Colorado veteran suicide rate higher than national average

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — A new report says suicide among U.S. military veterans reached record numbers in Colorado last year, with more than one former service member dying by suicide every week. The Gazette reported a 2020 National Veteran Suicide Prevention report from the Department of Veterans Affairs says Colorado’s rate was significantly higher than the national rate. Colorado recorded 43 deaths by suicide of male and female veterans per 100,000 in 2019, compared with 32 deaths nationally per 100,000 in 2018. The 217 veteran suicide deaths in Colorado last year was an all-time high and a 25% increase over 2018.