After NJ Veteran Attempts Suicide, NJ Rep Calls For Investigation

NORTHFIELD, NJ — Congressman Jeff Van Drew is calling for an investigation into the Wilmington Veterans Affairs Medical Center and the Northfield clinic that it oversees two weeks after a 24-year-old veteran being treated there attempted suicide.

Chaoe Perry, of Somers Point, set his body on fire at an Atlantic City gas station on Nov. 20 in response to what he claims was a lack of timely care from the Wilmington Veterans Affairs Medical Center, according to a letter Rep. Jeff Van Drew wrote to the VA’s inspector general.

Van Drew, R-2nd District, has asked the inspector general to conduct an inquiry into Perry’s attempted suicide as well as the management decisions and directives issued by the Wilmington Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

“We must get to the bottom of the alleged mismanagement of the VA Center and fully understand what took place leading up to this horrific day,” Van Drew said in a statement. “Our VA Centers should be equipped with the necessary resources and grant expansive access for our veterans seeking care, and we must ensure that these events do not occur in the future.”

Perry has been receiving mental health treatment since August of 2018 and was seeking additional services to his regular appointments with his therapist and psychiatrist, according to Van Drew.

“According to his spouse, the Wilmington VA Medical Center was either unable to accommodate Perry, lacked the resources needed to assist, or he simply fell through the bureaucratic cracks of the VA. All three, if accurate, are completely unacceptable,” Van Drew said.

Sen. Cory Booker has also asked Veterans Affairs Secretary Dennis McDonough to implement robust suicide prevention programming in South Jersey.

He asked McDonough in a letter to have VA staff on-call 24 hours a day, seven days a week to increase the VA’s ability to reach more veterans in need. Veterans seeking suicide prevention or mental health services must either make appointments at a local clinic or travel to Wilmington.

“These barriers to immediate access for veterans in need are a burden on South Jersey veterans and have clearly impacted the lives and well-being of my constituents,” Booker said.

In his letter, Booker also recounted the death of Charles R. Ingram III of Egg Harbor Township, who died by suicide in 2016 outside of the same Northfield clinic due to inadequate access to care.

“It is only by expanding access to mental health providers and services in South Jersey that we prevent future veteran suicide attempts and build a more efficient, more accessible VA healthcare network for our veterans and their families,” Booker said.

The VA said in a statement that several steps have been implemented to improve mental health and access to care for veterans, including making veterans more aware of services, hiring more providers in South Jersey and establishing a mobile crisis response team within Atlantic and Cape May counties.

The following Department of Veterans Affairs mental health services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week:

• Veterans Crisis Line/National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: Call 1-800-273-8255 and Press 1, text to 838255, or chat online at VeteransCrisisLine.net/Chat.
• Vet Center Call Center: Call 1-877-WAR-VETS to reach a confidential call center for combat veterans and family members to talk to other combat veterans and their families.
• Urgent Care/Emergency Services: Emergency services and urgent care services are available at local VA medical centers ( Find VA Locations | Veterans Affairs) or may be accessed by calling 911 or through local community emergency departments.
• Same Day Access to Care for Primary Care and Mental Health: Same day services are available at every VA Medical Center, though types of services vary by location. Click here to find a VA Medical Centers with Same Day Services in Primary Care and Mental Health.
• Vet Center Resources: Free individual and group counseling is available for veterans and their families, even if you’re not enrolled in VA health care and aren’t receiving disability compensation. Find a Vet Center near you.