $100,000 annually in emergency aid to veterans in the region, Collette said. The center also offers free classes in karate, guitar, self-defense and fly tying.

It is currently in need of financial and coffee donations. Those interested in giving can contact Collette at 749-6776.

mshinn@durangoherald.com