Mental Health Care for our Veterans

[SusanL]

I received the following alert and wanted to share it with my fellow Navy Moms. I'm a professional clinical social worker, a psychotherapist at the VA, and the very proud mother of a newly enlisted sailor. I believe all of our sons and daughters deserve the best possible care for their physical and their mental health needs when they have served their country. Thank you for reading this. Susan



Government Relations Action Alert
June 23, 2009

Support H.R. 2058, Companion Bill for the Post Deployment Health Assessment Act of 2009
Support H.R. 2058, Companion Bill for the Post Deployment Health Assessment Act of 2009
Take Action!

We need you to speak out on behalf of our nation's service men and women once more. Congressman Denny Rehberg from Montana has introduced the companion bill to S. 711, the Post Deployment Health Assessment Act of 2009. We appreciate the immense support for S. 711 and we must ensure these bills garner broad support in the House and Senate.

As you may know, this legislation is based on the premiere program in the country for caring for Montana National Guard members suffering from PTSD, which was extraordinarily successful. S. 711 and H.R. 2058 will require mental health screenings before deployment, upon return home, and every six months for two years. This basic and effective program will help safeguard the mental health of our entire military.

The mental health needs of the 1.64 million troops who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan continue to make headlines. Over 18 percent of troops who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan, nearly 300,000 troops, have symptoms of post traumatic stress or major depression. Another 19 percent have experienced a possible traumatic brain injury. Further, only 53 percent of service members with PTSD or depression sought help over the past year. The suicide rate among our military is at its highest point in 26 years and our male veterans are twice as likely to commit suicide than civilians. Additionally, the stigma that has long been present in the military creates a situation where mental health needs are not adequately tended to by professionals.

Action Requested
Please contact your Representative and ask him, or her, to support this critical legislation. If your Representative is already a cosponsor of H.R. 2058, you can send him, or her, a thank you note.


National Association of Social Workers
750 First Street, NE - Suite 700 - Washington, DC 20002-4241

[TexasDocMom]

Thank you Susan for posting this!! this will be one of the definitive issues in the years to come from the two war zones right now, just like it has been for the Viet Nam vets. I'm going to share this with my son.

Maybe you should post it as a blog, then all those over there keeping watch on "the sky is falling, the sky is falling" blogs might actually see it, possibly even read it.

I'm sending it around as an email forward, those seem to make a big impression on NavyForMoms.

[HRH0308]

What comes to mind for me are all the Vets from previous wars who needs this type of care and never received it. Blessings to those who has the foresight (but perhaps a bit late) to do the right thing.

[TexasDocMom]

I have gotton a big response to my email sending this around, this is such a topic foremost in people's minds....and they aren't necessarily military families, just everyday good people who worry about our children as they come home from war.

[Nani Inga]

Something I posted in Corpsman's Moms a few days ago.

Support our medics, corpsmen

To the spouses and others who love our medics and corpsmen: It is June and many of you have just gotten married, or soon will. Many of our medics are new fathers, and many are now deployed, or will be downrange by Father’s Day. Medics and corpsmen have one of the toughest, most dangerous, and noblest jobs in the world. They are the bravest of the brave, in the finest military the world has ever known. And they are better trained than ever: Their performance is the most important reason why we lose only 11 percent of our wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan versus 23 percent in Vietnam, despite the much more powerful munitions of today’s conflicts. And they are critical to our training of medics in Afghanistan, and to winning hearts and minds among civilians there, and in dozens of countries where U.S. health diplomacy is being used to prevent crisis from becoming conflict.

They are "strong to save," but they are often exhausted, often injured, and almost always under stress. Most are young, from single-parent homes. Few were the teacher’s pet in school. Some have made mistakes before they enlisted, and a few have made mistakes since, which has contributed to post-traumatic stress disorder in some of them, putting them at risk of suicide.

Some things we know for certain: Suicide and other mistakes are often triggered by a breakup. So if they ever needed anyone, they need you now. You — and the military — are all that some of them have. So even as you hurry to marry before he or she deploys, commit that you will not leave your medic stranded. Let the wedding bells tell them they are part of a community in which they have a future, a future in which you, and we, will help him be the soldier or sailor — the healer, the leader — he hopes to be. Then, when people ask, "Where do we get such men and women?" you can answer, "From me."

You danced to Ben E. King’s song, and with a lot of commitment and a little luck you can dance to it for decades, at midnight on Father’s Day and every day that honors patriots:

When the night has come

And the land is dark

And the moon is the only light we’ll see

No I won’t be afraid, no I won’t be afraid

Just as long as you stand, stand by me

Dr. (Col.) S. Ward Casscells
Washington

Dr. Casscells served with the Army Reserve in Iraq in 2006. He was assistant secretary of defense (health affairs) from April 2007 to April 2009.

[Achseh]

Definitely! God and countrymen, love your medics and corpsmen!

[Rose R]

I wish this kind of help had been available for WW2 vets. My dad relived the battle where he killed with his bare hands or be killed over and over. I support legislation and fortunately my Senators and Representative do also.

[Chon's mom]

Thank you for posting this information. I'm a new Navy mom (son will PIR this week) and attend A school to be a Corpsman. I am also concerned about Post Traumatic Stress in our young military personnel.