新挑战硬币旨在防止蒙大拿州退伍军人自杀

这些硬币将分发给全州的退伍军人，以降低该人群的自杀率。

A new set of challenge coins minted by the state of Montana — and designed by a Montana State University student — are intended to aid in preventing suicide among veterans.

蒙大拿州铸造的一套新挑战硬币由蒙大拿州立大学的一名学生设计，旨在帮助防止退伍军人自杀。

The coins, which are called 988+1 suicide prevention coins, will be distributed to veterans across the state in an attempt to lower the suicide rate among that population. The coin is meant to be a conversation starter for when a veteran meets a fellow service member in a time of need.

这些硬币被称为 988+1 自杀预防硬币，将分发给全州退伍军人，以降低该人群的自杀率。当退伍军人在需要的时候遇到其他服役人员时，这枚硬币可以作为对话的开始。

If a veteran is in distress, a fellow soldier can show him or her the coin, which includes the state’s suicide help line number: 988. Upon dialing the number, callers can press 1 to connect with someone who is familiar with the challenges veterans face.

如果退伍军人陷入困境，战友可以向他或她展示硬币，其中包括该州的自杀帮助热线号码：988。拨打该号码后，呼叫者可以按 1 与熟悉退伍军人面临的挑战的人联系。

“We think of these challenge coins as a reminder that you are not alone and that there is someone there for you,” said Todd Bucher, who served in the Marines and is the director of MSU Veteran Services. “There will always be somebody out there that will be right by your side no matter what you’re going through.”

“我们认为这些挑战币是为了提醒你，你并不孤单，有人在你身边，”曾在海军陆战队服役、密歇根州立大学退伍军人服务部主任的托德·布赫 (Todd Bucher) 说。 “无论你经历什么，总会有人在你身边。”

Montana has for years been among the states with the highest suicide rates in its veteran community, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The reasons for this are myriad, according to the Montana Department of Health and Human Services, including environmental factors that increase the risk of depression, high firearm ownership rates, social isolation, and a lack of adequate mental health and crisis services.

据美国退伍军人事务部称，蒙大拿州多年来一直是退伍军人社区自杀率最高的州之一。蒙大拿州卫生与公众服务部表示，造成这种情况的原因有很多，包括增加抑郁风险的环境因素、枪支拥有率高、社会孤立以及缺乏足够的心理健康和危机服务。

The coins came about as a collaboration between the MSU veteran community and a graphic design class in the School of Art in MSU’s College of Arts and Architecture led by instructor Bruce Barnhart.

这些硬币是密歇根州立大学退伍军人社区和密歇根州立大学艺术与建筑学院艺术学院平面设计班之间的合作，由讲师布鲁斯·巴恩哈特 (Bruce Barnhart) 领导。

In the spring of 2023, students in Barnhart’s class met with veterans to discuss ideas for coin designs related to the issues they face. Barnhart’s students submitted multiple coin designs, and 10 of those ideas were minted in limited numbers. This year, DPHHS selected one design, by former MSU student Jo Brown, to be initially minted into 100 coins.

2023 年春天，巴恩哈特班上的学生与退伍军人会面，讨论与他们面临的问题相关的硬币设计想法。巴恩哈特的学生提交了多种硬币设计，其中 10 种创意被限量铸造。今年，DPHHS 选择了密歇根州立大学前学生乔·布朗 (Jo Brown) 的设计，最初铸造为 100 枚硬币。

Brown’s design features two clasped hands, which, she said, she included as a symbol of confidence and strength. Above the handshake is the phrase, “I will never leave a fellow veteran.” The reverse side of the coin features an American flag as well as “988+1 Montana Veteran Lifeline.”

布朗的设计以两只紧握的手为特色，她说，她将其视为自信和力量的象征。握手上方写着这样一句话：“我永远不会离开一位退伍军人。”硬币的反面印有美国国旗以及“988+1 蒙大拿州退伍军人生命线”。

“It’s a symbol of one veteran pulling another out from the mud, metaphorically,” said Brown, who is now working in California.

“从比喻意义上讲，这是一名退伍军人将另一名退伍军人从泥沼中拉出来的象征，”现在在加利福尼亚州工作的布朗说。

During her research, Brown said she learned of the soldier’s mentality to put the unit or mission before oneself, which sometimes leads to soldiers losing the ability to ask for help.

布朗说，在研究过程中，她了解到士兵将单位或任务置于自己之上的心态，这有时会导致士兵失去寻求帮助的能力。

“It was really important for me that the motif of the coin was the moment of help from when that coin is given from one person to the next,” Brown said.

布朗说：“这对我来说非常重要，这枚硬币的主题是从一个人向另一个人赠送硬币时提供帮助的那一刻。”

The newly minted coins will be distributed at various veterans’ events across the state. Veterans will be given two coins each – one to keep and one to hand to a fellow veteran in a time of need.

新铸造的硬币将在全州的各种退伍军人活动中分发。每名退伍军人将获得两枚硬币——一枚保留，一枚在需要时转交给其他退伍军人。

“If it makes a connection with one person, that makes it all worth it for me,” Barnhart said.

“如果它与一个人建立了联系，那对我来说一切都是值得的，”巴恩哈特说。

At MSU, Counseling and Psychological Services offers a variety of suicide prevention programming on campus, including in-person and online training and counseling services, as well as medical services at Student Health Services.

在密歇根州立大学，咨询和心理服务在校园内提供各种自杀预防项目，包括面对面和在线培训和咨询服务，以及学生健康服务处的医疗服务。

Often, preventing a suicide starts with identifying signs of distress, starting a conversation and directing an individual to available resources, according to CPS, much like the 988+1 coins are designed to do.

根据 CPS 的说法，预防自杀通常始于识别痛苦迹象、开始对话并指导个人使用可用资源，就像 988+1 硬币的设计目的一样。