EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KOAA) — When active-duty military members leave the service, they often lose the tight-knit support system they depended on every day.
Without that camaraderie, some veterans struggle alone, leading to depression, self-medication, or even crisis. That’s exactly what Next Chapter has been working to prevent the last three years.
“The benefits to the next chapter is everybody in this program is a clinician, is a veteran, and has walked in their shoes, and so, when they come through our door or call on the phone, they’re talking to a peer immediately,” said Damian McCabe, who oversees Next Chapter, a program run through UCHealth and Mt. Carmel Veterans Services.
“We tackle the stigma of mental health care every day, we’re knocking down the barrier of financial access, which is critical. And we challenge the cultural bias that was ingrained in us as military members,” said McCabe.
Since 2021, suicides among veterans in our region have dropped from one in three to one in five, showing the impact of peer support and accessible services. The latest El Paso County Coroner’s report shows an 18% decrease in suicides.
But Next Chapter has another goal beyond immediate crisis intervention.
“What would really be neat for us is that because we use a public health model. That we become part of a public health approach to how we transition service members from active duty back into the civilian community, regardless of whether they served two years, 20 years, or if they’ve been in our community for 30 or 40 years,” said McCabe.
For many veterans, losing military camaraderie can lead to isolation and crisis. Here at Next Chapter, the program’s veteran leaders know the struggle firsthand and are using their own experiences to guide others.
For Miguel Lopez, that mission started years ago long before he ever worked here.
“I was in the U.S. Army from 2003 to 2008. After 9/11 happened, I kinda realized, I need to do my part,” said Lopez, who now works as a behavioral health clinical therapist at Next Chapter.
He deployed to Iraq three times and on his last tour, everything changed.
“I was involved in an IED explosion in 2008 in Baghdad Iraq. That kind of changed my trajectory,” said Lopez.
When he came home, the battle didn’t stop.
“Oh absolutely, many challenges. I went through a divorce, you know mental health, substance abuse I was drinking a lot, going through that transition a lot of ups and downs,” said Lopez.
What got him through it was support from fellow service members.
“Veterans and active duty who helped me and pushed me and believed in me,” said Lopez.
Now, he’s paying that forward, helping others find their own next chapter.
“I tell them I’ve been through a lot of trials and tribulations. I made a lot of mistakes and I’ve overcame a lot, but I’m here for you and I got your back, and I wanna see you succeed,” said Lopez.
The program’s success lies in its peer-to-peer approach. Veterans helping veterans creates an immediate connection that traditional therapy might not achieve.
“We’ve been able to impact that rate by a reduction of about 39% over that three-year period,” said McCabe.
Next Chapter is structured to provide services with no out of pocket cost to veterans.
“Having those dollars from the state to allow us to pay for those service,” said McCabe.
For McCabe and his team, it’s about more than survival.
“It’s not until you turn that page, until you come in our door or pick up your phone, that you can begin to see what your next chapter looks like,” said McCabe.
For Lopez, that’s the new mission.
“I wanted to continue to serve this beautiful community,” said Lopez.
One that starts by helping someone else turn the page.
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