The City of Glen Cove has been recognized as the first municipality in the nation to formally acknowledge the veteran suicide crisis as a designated Suicide Awareness and Remembrance City, officials announced.
The designation was marked during an April 16 ceremony at City Hall, where the city received the Mental Health Advocate Award on be from the Long Island Marine Corps League, in partnership with the Military Order of the Purple Heart and the Suicide Awareness & Remembrance initiative.
“Supporting our veterans does not end when their service does,” Mayor Pamela Panzenbeck said. “It is a lifelong responsibility, and one we are proud to carry forward in Glen Cove.”
The recognition reflects Glen Cove’s broader commitment to supporting veterans through education, outreach and mental health programming. Among those efforts is “Talk Saves Lives,” a community-based initiative that teaches residents how to recognize warning signs and support those in crisis.
Councilman John Zozzaro said the initiative builds on long-standing work already taking place in the community.
“The Long Island Marine Corps League Mental Health Advocate City Initiative recognizes communities not for what they are beginning today, but for what they have already done, and for the commitment to continue that work moving forward,” Zozzaro said.
“With its more than 350-year history of caring for our veterans, Glen Cove is not starting something new,” he added. “We are leading the nation by example.”
Major Fred Nielson, commandant of Dan Daly Detachment 225, said the Marine Corps League launched the initiative to recognize communities taking meaningful action.
“We’re starting to recognize those who have taken mental health seriously and have chosen to do more than talk about it, chosen to do something about it,” Nielson said.
He noted that while Glen Cove is the first municipality to receive the designation, others are beginning to follow.
“Yes, Glen Cove, our city, is the first, but there are already 18 others that are political districts or their campuses or hospitals or their cities or their towns,” Nielson said. “We are indeed the first, and so we are leading in that way up front.”
Anne Morrison Pascarella, executive director of the Long Island chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, emphasized the importance of local education and outreach.
“We can make a difference and speak about suicide and suicide prevention by just having conversations,” Pascarella said.
She highlighted the impact of the “Talk Saves Lives” program, which equips residents with tools to recognize warning signs and connect individuals with resources.
“So one of the initiatives that I have been really excited to see take off … is our Talk Saves Lives education program,” she said. “It really is giving people … ways for you to identify if somebody might be struggling with their mental health.”
The ceremony also included a tribute to veterans, including remarks from Howard Stillwagon, commander of James E. Donahue VFW Post 347, who spoke about fellow veteran Joe Moores and his service.
“This recognition is not just a moment in time,” Stillwagon said. “It is about a lifetime of service, sacrifice, and quiet strength.”
To qualify for the designation, Glen Cove met several criteria, including being recognized as a Purple Heart City, demonstrating awareness of veteran mental health challenges, and maintaining ongoing mental health programming within the community.
Officials said the city’s designation sets a national example, underscoring the importance of sustained commitment to veterans long after their service ends.
