Veteran mental health is not a distant concern, it is a local crisis, touching our friends, neighbors, coworkers, and family members. These are the men and women we pass in the grocery store, sit beside in church, and greet at our local VFW halls. And far too many of them carry invisible wounds, silent battles that leave them feeling alone, unseen, and unheard. We cannot allow their struggles to go unnoticed.
Supporting veterans takes more than saying, “Thank you for your service.” It means checking in, asking how someone is really doing, and listening—truly listening—to the answer. It means coming together as a community and ensuring mental health care is accessible, affordable, and free from stigma. That is why the Butler County Mental Health and Addiction Recovery Services Board partners with Butler County Veterans Service Commission and others to fund programs such as enhancing our local crisis hotline resources & supports, expanding services geared toward veterans including cutting edge treatment interventions for PTSD, and even working to expand our Butler County overdose and suicide fatality review team to address and prevent veteran deaths.
Butler County is home to incredible people and organizations already doing this critical work—the Butler VA Clinic, local veteran service commissions, and grassroots peer-support networks such as Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association (CVMA), Ohio Veterans Collaborative (OVC), and Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW). Yet these programs cannot succeed alone. They need continued funding, volunteers, and community awareness to reach every veteran in need. Each of us can play a role in ensuring that no veteran falls through the cracks.
Each November, I think of my family members who served, those who came home safely, and those whose lives were forever changed. But I also think about what we, as a community, can do to make sure no veteran feels abandoned or invisible. Honoring veterans is not just about ceremonies, flags, or parades, it is about standing beside them every day, reminding them that they are valued, appreciated, and never forgotten.
As we observed Veterans Day earlier this month, I hope each of us looked beyond the surface and committed to truly supporting our veterans. Let us listen to their stories, care for their needs, and advocate for the resources that will improve their lives. Because honoring veterans is not just about remembering what they have done, it is about fighting for their future, their health, and their dignity.
Let’s work together to make Butler County a place where every veteran knows they are seen, supported, and never alone. Their service safeguarded our freedoms. Now, it is our turn to safeguard their lives, their well-being, and their hope.
For veterans and other BC residents who are in mental health crisis or need information and referral services to seek local mental health resources in Butler County please call 1-844-4CRISIS 24/7/365.
Martina Weber joined the Butler County Mental Health and Addiction Recovery Services Board in 2019 and now serves as the Associate Executive Director of Addiction Services.
About the Author