A $750,000 federal award to the Disability Rights Center of the Virgin Islands will fund LIVE, a new suicide prevention initiative designed specifically for veterans across the territory.
The funding flows from the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program, which distributed $112 million to 191 organizations nationwide. According to VA records, DRCVI is the first U.S. Virgin Islands organization to win support through the program.
LIVE draws on HeirMark, a healing framework rooted in cultural identity, family systems, and community legacy. Dr. Muria I. Nisbett, a Virgin Islands veteran, therapist, and social impact leader who developed HeirMark, will direct the project when it launches in October 2026 and runs through September 2027.
"This moment belongs to every Virgin Islands veteran who has ever felt overlooked by systems designed far away from our shores," Dr. Nisbett said. "This is more than a grant. It is a commitment to ensuring that no Virgin Islands Veteran feels invisible, isolated, or forced to navigate a crisis alone."
The program will deliver community outreach and prevention education, mental health and suicide-risk screenings, case management, help navigating VA and local benefits, and peer support groups tailored to Vietnam veterans, women veterans, men, spouses, and caregivers. Transportation and other services to remove obstacles to accessing care will also be provided.
Angus Drigo, DRCVI's executive director, described the award as "a major step forward for veterans and their families throughout the Virgin Islands," emphasizing that services will be rooted in the community and aware of the specific challenges veterans face in the territory.
Veterans interested in enrolling can reach DRCVI at (340) 772-1200 or (340) 776-4303, or visit www.drcvi.org. The Veterans Crisis Line offers round-the-clock support by dialing 988 then pressing 1, chatting at VeteransCrisisLine.net/Chat, or texting 838255.
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