Tompkins County Veterans Affairs Director J.R. Claiborne told the Health and Human Services Committee on Aug. 20 that the department expanded community outreach this summer, increased veteran peer-support activities and helped reactivate an informational kiosk at the Ithaca airport.

Why it matters: Outreach events, monthly peer-support meetups and state-funded peer-support grants aim to reduce veteran isolation and connect veterans to services that can prevent negative outcomes, officials said.

Claiborne described two recent outreach events: an Army Fort Drum band appearance hosted by Visions Federal Credit Union and a BorgWarner employee family day where the veterans office provided outreach. He said a new collaboration with Cornell’s Veteran Colleagues Network is underway and that the county’s Women Veterans Group has moved from occasional meetings to a regular monthly meetup.

Claiborne said the PFC Joseph P. Dwyer peer-support grant from the state supports several peer activities designed to reduce isolation and prevent suicide. He also said a public-information kiosk at the Ithaca airport, coordinated with state Department of Veterans Services staff, is live and displaying materials, and the county will rotate its own information on the screen.

Claiborne said he expects a fuller report in October around Veterans Day events.