MCBRIDE PATHWAYS FOR VETERANS

McBride Pathways for Veterans is a Veteran-founded 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization serving Hamilton, Butler, and Warren Counties in Greater Cincinnati, Ohio. We exist to reach Veterans not connected to VA care before their risk of suicide escalates to crisis, starting in the community, not in a clinic.

Every day seventeen Veterans die by suicide nationally. In our three-county service area more than 73,000 Veterans live and nearly 49,000 are not connected to VA care. Research shows that more than half of Veterans who die by suicide had no VA contact in the five years before their death. These are not Veterans who tried and failed to get help. These are Veterans who never made it through the door. McBride Pathways for Veterans exists to reach them before that moment comes.

We go where Veterans are. Our team conducts active community outreach at VFW and DAV posts, American Legion chapters, shelters, Veterans Treatment Court, faith communities, and wherever Veterans gather across Hamilton, Butler, and Warren Counties. We do not wait for Veterans to come to us. We find them, build trust, and walk alongside them toward the care and connection they have earned through their service.

Every enrolled Veteran receives a comprehensive intake using seven validated mental health screening tools including the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale to assess suicide risk and guide service planning. Each Veteran receives an individualized service plan within 72 hours of enrollment. Our staff maintains contact with every enrolled Veteran at minimum every five business days without exception. Veterans at elevated risk receive safety planning, increased contact, and warm referrals to clinical care with five-day follow-up to confirm connection.

Our services include Veteran-to-Veteran peer support, individualized case management, VA health care enrollment assistance, disability compensation claims support, food insecurity screening with SNAP enrollment assistance, lethal means safety counseling, and direct financial assistance paid to vendors on behalf of Veterans for employment support, transportation, and emergency needs.

We serve Veterans of all eras, branches, and backgrounds including women Veterans, recently separated Veterans, Veterans experiencing housing instability, Vietnam-era and older Veterans facing isolation, and Veterans involved in the justice system.

All services are provided free of charge and are completely confidential. We believe that every Veteran who served this country deserves access to the support they have earned, and that no Veteran should die by suicide because they could not find help.

Your donation directly funds community outreach, peer support, case management, mental health screening, and direct Veteran assistance for at-risk Veterans in Greater Cincinnati who need help and have not yet found it.