David M. Hoovler Announces Veterans Suicide Prevention Coalition at Outdoor Sportsmen’s Show

District Attorney David M. Hoovler announced expanded community outreach by the Orange County Veterans Suicide Prevention Coalition, which will staff information tables at upcoming outdoor sportsmen’s shows to hand out veteran crisis and benefits materials and connect veterans and families to local services.

Hoovler joined the Hudson Valley VA Healthcare System to create the coalition in November 2021. The coalition says it has placed over 50,000 suicide-prevention materials in public locations, and has visited veteran organizations, sportsmen’s clubs, local stores, businesses, and community groups to distribute resources and request support. Sources reporting on the effort list between 1,200 and more than 1,300 businesses and organizations that have helped distribute materials, a numerical discrepancy that coalition leaders say they are continuing to reconcile.

The county’s announcement lists the Empire State Outdoor Sportsmen’s Show at the Rockland Community College Fieldhouse in Suffern, New York, as one location where coalition staff and partners will be on site. The county release gives show hours as Friday, February 20 from 12 noon to 7:00 p.m., Saturday, February 21 from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., and Sunday, February 22 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with free parking and $12 cash-only admission at the door. That release names Hudson Valley VA representatives Carl LoFaro and Lenox Okall and Middletown Vet Center representative Joel Murns as expected participants, and says representatives of the Orange County District Attorney’s Office will be available to discuss handouts or arrange future talks about suicide prevention.

Other notices from the district attorney’s account and local Walden coverage identify a separate appearance at the Thruway Sporting Goods Outdoor Show, scheduled for Saturday, September 13 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Thruway Sporting Goods, 78 Oak Street, Walden. That event is described as featuring sales, show specials, and industry representatives offering advice on hunting and other outdoor-related products. Both announcements say Middletown Vet Center information and materials from Heroes, Cowboys & Companions, Inc. will be available at coalition tables.

The coalition partners with Project Healing Waters, Fin Chasers Warriors Outdoors, Clear Pat for Vets, and local veteran-owned businesses such as Custom Golf Solutions and Trout Town Flies, which has run free fly-fishing trips for veterans. The outreach aims to reach veterans who may not otherwise seek care; national figures cited by local reports put veteran suicide at roughly 17 deaths per day and say veteran suicide rates run about 50 percent higher than non-veteran rates, underscoring the public health stakes.

Hoovler said, "I am proud of the work that the Orange County Veteran Suicide Prevention Coalition has done for Orange County veterans and their families and of the strong support that has been provided to the coalition by the citizens and businesses of Orange County." The announcement included, "Organizations that would like any veteran crisis materials or information about other veterans groups in Orange County are invited to stop by coalition’s table."

For Orange County residents, the coalition’s presence at high-traffic outdoor shows brings crisis resources and benefits information into familiar community spaces. Veterans, family members, and local organizations can visit the coalition tables to pick up materials, ask about local services such as the Middletown Vet Center, and request speakers or group visits as outreach continues.