Most veterans who die by suicide never ask for help. This episode explains how to reach them before it's too late.

Most suicide prevention efforts begin inside hospitals—but Dr. Keita Franklin explains why that's already too late for many veterans. Drawing on decades of leadership at the VA, Marine Corps, and Columbia Lighthouse Project, she shares how a simple six-question screening tool is helping communities identify veterans at risk before a crisis becomes a tragedy.

This conversation moves beyond awareness and into practical action every veteran, family member, employer, and community leader can take.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• Learn the six-question Columbia Protocol and understand why anyone—not just clinicians—can use it.

• Recognize why the first five years after military transition carry significantly higher suicide risk.

• Understand how the Marine Corps reduced suicide rates by changing where they looked for veterans in crisis.

• Discover why directly asking someone about suicide is one of the safest and most effective ways to help.

About Dr. Keita Franklin

Dr. Keita Franklin is a nationally recognized leader in suicide prevention with more than 25 years of experience serving military and veteran communities. She helped redesign the Department of Veterans Affairs' suicide prevention strategy into a public health model and now serves as Vice President of Healthcare Strategy at TriWest Healthcare Alliance while co-leading the Columbia Lighthouse Project, expanding evidence-based suicide prevention worldwide.

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EPISODE CHAPTERS

00:00 — Introduction

03:09 — Military Family Transition

05:22 — How the Columbia Protocol Was Created

12:13 — The Six Questions That Save Lives

18:05 — Rethinking Suicide Prevention

23:27 — Bringing Prevention Into the Community

31:46 — Closing & Resources

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