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More vets seeking help for PTSD
By BRIAN SCHEID
Bucks County Courier Times
It should have been one of happiest days of Nick Santoro's young life.
After two hellish combat tours in Iraq, Santoro was back at his Buckingham home just before Thanksgiving last year. He was surrounded by his loving family and many of his oldest, closest friends.
Santoro felt fine, like himself, he thought, but everyone kept asking him what was wrong. They kept telling him to cheer up. They kept telling him to smile.
Santoro was furious.
“That (angered me) so bad,” said Santoro, 23. “I had to hold myself back from just punching them in the face. These were good friends, friends I've had my whole life, and I was just getting so frustrated. I wanted to choke them out.
“They don't know and I can't hate them for that,” he said in a hushed voice, “but I don't think a lot of people know what really happened over there.”
When Jared Baker, 24, of Plumsteadville joined the Army in July 2002, he was always the cool, level-headed friend who rarely had problems with anyone. After his combat tour in Iraq, Baker came home and started drinking a lot. Now, he gets angry all the time.
“We would just be out at a bar and some dude just looks at you the wrong way and it just sets me off,” Baker said. “I get irritable with just about everything with everybody now and it's about nothing.”
Debbie McKee of Chalfont said, when it came to his marriage, her son Philip McKee was always the calm one. But after his 15-month combat tour of Iraq in December, he frequently loses his patience.
“He can really be short-tempered now,” she said. “The smallest things set him off.”
McKee, 29, an Army sergeant, was a tank driver and gunner in Iraq, where he was hit by seven separate improvised explosive devices, one with more than 700 pounds of explosives, Debbie McKee said.
“It's just such a scary thing,” she said. “There's only so many times your body can handle something like that.”
Santoro, Baker and McKee are part of a new generation of veterans returning home from war with post-traumatic stress disorder. Known as PTSD in medical and veterans' circles, it is an anxiety disorder that can develop after a traumatic event, like an assault, a natural disaster or military combat.
ANGER, NIGHTMARES, DEPRESSION
“PTSD has been around as long as history,” said James Goss, a Vietnam veteran and director of the PTSD program at the Coatesville Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Chester County. “The good news is that it is a readily treatable disorder and it can, in fact, be cured in some cases. The bad news is that, if it goes untreated, it could become much worse.”
Previously known as shell shock or battle fatigue, PTSD was first defined in 1980, Goss said. Symptoms include irritability, extreme anger, restlessness, startled responses, social isolation, memory loss, nightmares and depression.
According to a recent report by the Rand Corp. nearly one in five veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan suffer from depression or stress disorders, including PTSD. Fewer than half of those 300,000 veterans have received care for depression or PTSD, according to the study, which was funded by the California Community Foundation.
The Department of Defense estimates more than 280,000 of the 1.65 million American soldiers who have been deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan, about 17 percent, will develop PTSD significant enough to need treatment.
Dan Fraley, Bucks County's director of veterans affairs, said the number of Iraq war veterans seeking help from his office has skyrocketed this year. In the course of one week last month, three Iraq war veterans came into his office on separate occasions, seeking help for legal, family or drinking problems. All three have PTSD, he said.
Goss said about 40 percent of the patients who have been evaluated for PTSD treatment at the Coatesville center served in Iraq or Afghanistan. Many veterans have avoided treatment because of the stigma they think comes with mental disorder.
Santoro said when his unit returned home from Iraq, they would joke about how bad they had the disease.
“Everyone's PTSD was so bad, we'd always laugh about it,” he said. “Our anger, our frustration, our irritability — we were so on edge that we had no other way to look at it without getting depressed about it.”
NO TURNOFF SWITCH
While they were in Iraq, Baker and Santoro said they developed severely violent tendencies. Every day was a life or death situation, they said.
“You have to be an animal there to survive,” Baker said.
“When you're in Iraq [and] something happens, you react to it. And when you're in Iraq, I always felt I had to react with anger,” Santoro said. “You act as strongly, quickly and intelligently as you can because you have to.”
While they were in Iraq, they had to be alert 24 hours a day, Santoro said. They went on missions in 125-degree heat, slept only three hours a day and felt like they were constantly in danger.
Now that they're back home it's hard to flip off that switch, they said. Both said they regularly have extreme reactions to small problems.
“If someone looked at you the wrong way in Iraq, it was a sure sign of danger,” Santoro said. “That is why when we are home and someone looks at us the wrong way, we feel threatened the same way we did over there. It's extremely hard to turn something like that off, and most of the time it is nearly impossible.”
Shortly after he got back, Santoro's mother called him to tell him she had just bought pizza. Santoro was excited, but when he got home and found it wasn't the kind he wanted, he lost it.
“I got so mad and I started flipping out and cursing and I was so frustrated I wanted to start hitting things,” he said. “Why did I flip out about pizza? I felt like an idiot.”
“WHAT THE HELL DID I SIGN UP FOR?”
When Santoro graduated from Central Bucks East High School in 2003, the thought of spending the next four years in college bored him. A couple of his friends had decided to join the Marines and Santoro, who felt he needed some discipline in his life, signed up as well.
He spent three months on what was described as a humanitarian mission in Haiti, where he was shot at for the first time. Then his unit — the 3 rd Battalion, 8th Marines weapons company — spent the next eight months fighting insurgents in Fallujah, a city about 40 miles west of Baghdad. He had some close calls there with sniper attacks and IEDs, but it wasn't until his unit got to Ramadi, the capital of Iraq's Al Anbar province, that Santoro said things got “a lot worse.”
“If something didn't happen in Ramadi — if you didn't get shot at or you didn't get blown up — that's when you start to worry,” Santoro said. “That's when you know something bad's going to happen and it always did.”
Santoro was nearly killed in April 2006 when an explosion blew him 15 feet out of his Humvee.
“Everything's a blur, but I kind of remember our doc dragging me and I was just soaked in blood from the waist down,” Santoro said. “I remember preparing myself — "I'm dead, I'm dying' because I couldn't feel anything.”
Baker, who joined the Army about a month after he graduated from Central Bucks East in 2002, arrived in Iraq in April 2003, shortly after the U.S. invasion in March. His unit, the Army's 3rd Armored Calvary Regiment, was the first to take over Camp Ramadi.
Santoro and Baker weren't in Ramadi at the same time, but they saw a lot of the same horrors.
They were hit by IEDs repeatedly and their bases came under regular fire from rocket propelled grenades and mortar rounds. They saw friends die from sniper fire or lose limbs from explosives and everyone in that violent, desert city seemed to want to kill them.
“You definitely watch movies, and movies kind of glorify [war] and then you get there and you're like: "What the hell did I sign up for?' ” Baker said.
Baker was on board a Chinook helicopter in November 2003 when it was hit by a surface-to-air missile. Nineteen people on board survived the attack; 16 were killed. Baker woke up six days later at Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington, D.C., with almost no memory of what happened.
“I remember the missile hitting and then ... it's just black,” Baker said.
“I'M STILL ADJUSTING”
Baker and Santoro are both in treatment for PTSD, as well as a host of physical injuries they suffered during the war. Baker said he'll pursue a degree in business marketing at Penn State Abington in the fall. Santoro said he isn't ready for school yet and has gone into business, at least temporarily, with his father.
Both said they have no regrets about their service in Iraq.
“I am proud of the job we did and the way my fellow Marines performed,” Santoro said. “I lost a lot of close friends in Iraq and I miss them, but they died for this country and died for you to have your freedom.”
Both said they hope to help their fellow veterans now coming home from war.
Right now, they're just trying to deal with their lives after Iraq, a war where they saw horrors they said no one can understand unless they saw them themselves.
They still have to convince themselves that an IED isn't buried in a pothole or inside a trash can alongside the road. Baker said every time he smells diesel gas, he has a flashback to Iraq “because that whole country smelled like diesel.” Santoro said that smell is his first memory after he awoke from his IED attack.
“I'm still adjusting,” Santoro said. “It feels like ever since Iraq I have this bad side of me. It feels like a little beast inside me. It's something that it seems like it's almost impossible to get rid of.”
WHAT IS PTSD?
Post-traumatic stress disorder is an anxiety disorder that can develop after you have been through a traumatic event when you fear your life or the lives of others may be in danger.
DOES IT ONLY AFFECT SOLDIERS?
No. PTSD can affect combat veterans, but anyone who experiences a traumatic event, such as victims of child abuse, sexual assault, a serious car accident, a natural disaster or anyone who lives through a terrorist attack.
WHAT ARE THE CAUSES?
People who experience a traumatic event may experience intense emotions that could create changes in their brain that may result in PTSD. The development of PTSD depends on several factors, including how long the trauma lasted, if someone close to them was killed or how much support was given after the incident.
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS?
Reliving the event, avoidance, a feeling of numbness, anger, irritability, trouble sleeping or concentrating or memory loss are among the most common symptoms.
WHAT PROBLEMS CAN DEVELOP FROM IT?
Alcohol or drug abuse, shame, despair and relationship or work problems, among others.
CAN IT BE TREATED?
Yes, and in some cases it can be cured. Therapy is the most common method for treating PTSD, including one-on-one sessions with a psychologist or psychiatrist, group therapy and education that helps people with PTSD understand the disorder.
Sources: The National Center for PTSD, James Goss, director of the PTSD program at the Coatesville Veterans Affairs Medical Center, the National Institute of Mental Health
Brian Scheid can be reached at 215-949-4165 or bscheid@phillyBurbs.com
http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/ ... 62360.html
PTSD and Brain Trauma...
by J.B. Stone » 07/ 14/ 08 11:01 pm
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J.B. Stone - Posts: 47720
- Joined: 04/ 11/ 03 10:01 am
- Location: Northwest Montana
by J.B. Stone » 07/ 17/ 08 6:31 pm
AN INTRIGUING NEW TACK ON AN OLD PROBLEM....
http://www.benningtonbanner.com/opinion/ci_9905700
Legacies of war
Columnists,
Article Launched: 07/17/2008 03:04:43 AM EDT
Thursday, July 17
Those who knew my father in his youth always described him as a fun loving boy, quick with a smile and gentle with the surrounding world. He maintained flashes of those traits until his death in 1996. But there was always something about him, a roller-coaster ride from light into darkness and then back that never made sense.
Perhaps it was because Dad spent a decade of his youth in the cockpit of a Spitfire as a fighter pilot in World War II and the Greek Civil War.
Something happened to him when his plane went down in flames with him at the stick and it changed Dad forever. With the benefit of hindsight, and a look through piles of medical evaluations, I've concluded that among other things, Dad suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, which went untreated.
Today, this condition and its consequences are well known and have been addressed. So given this backdrop, the Army's recent decision to pass on a PTSD trial for 40 Fort Benning, Ga., soldiers and their families is curious at best, and senseless at worst.
The treatment was at the behest of therapist Harold McRae, and is a form of energy psychology known as TAT, or Tapas Acupressure Technique. Originally developed in 1993 by acupressure and acupuncture specialist Tapas Fleming as an allergy treatment, it has been used with some success on PTSD patients.
TAT allegedly restructures neural pathways that have been tattered by stress. It isbelieved to alleviate PTSD phobias by helping patients let go of the past. McRae met with Army medical staff and attorneys last week to discuss positive results TAT has had on his patients. He requested a trial with Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.
The hospital authorities at Fort Benning politely declined the proposal. On many levels, they were on solid ground. First, despite favorable reports, TAT has not been scientifically validated. Next, HIPAA laws keep the Army from disclosing patient names for, and endorsing a potential trial. Finally, as with any expenditure of government funds, treatment programs must meet strict regulatory guidelines — both scientific and financial.
Yet these kinds of issues need visionary thinking. It's not about TAT or its efficacy with PTSD. It's about hope for those who suffer as a result of executing their sworn duties to the nation in time of war — regardless of what we think of that war.
For all we know, TAT could be as bogus as snake oil. All the studies on it to date have been unblinded, meaning they don't stand up to conventional scientific scrutiny.
But here's what we do know: New cases of PTSD among U.S. troops sent to Iraq and Afghanistan surged 46.4 percent in 2007, raising the five-year tally to over 38,000. The uniformed health care services are bucking under that weight, and no cavalry is in sight.
Just like it was for my father, whose generation's response to PTSD was to clam up and live with it. But now we have ways to tackle it. We don't know everything, and continue to push boundaries. But having that crusade stalled in the name of bureaucracy in unthinkable.
Unlike the symmetrical wars of the past, hunting down terrorists and their accomplices is a different breed altogether, a cross between the Information Age and the Stone Age.
High-tech enabled Americans are in a cauldron, where one moment they might find themselves laced with their best friends' entrails and the next have no visible enemy on which to retaliate. What that does is bottle up pressure while still requiring 24/7, 360 degree vigilance. Physically and mentally, it's an unbearable, if not impossible task.
I gave a part of my youth to the armed forces. I was lucky and came out unscathed. My father wasn't as fortunate and our entire family had a lifelong, front row seat to his torment.
The least we can do for these troops is give them hope at some future normalcy. Current PTSD treatments are acceptable, but still carry the negative effect of having to relive trauma to gain results.
And the volume of cases is overbearing. Cutting through the red tape and conducting trials on benign, non-medication methods like TAT should be become a priority for the Beltway's armchair warriors, especially those whose suits have yet to see a crease.
Telly Halkias is the owner of Now and then Books, and a freelance writer and editor. E-mail: tchalkias@aol.com
http://www.benningtonbanner.com/opinion/ci_9905700
Legacies of war
Columnists,
Article Launched: 07/17/2008 03:04:43 AM EDT
Thursday, July 17
Those who knew my father in his youth always described him as a fun loving boy, quick with a smile and gentle with the surrounding world. He maintained flashes of those traits until his death in 1996. But there was always something about him, a roller-coaster ride from light into darkness and then back that never made sense.
Perhaps it was because Dad spent a decade of his youth in the cockpit of a Spitfire as a fighter pilot in World War II and the Greek Civil War.
Something happened to him when his plane went down in flames with him at the stick and it changed Dad forever. With the benefit of hindsight, and a look through piles of medical evaluations, I've concluded that among other things, Dad suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, which went untreated.
Today, this condition and its consequences are well known and have been addressed. So given this backdrop, the Army's recent decision to pass on a PTSD trial for 40 Fort Benning, Ga., soldiers and their families is curious at best, and senseless at worst.
The treatment was at the behest of therapist Harold McRae, and is a form of energy psychology known as TAT, or Tapas Acupressure Technique. Originally developed in 1993 by acupressure and acupuncture specialist Tapas Fleming as an allergy treatment, it has been used with some success on PTSD patients.
TAT allegedly restructures neural pathways that have been tattered by stress. It isbelieved to alleviate PTSD phobias by helping patients let go of the past. McRae met with Army medical staff and attorneys last week to discuss positive results TAT has had on his patients. He requested a trial with Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.
The hospital authorities at Fort Benning politely declined the proposal. On many levels, they were on solid ground. First, despite favorable reports, TAT has not been scientifically validated. Next, HIPAA laws keep the Army from disclosing patient names for, and endorsing a potential trial. Finally, as with any expenditure of government funds, treatment programs must meet strict regulatory guidelines — both scientific and financial.
Yet these kinds of issues need visionary thinking. It's not about TAT or its efficacy with PTSD. It's about hope for those who suffer as a result of executing their sworn duties to the nation in time of war — regardless of what we think of that war.
For all we know, TAT could be as bogus as snake oil. All the studies on it to date have been unblinded, meaning they don't stand up to conventional scientific scrutiny.
But here's what we do know: New cases of PTSD among U.S. troops sent to Iraq and Afghanistan surged 46.4 percent in 2007, raising the five-year tally to over 38,000. The uniformed health care services are bucking under that weight, and no cavalry is in sight.
Just like it was for my father, whose generation's response to PTSD was to clam up and live with it. But now we have ways to tackle it. We don't know everything, and continue to push boundaries. But having that crusade stalled in the name of bureaucracy in unthinkable.
Unlike the symmetrical wars of the past, hunting down terrorists and their accomplices is a different breed altogether, a cross between the Information Age and the Stone Age.
High-tech enabled Americans are in a cauldron, where one moment they might find themselves laced with their best friends' entrails and the next have no visible enemy on which to retaliate. What that does is bottle up pressure while still requiring 24/7, 360 degree vigilance. Physically and mentally, it's an unbearable, if not impossible task.
I gave a part of my youth to the armed forces. I was lucky and came out unscathed. My father wasn't as fortunate and our entire family had a lifelong, front row seat to his torment.
The least we can do for these troops is give them hope at some future normalcy. Current PTSD treatments are acceptable, but still carry the negative effect of having to relive trauma to gain results.
And the volume of cases is overbearing. Cutting through the red tape and conducting trials on benign, non-medication methods like TAT should be become a priority for the Beltway's armchair warriors, especially those whose suits have yet to see a crease.
Telly Halkias is the owner of Now and then Books, and a freelance writer and editor. E-mail: tchalkias@aol.com
-
J.B. Stone - Posts: 47720
- Joined: 04/ 11/ 03 10:01 am
- Location: Northwest Montana
by J.B. Stone » 07/ 20/ 08 6:00 am
Officials investigating anti-smoking drug study
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/200 ... rug-study/
Audrey Hudson THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Officials with the Department of Veterans Affairs are preparing to determine who was at fault for failing to quickly notify participants in a smoking-cessation study about the potentially dangerous side effects of a drug they were prescribed and whether the study will be ended.
Dr. Tom Puglisi, chief officer of the VA's Office of Research Oversight, says he has several concerns that veterans suffering from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were prescribed the smoking-cessation drug Chantix without receiving timely written information or warnings about its possible side effects, which can include psychosis and suicidal behavior.
Dr. Puglisi said he also is concerned that similar notification problems exist throughout the agency's human subject testing programs, particularly those that target participants with PTSD.
"The secretary has asked my office to look at this study in great detail, as well as all of the studies involving PTSD patients, and we will make very specific recommendations about how the system needs to be changed to make sure this doesn't happen again, and we will make specific recommendations relative to accountability of individuals who appeared not to have fulfilled their responsibilities," Dr. Puglisi said.
He told the House Veterans Affairs Committee on July 9 that he began reviewing the smoking-cessation experiment June 18, the day after a Washington Times/ABC News joint investigation reported that the VA had taken at least three months before it began to alert 245 veterans in the study who were taking Chantix about its possible side effects.
Dr. Puglisi sent his findings and recommendations Friday to the VA for review, and Secretary James B. Peake will present an action plan to Congress. However, no timetable has been set, VA spokeswoman Alison Aikele said.
"The secretary does want this to move expeditiously and it is a top priority for him," Ms. Aikele said.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued the first public alert on Nov. 20, 2007, that it had "received reports of suicidal thoughts and aggressive and erratic behavior in patients who have taken Chantix."
On Jan. 18, drug maker Pfizer Inc. updated its warning label on Chantix to say patients should be "observed for serious neuropsychiatry symptoms, including changes in behavior, agitation, depressed mood, suicidal ideation and suicidal behavior."
On Feb. 1 the FDA issued an alert saying "serious neuropsychiatry symptoms have occurred in patients taking Chantix," including suicidal behavior. But the VA did not begin to issue warnings in writing to veterans participating in the smoking-cessation study until Feb. 29.
During that three-month delay, decorated Iraq war veteran James Elliott - a participant in the VA study - suffered a mental breakdown that resulted in a showdown with police in which he was nearly shot.
Nearly 40 suicides in the U.S. have been reported in conjunction with Chantix prescriptions, and Mr. Elliott blames the drug for his episode.
Rep. Bob Filner, chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, said the VA should expedite its decision on how the smoking cessation study proceeds.
"This is life and death, and we said at the hearings they took months and months to issue their first warning, now they are taking weeks and weeks while kids could have another episode like Mr. Elliott did," said Mr. Filner, California Democrat.
"They talk about these studies as if it doesn't involve human beings," he said. "They all need to get a heart; maybe we should send them to the Emerald City."
Officials from the VA's inspector general office have concluded that the department failed to alert the veterans in a timely manner to the dangers posed by a drug it was prescribing.
"I'm concerned that at some of the study sites, there appeared to be an undue delay in getting information to study participants," Dr. Puglisi told the panel. "I'm concerned, on a systemic level, that we apparently don't have the required mechanisms to make sure that these things are done in a timely fashion."
Rod Lamkey Jr./The Washington Times Iraq war veteran James Elliott (right) and Lt. Col. Roger G. Charles, chairman of the Soldiers for the Truth Foundation Board of Trustees, leave after testifying before the House Committee on Veterans Affairs at a hearing about drugs tested on veterans suffering from post traumatic stress disorder.
Mr. Elliott testified under oath that he received no warnings about the drug during the three months he was taking it, and that a consent form to take the drug was not given to him until weeks after he suffered the breakdown.
"I am concerned any time informed consent appears not to have been adequate, because that's one of the keystones of human subject protection," Dr. Puglisi said.
In addition to the smoking cessation study, there are more than 6,000 veterans with PTSD taking Chantix. Mr. Peake issued his own warning letter to 32,000 veterans systemwide after the investigative report was published in June, and included the warnings about possible suicidal behavior.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/200 ... rug-study/
Audrey Hudson THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Officials with the Department of Veterans Affairs are preparing to determine who was at fault for failing to quickly notify participants in a smoking-cessation study about the potentially dangerous side effects of a drug they were prescribed and whether the study will be ended.
Dr. Tom Puglisi, chief officer of the VA's Office of Research Oversight, says he has several concerns that veterans suffering from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were prescribed the smoking-cessation drug Chantix without receiving timely written information or warnings about its possible side effects, which can include psychosis and suicidal behavior.
Dr. Puglisi said he also is concerned that similar notification problems exist throughout the agency's human subject testing programs, particularly those that target participants with PTSD.
"The secretary has asked my office to look at this study in great detail, as well as all of the studies involving PTSD patients, and we will make very specific recommendations about how the system needs to be changed to make sure this doesn't happen again, and we will make specific recommendations relative to accountability of individuals who appeared not to have fulfilled their responsibilities," Dr. Puglisi said.
He told the House Veterans Affairs Committee on July 9 that he began reviewing the smoking-cessation experiment June 18, the day after a Washington Times/ABC News joint investigation reported that the VA had taken at least three months before it began to alert 245 veterans in the study who were taking Chantix about its possible side effects.
Dr. Puglisi sent his findings and recommendations Friday to the VA for review, and Secretary James B. Peake will present an action plan to Congress. However, no timetable has been set, VA spokeswoman Alison Aikele said.
"The secretary does want this to move expeditiously and it is a top priority for him," Ms. Aikele said.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued the first public alert on Nov. 20, 2007, that it had "received reports of suicidal thoughts and aggressive and erratic behavior in patients who have taken Chantix."
On Jan. 18, drug maker Pfizer Inc. updated its warning label on Chantix to say patients should be "observed for serious neuropsychiatry symptoms, including changes in behavior, agitation, depressed mood, suicidal ideation and suicidal behavior."
On Feb. 1 the FDA issued an alert saying "serious neuropsychiatry symptoms have occurred in patients taking Chantix," including suicidal behavior. But the VA did not begin to issue warnings in writing to veterans participating in the smoking-cessation study until Feb. 29.
During that three-month delay, decorated Iraq war veteran James Elliott - a participant in the VA study - suffered a mental breakdown that resulted in a showdown with police in which he was nearly shot.
Nearly 40 suicides in the U.S. have been reported in conjunction with Chantix prescriptions, and Mr. Elliott blames the drug for his episode.
Rep. Bob Filner, chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, said the VA should expedite its decision on how the smoking cessation study proceeds.
"This is life and death, and we said at the hearings they took months and months to issue their first warning, now they are taking weeks and weeks while kids could have another episode like Mr. Elliott did," said Mr. Filner, California Democrat.
"They talk about these studies as if it doesn't involve human beings," he said. "They all need to get a heart; maybe we should send them to the Emerald City."
Officials from the VA's inspector general office have concluded that the department failed to alert the veterans in a timely manner to the dangers posed by a drug it was prescribing.
"I'm concerned that at some of the study sites, there appeared to be an undue delay in getting information to study participants," Dr. Puglisi told the panel. "I'm concerned, on a systemic level, that we apparently don't have the required mechanisms to make sure that these things are done in a timely fashion."
Rod Lamkey Jr./The Washington Times Iraq war veteran James Elliott (right) and Lt. Col. Roger G. Charles, chairman of the Soldiers for the Truth Foundation Board of Trustees, leave after testifying before the House Committee on Veterans Affairs at a hearing about drugs tested on veterans suffering from post traumatic stress disorder.
Mr. Elliott testified under oath that he received no warnings about the drug during the three months he was taking it, and that a consent form to take the drug was not given to him until weeks after he suffered the breakdown.
"I am concerned any time informed consent appears not to have been adequate, because that's one of the keystones of human subject protection," Dr. Puglisi said.
In addition to the smoking cessation study, there are more than 6,000 veterans with PTSD taking Chantix. Mr. Peake issued his own warning letter to 32,000 veterans systemwide after the investigative report was published in June, and included the warnings about possible suicidal behavior.
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J.B. Stone - Posts: 47720
- Joined: 04/ 11/ 03 10:01 am
- Location: Northwest Montana
by J.B. Stone » 07/ 20/ 08 6:02 am
Navy vet: I feel nothing but frustration and betrayal
By Tracy Vedder Watch the story - http://www.komonews.com/news/local/25637399.html
STANWOOD, Wash. -- Thousands of local vets currently suffering from injury and illness are in a kind of limbo. The Veterans Administration has denied them benefits, and many feel betrayed by a VA appeals process that can take years.
Twice a week, Keith Reyes tries to perform the simplest tests of balance for his physical therapist. It's a struggle. He's been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and a traumatic brain injury.
"Not only does he have some issues with his brain and the way it reads balance, but he's got some inner-ear problems as well from the blast," said physical therapist Sarah Ridley.
Reyes wobbles and trembles through a simple course where the obstacles are three inch-high squishy domes and a foam walkway. On his first try, his foot knocks over a foot and a half-high bar he's supposed to step over.
This is a man who spent 20 years as a Navy diver and was part of the elite Special Warfare Combat Crew team. He worked hand in hand with Navy SEALs. Reyes bleeds red, white and blue.
"I'd die for my country over and over," he said.
But his years of service took a toll. He's lost two marriages and, since retiring, two jobs. Finally psychologist Steve Clancy helped Reyes figure out why. After weeks of therapy Dr. Steve Clancy told Reyes, "Keith, you've got PTSD. There's no question about it."
Reyes' problems began on assignment in 1985 in Chile. He volunteered for a special expedition accompanying the British Royal Marines to the region. He cautiously admits that gathering intelligence was part of his job description.
"The American military and other sources, other agencies wanted to know what was going on," said Reyes. That was during dictator Augusto Pinochet's harsh military rule and there were frequent leftist uprisings.
"There were kidnappings, there were bombings," Reyes said.
Reyes and a British Royal Marine captain were driving into Santiago, Chile when they were ambushed.
"Just blew my window completely out," said Reyes.
He said there was no time to seek medical attention.
"Our mission after this particular ambush was to get to the safe house," he said.
That was the first of a series of traumatic incidents in Chile that changed Reyes forever.
"Anger, rage, depression, insomnia - couldn't sleep, wasn't sleeping well," he said.
For 23 years, Reyes struggled on his own before finally filing a claim with the VA last year. To corroborate what happened in Chile, Reyes included national news reports, declassified CIA documents and a letter from the Royal Marine who was with him during the attack.
Despite all that evidence, the VA denied his claim.
"I feel nothing but frustration and betrayal from them," said Reyes.
To his psychologist Dr. Clancy, the VA's decision "was jaw-dropping."
The American Legion says Reyes is one of more than 4,000 local vets appealing their VA decisions. After the denial, Kathy Nylen began working on Reyes' appeal.
"The initial stage of that will take at least a year," said Nylen.
The VA refused an interview with KOMO News, but did release a written statement, which said experienced claims reviewers are expected to clear three and a half cases a day.
Nylen doesn't believe there's any way the VA can give each initial claim the review it deserves.
"I don't think that the VA, even in their best intentions, is able to address the increasing workload that they're facing," she said.
Reyes turned to KOMO News. We called the VA. In less than three weeks, the agency reversed its decision, granting Reyes 70-percent disability for PTSD.
"I'm happy for me that this has worked out somewhat, but I'm one of another 50,000 guys in Puget Sound that shouldn't have to go through this," said Reyes.
Reyes insists that it is equally important that the VA gets the message on behalf of all the other vets in his shoes.
By Tracy Vedder Watch the story - http://www.komonews.com/news/local/25637399.html
STANWOOD, Wash. -- Thousands of local vets currently suffering from injury and illness are in a kind of limbo. The Veterans Administration has denied them benefits, and many feel betrayed by a VA appeals process that can take years.
Twice a week, Keith Reyes tries to perform the simplest tests of balance for his physical therapist. It's a struggle. He's been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and a traumatic brain injury.
"Not only does he have some issues with his brain and the way it reads balance, but he's got some inner-ear problems as well from the blast," said physical therapist Sarah Ridley.
Reyes wobbles and trembles through a simple course where the obstacles are three inch-high squishy domes and a foam walkway. On his first try, his foot knocks over a foot and a half-high bar he's supposed to step over.
This is a man who spent 20 years as a Navy diver and was part of the elite Special Warfare Combat Crew team. He worked hand in hand with Navy SEALs. Reyes bleeds red, white and blue.
"I'd die for my country over and over," he said.
But his years of service took a toll. He's lost two marriages and, since retiring, two jobs. Finally psychologist Steve Clancy helped Reyes figure out why. After weeks of therapy Dr. Steve Clancy told Reyes, "Keith, you've got PTSD. There's no question about it."
Reyes' problems began on assignment in 1985 in Chile. He volunteered for a special expedition accompanying the British Royal Marines to the region. He cautiously admits that gathering intelligence was part of his job description.
"The American military and other sources, other agencies wanted to know what was going on," said Reyes. That was during dictator Augusto Pinochet's harsh military rule and there were frequent leftist uprisings.
"There were kidnappings, there were bombings," Reyes said.
Reyes and a British Royal Marine captain were driving into Santiago, Chile when they were ambushed.
"Just blew my window completely out," said Reyes.
He said there was no time to seek medical attention.
"Our mission after this particular ambush was to get to the safe house," he said.
That was the first of a series of traumatic incidents in Chile that changed Reyes forever.
"Anger, rage, depression, insomnia - couldn't sleep, wasn't sleeping well," he said.
For 23 years, Reyes struggled on his own before finally filing a claim with the VA last year. To corroborate what happened in Chile, Reyes included national news reports, declassified CIA documents and a letter from the Royal Marine who was with him during the attack.
Despite all that evidence, the VA denied his claim.
"I feel nothing but frustration and betrayal from them," said Reyes.
To his psychologist Dr. Clancy, the VA's decision "was jaw-dropping."
The American Legion says Reyes is one of more than 4,000 local vets appealing their VA decisions. After the denial, Kathy Nylen began working on Reyes' appeal.
"The initial stage of that will take at least a year," said Nylen.
The VA refused an interview with KOMO News, but did release a written statement, which said experienced claims reviewers are expected to clear three and a half cases a day.
Nylen doesn't believe there's any way the VA can give each initial claim the review it deserves.
"I don't think that the VA, even in their best intentions, is able to address the increasing workload that they're facing," she said.
Reyes turned to KOMO News. We called the VA. In less than three weeks, the agency reversed its decision, granting Reyes 70-percent disability for PTSD.
"I'm happy for me that this has worked out somewhat, but I'm one of another 50,000 guys in Puget Sound that shouldn't have to go through this," said Reyes.
Reyes insists that it is equally important that the VA gets the message on behalf of all the other vets in his shoes.
-
J.B. Stone - Posts: 47720
- Joined: 04/ 11/ 03 10:01 am
- Location: Northwest Montana
by J.B. Stone » 07/ 25/ 08 2:47 pm
Army begins treating PTSD in the field
Thursday, July 24, 2008
By Mike Tharp | McClatchy Newspapers
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/226/story/45470.html
KIRKUK, Iraq — Sgt. Seth "Doc" Musikant could be a recruiting poster for the Army's new approach to PTSD, post-traumatic stress disorder.
Last April, Musikant and his team were driving around a traffic circle in the city of Tuz. It was their second time through the roundabout that day, and between trips somebody had planted a homemade bomb. It blew up their Humvee.
One of his comrades was killed, and three were wounded. In the frenzy that followed, Musikant handed his M-4 rifle to the Iraqi interpreter, screaming, "Pull security!" Then Doc, a medic, scrambled to treat the wounded.
Musikant, with the 3rd Battalion, 6th Field Artillery of the 10th Mountain Division's 1st Combat Brigade, was on his second tour in Iraq. Although he felt that he'd proved he had guts during his first tour, in Baghdad in 2005, the incident in Tuz bothered him. "It's like there's an invisible wall," Musikant said about the anxiety that temporarily troubled him.
He went to see the brigade's main mental health officer, Maj. Kyle Bourque.
"I told him it was bothering me," the 23-year-old former art student recalled. "I literally walked away with scratches. He said not to keep it inside, gave me some Ambien (a sleep aid). I still don't talk about it with anybody I don't know."
Never has the U.S. military been forced to confront so much of "the battle behind the battle" — the psychic and emotional wounds of war. What's more, grunts no longer bear the brunt of such attacks; thanks to suicide bombers and homemade bombs, drivers, cooks and other rear-echelon troops have also been killed and wounded.
A recent Rand Corp. study (criticized by the military for relying on too small a sample), calculated that some 300,000 out of 1.6 million veterans of these two wars have suffered some sort of PTSD or TBI, traumatic brain injury, which used to be called a concussion.
Nor has the military ever faced such sharp criticism for its handling, or mishandling, of the mental well-being of its troops, but never before have commanders and their troops dealt with the problems and the stigma of PTSD more directly than they've begun doing in Iraq and Afghanistan.
For one thing, it's cheaper to treat PTSD than it is to train a new recruit. For another, said Bourque: "The healthier their personnel, the better off the Army is."
Now the Army identifies a condition called Acute Stress Reaction (ASR) — the immediate aftermath of a traumatic incident in a combat zone. Since PTSD takes months, sometimes years, to manifest itself, military doctors and counselors prefer the new term to describe what they regard as normal reactions among troops confronted by abnormal situations.
Last year, the Army launched a mandatory training program to identify and treat the causes and symptoms of PTSD. The Pentagon no longer treats visits to a counselor as an adverse factor in giving security clearances.
What the 10th Mountain's 1st Brigade Combat Team has been doing for the past 11 months in Kirkuk province offers an inside look at how a gung-ho gun-slinging outfit is dealing with the toll its troops cannot see.
Because its commander, Col. David Paschal, one month into this tour, had to deal with the deaths of four of his personal security detail, the 3,500-strong 1st Brigade is probably more proactive about the problems posed by PTSD than many of its Army counterparts are.
Its troops generally agree that during this tour, much more is being done for soldiers gripped by nightmares, flashbacks, survivor's guilt, apprehension and thoughts of suicide.
"The command has zero tolerance for blowing off a soldier's concerns," said Sgt. 1st Class Keven Duncan, himself wounded in Baghdad during his unit's 2005 tour. (It was Musikant who pulled him out of a burning Humvee.)
The Army's term for what happens when soldier sees what Col. Paschal calls "things so horrific that no human should ever have to see" is called a CID, a Critical Incident Debrief. That mandatory session takes place 24-72 hours after an event that may be sapping a soldier's will to fight.
All the soldiers involved in the incident gather, and Bourque and one of the unit's chaplains join them at the medical clinic or the company command post. The meeting persuades soldiers to re-experience what happened so there's a common view of the facts. Sometimes, participants write accounts of what happened; they're asked to include not just the facts, but also their feelings — even smells — of what went down.
That first meeting is supposed to show the soldiers several things:
-The Army isn't looking for fault or blame.
-The Army isn't looking to send them home.
-Other soldiers feel the same ways they do. "We help them take an abnormal event and normalize it as much as possible," says Capt. Miller Eichelberger, a brigade chaplain.
-More help is available than was in the past. Capt. Lindsay Tepelsky and her unit, the 528th Combat Stress Center at the brigade's main base, said they help dozens of soldiers a month with problems ranging from acute stress reaction to marital problems to sleeplessness.
After the first talk among soldiers directly affected by an event, treatment begins for those who say they need it and those singled out by their immediate leaders.
One common approach is regular one-on-ones with a psychiatrist or social worker in the unit. The combat stress detachment sends its counselors out to the solders' "workplace" — a remote hilltop communications outpost or a base inside an Iraqi village. Seeing traumatized troops in surroundings familiar to them helps them open up more, Tepelsky said.
In theater, commanders administer a Unit Needs Assessment, which anonymously asks soldiers questions about their health, behavior, family and other issues.
Mental health pros such as Tepelsky give feedback from the survey to leaders. "The Army says, 'Let's address things before they spiral out of control,' " she explained.
If the anxiety persists or worsens, the soldier is sent to a "fitness" program at two big nearby U.S. bases, where there are classes, consultation with a therapist and an exercise regime. Counselors and chaplains continue to meet the soldier regularly to gauge progress, or a lack of it. Some are given temporary limited duty or even some in-country time-off.
Only a few return to the unit's home base, Fort Drum, N.Y., or elsewhere for further treatment. Fort Drum recently opened an off-base clinic and other facilities for long-term care of its troops.
Although brigade officers insist that any stigma once attached to seeking psychological counseling has disappeared, some enlisted soldiers disagree.
"There sure as hell is" a stigma, said one female noncommissioned officer. "I wouldn't want it on my record." Added another enlisted man, "Everybody wants to be hooah (enthusiastic), and nobody wants to be thought of as a (wuss)." Neither would be quoted by name as they weren't authorized to speak to the media.
Some soldiers have found ways to cope with PTSD and other stressors. Sgt. Andrew Bennett, 22, a tall, taciturn infantryman from Seattle nicknamed "Robot" for doing square roots in his head while talking over his Humvee's internal radio, was wounded in the neck and shoulder during his unit's 2005 deployment in Baghdad.
When Bennett was being treated at Fort Drum, he didn't go near a counselor, and he was glad to redeploy to Iraq last year. "I didn't feel I needed it," he said. "I didn't have any of the PTSD symptoms. I sleep fine and don't have nightmares."
The 1st Brigade has been aggressive in pinpointing and dealing with its troopers' mental health in part because of what its commander, Col. Paschal, went through. He sat in a Critical Incident Debrief after an IED shredded a Humvee in their convoy a month into their deployment. Four of his own bodyguards were killed.
Nearly a year later, as he talked about what his brigade was doing about PTSD, Paschal recalled that event. Sitting in his small office, insisting that his soldiers will immediately pick up "fear or doubt in your eyes or voice," he suddenly stopped talking.
He looked at his boots, then at his big hands, rubbing them together, swallowing and blinking. Finally, he completed his thought — that he and his sergeant major had put the remains of the four dead soldiers into black rubber body bags.
The colonel looked up: "There's not a day goes by that I don't think about 'em."
Thursday, July 24, 2008
By Mike Tharp | McClatchy Newspapers
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/226/story/45470.html
KIRKUK, Iraq — Sgt. Seth "Doc" Musikant could be a recruiting poster for the Army's new approach to PTSD, post-traumatic stress disorder.
Last April, Musikant and his team were driving around a traffic circle in the city of Tuz. It was their second time through the roundabout that day, and between trips somebody had planted a homemade bomb. It blew up their Humvee.
One of his comrades was killed, and three were wounded. In the frenzy that followed, Musikant handed his M-4 rifle to the Iraqi interpreter, screaming, "Pull security!" Then Doc, a medic, scrambled to treat the wounded.
Musikant, with the 3rd Battalion, 6th Field Artillery of the 10th Mountain Division's 1st Combat Brigade, was on his second tour in Iraq. Although he felt that he'd proved he had guts during his first tour, in Baghdad in 2005, the incident in Tuz bothered him. "It's like there's an invisible wall," Musikant said about the anxiety that temporarily troubled him.
He went to see the brigade's main mental health officer, Maj. Kyle Bourque.
"I told him it was bothering me," the 23-year-old former art student recalled. "I literally walked away with scratches. He said not to keep it inside, gave me some Ambien (a sleep aid). I still don't talk about it with anybody I don't know."
Never has the U.S. military been forced to confront so much of "the battle behind the battle" — the psychic and emotional wounds of war. What's more, grunts no longer bear the brunt of such attacks; thanks to suicide bombers and homemade bombs, drivers, cooks and other rear-echelon troops have also been killed and wounded.
A recent Rand Corp. study (criticized by the military for relying on too small a sample), calculated that some 300,000 out of 1.6 million veterans of these two wars have suffered some sort of PTSD or TBI, traumatic brain injury, which used to be called a concussion.
Nor has the military ever faced such sharp criticism for its handling, or mishandling, of the mental well-being of its troops, but never before have commanders and their troops dealt with the problems and the stigma of PTSD more directly than they've begun doing in Iraq and Afghanistan.
For one thing, it's cheaper to treat PTSD than it is to train a new recruit. For another, said Bourque: "The healthier their personnel, the better off the Army is."
Now the Army identifies a condition called Acute Stress Reaction (ASR) — the immediate aftermath of a traumatic incident in a combat zone. Since PTSD takes months, sometimes years, to manifest itself, military doctors and counselors prefer the new term to describe what they regard as normal reactions among troops confronted by abnormal situations.
Last year, the Army launched a mandatory training program to identify and treat the causes and symptoms of PTSD. The Pentagon no longer treats visits to a counselor as an adverse factor in giving security clearances.
What the 10th Mountain's 1st Brigade Combat Team has been doing for the past 11 months in Kirkuk province offers an inside look at how a gung-ho gun-slinging outfit is dealing with the toll its troops cannot see.
Because its commander, Col. David Paschal, one month into this tour, had to deal with the deaths of four of his personal security detail, the 3,500-strong 1st Brigade is probably more proactive about the problems posed by PTSD than many of its Army counterparts are.
Its troops generally agree that during this tour, much more is being done for soldiers gripped by nightmares, flashbacks, survivor's guilt, apprehension and thoughts of suicide.
"The command has zero tolerance for blowing off a soldier's concerns," said Sgt. 1st Class Keven Duncan, himself wounded in Baghdad during his unit's 2005 tour. (It was Musikant who pulled him out of a burning Humvee.)
The Army's term for what happens when soldier sees what Col. Paschal calls "things so horrific that no human should ever have to see" is called a CID, a Critical Incident Debrief. That mandatory session takes place 24-72 hours after an event that may be sapping a soldier's will to fight.
All the soldiers involved in the incident gather, and Bourque and one of the unit's chaplains join them at the medical clinic or the company command post. The meeting persuades soldiers to re-experience what happened so there's a common view of the facts. Sometimes, participants write accounts of what happened; they're asked to include not just the facts, but also their feelings — even smells — of what went down.
That first meeting is supposed to show the soldiers several things:
-The Army isn't looking for fault or blame.
-The Army isn't looking to send them home.
-Other soldiers feel the same ways they do. "We help them take an abnormal event and normalize it as much as possible," says Capt. Miller Eichelberger, a brigade chaplain.
-More help is available than was in the past. Capt. Lindsay Tepelsky and her unit, the 528th Combat Stress Center at the brigade's main base, said they help dozens of soldiers a month with problems ranging from acute stress reaction to marital problems to sleeplessness.
After the first talk among soldiers directly affected by an event, treatment begins for those who say they need it and those singled out by their immediate leaders.
One common approach is regular one-on-ones with a psychiatrist or social worker in the unit. The combat stress detachment sends its counselors out to the solders' "workplace" — a remote hilltop communications outpost or a base inside an Iraqi village. Seeing traumatized troops in surroundings familiar to them helps them open up more, Tepelsky said.
In theater, commanders administer a Unit Needs Assessment, which anonymously asks soldiers questions about their health, behavior, family and other issues.
Mental health pros such as Tepelsky give feedback from the survey to leaders. "The Army says, 'Let's address things before they spiral out of control,' " she explained.
If the anxiety persists or worsens, the soldier is sent to a "fitness" program at two big nearby U.S. bases, where there are classes, consultation with a therapist and an exercise regime. Counselors and chaplains continue to meet the soldier regularly to gauge progress, or a lack of it. Some are given temporary limited duty or even some in-country time-off.
Only a few return to the unit's home base, Fort Drum, N.Y., or elsewhere for further treatment. Fort Drum recently opened an off-base clinic and other facilities for long-term care of its troops.
Although brigade officers insist that any stigma once attached to seeking psychological counseling has disappeared, some enlisted soldiers disagree.
"There sure as hell is" a stigma, said one female noncommissioned officer. "I wouldn't want it on my record." Added another enlisted man, "Everybody wants to be hooah (enthusiastic), and nobody wants to be thought of as a (wuss)." Neither would be quoted by name as they weren't authorized to speak to the media.
Some soldiers have found ways to cope with PTSD and other stressors. Sgt. Andrew Bennett, 22, a tall, taciturn infantryman from Seattle nicknamed "Robot" for doing square roots in his head while talking over his Humvee's internal radio, was wounded in the neck and shoulder during his unit's 2005 deployment in Baghdad.
When Bennett was being treated at Fort Drum, he didn't go near a counselor, and he was glad to redeploy to Iraq last year. "I didn't feel I needed it," he said. "I didn't have any of the PTSD symptoms. I sleep fine and don't have nightmares."
The 1st Brigade has been aggressive in pinpointing and dealing with its troopers' mental health in part because of what its commander, Col. Paschal, went through. He sat in a Critical Incident Debrief after an IED shredded a Humvee in their convoy a month into their deployment. Four of his own bodyguards were killed.
Nearly a year later, as he talked about what his brigade was doing about PTSD, Paschal recalled that event. Sitting in his small office, insisting that his soldiers will immediately pick up "fear or doubt in your eyes or voice," he suddenly stopped talking.
He looked at his boots, then at his big hands, rubbing them together, swallowing and blinking. Finally, he completed his thought — that he and his sergeant major had put the remains of the four dead soldiers into black rubber body bags.
The colonel looked up: "There's not a day goes by that I don't think about 'em."
-
J.B. Stone - Posts: 47720
- Joined: 04/ 11/ 03 10:01 am
- Location: Northwest Montana
by J.B. Stone » 07/ 25/ 08 2:48 pm
PTSD assistance: Fort Bliss program cited as model for Army
Published: Thursday, July 24, 2008 9:21 AM CDT
Virginia Reza | Army News Service
http://www.ftleavenworthlamp.com/articl ... s/dod5.txt
FORT BLISS, Texas - Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey visited Fort Bliss July 13 and said that an innovative program there to treat post-traumatic stress disorders ought to be replicated at other locations across the Army.
The "Restoration and Resilience Center" at Fort Bliss is a specialized treatment facility for Soldiers with PTSD who want to remain in the Army. The center is run by Dr. John Fortunato, a Benedictine monk, Vietnam veteran and clinical psychologist.
"Unfortunately you can't package John Fortunato and move him around and it really takes someone with that passion to drive these kinds of operations," Casey said, "but there are some of the elements of this that are clearly exportable, and we will do that."
Fortunato opened the unique treatment facility one year ago in July 2007. It all started when he worked at the Soldiers' outpatient clinic at Bliss, treating service members who were coming back from deployment and diagnosed with PTSD. Their treatment consisted of medication and group counseling and very little individual counseling because of insufficient staff. If, in the course of three months Soldiers were not fit for duty, they had to be medically discharged.
"There were two things about that, that didn't seem right," Fortunato said. "I got tired of Soldiers crying in my office, telling me they did not want to get out, that the Army was their life, and that's all they knew, and all I could say is, 'Sorry, we have to discharge you.' It tore me up."
The other thing that didn't seem right to him was signing paperwork stating Soldiers had derived "maximum benefits on inpatient and outpatient treatment."
"I thought, that is not true, because we haven't really tried hard enough to rehabilitate them. There were so many issues we were not addressing," he said.
Fortunato said during his sessions with the Soldiers at the clinic, his intuition helped him realize they needed more than just psychological treatment. As he counseled them, he noticed their hands and feet constantly tapping and shaking through entire sessions. Spiritual questions and isolation were other symptoms he observed. So he came up with the idea to build a place where physical and psychological aspects could be treated to help Soldiers who wanted to remain in the military.
The task would not be easy, as the center he had in mind was not a typical Army facility. Nevertheless, he persisted and pleaded and finally got the funding and square footage to open the center.
His first instinct was to design a place where Soldiers could go and feel comfortable. He did not want them isolated in their rooms because he said, Soldiers diagnosed with PTSD are easily over-stimulated and don't want to be around anybody.
"Only, we can't leave them there," he said. "So I had to sort of seduce them out of their rooms."
So Fortunato decided the center would have to look like a lodge at a ski resort. The entrance to the facility is equipped with oversized leather, mission-style chairs, wood floors and the sound of trickling water from a cascading fountain that sits in the lobby has a calming effect. At the end of a hallway, is an Asian-looking room with background therapeutic sounds, called the meditation room.
"This room has a purpose," Fortunato said. "You can sense the music playing, which is based on breathing, and if you spend three minutes in this room with the door shut, without anyone talking you, you will find that your mental state has changed."
Fortunato said that during treatments, Soldiers have to stir up memories they don't want to remember, but that are necessary for them to work through. This procedure arouses them, and by going inside the room, the ambiance helps them calm down again, he said.
"There is a lot of traffic in and out of this room," he said. "You will sometimes find four Soldiers just sitting here, and we want them to do that.
"And let me say that regardless of what your faith is, there is always something that makes our life meaningful," Fortunato added. "We all have some notion about why relationships are important and who we are. All those issues are questioned by Soldiers in war. They come home and they have to deal with questions they usually don't have the ability to handle ... And I'm not offering any particular answers, but God have mercy, we have to help Soldiers answer those questions ... so that they can get on with their lives."
A group of therapists and a chaplain help Soldiers raise painful questions so they can get through the grief they have been holding onto, which he said is one of the things Soldiers resist most.
"In theater if you lose a buddy, here is what you do: drink water, stuff it down and go back out on the road," Fortunato said. "Because you don't have time to grieve, and that is what a Soldier has to do. But when you come back and you have done that for a whole year, you have a load of grief you haven't done."
Another issue Fortunato said the military was not addressing before was the physical aspect. He said many post-deployment Soldiers constantly tap their feet and hands.
"In order to stay alive, their bodies have been hyper-aroused for so long, that they come back and cannot turn it off," he said. "Their body doesn't even remember how to relax again, and because of that they don't sleep and are irritable."
Therefore, service members have to learn how to relax again. And to acquire the relaxation mode again, Fortunato designed a therapeutic program, which includes massages, acupuncture, Tai Chi, yoga, Reiki, power walks and visits to the mall.
"You would think that going to the mall would be fun, but it is not fun for a post-deployment Soldier," Fortunato said. "There are too many people, too much noise, which sets them up for panic attacks. But we can't leave them there, so we teach them relaxation techniques to modulate stress and we take them to the mall."
The staff then ups the outings by taking them to a simulated indoor range, where Soldiers can fire real weapons. They start out with insurgent silhouettes, which then build up to ambush scenarios, which can be very challenging for some Soldiers, Fortunato said.
"But we have to challenge them if they want to stand up and be warriors again," he added.
Fortunato said there are reasons why service members get PTSD that have nothing to do with character. A recent finding of a strong genetic predisposition is a factor that puts people at risk.
A 5-HTT gene serotonin transporter, which regulates anxiety and depression in the brain, contains "alleles," which can either be short or long. He said people with one or two short alleles become depressed more often after stressful events than individuals with two long alleles. Research is underway on combat-related disorders and some possibilities include deploying Soldiers with short alleles on medication, which will help inoculate them from getting PTSD.
"We are in the process of doing a research protocol with 400 Soldiers," Fortunato said. "WBAMC is considering that research protocol. And if we can show that it is true, then we move to the next step. The Army is very interested in doing the best thing for the Soldier and if we find that's what we need to do then we will do it."
Another of the many therapies in the program is the cognitive rehabilitation, which treats stress hormones that, if too high, can damage part of the brain that controls thinking, especially memory. By using the brain-train treatment at the R&R center, Soldiers can regain all their functions.
"It just takes work," Fortunato said. "It is like a muscle - you have to work it to make it better."
The program includes three phases: In the first three months, Soldiers receive 35 hours of treatment per week. Then it drops to 21 hours a week for another three months. After that, they go back to their units, but with seven-hour-a-week after care. So far, 12 out of 37 Soldiers have graduated and are back in their units.
Fortunato said he wants to deploy to Iraq in the future with a Combat Stress Control Unit as their unit psychologist.
Published: Thursday, July 24, 2008 9:21 AM CDT
Virginia Reza | Army News Service
http://www.ftleavenworthlamp.com/articl ... s/dod5.txt
FORT BLISS, Texas - Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey visited Fort Bliss July 13 and said that an innovative program there to treat post-traumatic stress disorders ought to be replicated at other locations across the Army.
The "Restoration and Resilience Center" at Fort Bliss is a specialized treatment facility for Soldiers with PTSD who want to remain in the Army. The center is run by Dr. John Fortunato, a Benedictine monk, Vietnam veteran and clinical psychologist.
"Unfortunately you can't package John Fortunato and move him around and it really takes someone with that passion to drive these kinds of operations," Casey said, "but there are some of the elements of this that are clearly exportable, and we will do that."
Fortunato opened the unique treatment facility one year ago in July 2007. It all started when he worked at the Soldiers' outpatient clinic at Bliss, treating service members who were coming back from deployment and diagnosed with PTSD. Their treatment consisted of medication and group counseling and very little individual counseling because of insufficient staff. If, in the course of three months Soldiers were not fit for duty, they had to be medically discharged.
"There were two things about that, that didn't seem right," Fortunato said. "I got tired of Soldiers crying in my office, telling me they did not want to get out, that the Army was their life, and that's all they knew, and all I could say is, 'Sorry, we have to discharge you.' It tore me up."
The other thing that didn't seem right to him was signing paperwork stating Soldiers had derived "maximum benefits on inpatient and outpatient treatment."
"I thought, that is not true, because we haven't really tried hard enough to rehabilitate them. There were so many issues we were not addressing," he said.
Fortunato said during his sessions with the Soldiers at the clinic, his intuition helped him realize they needed more than just psychological treatment. As he counseled them, he noticed their hands and feet constantly tapping and shaking through entire sessions. Spiritual questions and isolation were other symptoms he observed. So he came up with the idea to build a place where physical and psychological aspects could be treated to help Soldiers who wanted to remain in the military.
The task would not be easy, as the center he had in mind was not a typical Army facility. Nevertheless, he persisted and pleaded and finally got the funding and square footage to open the center.
His first instinct was to design a place where Soldiers could go and feel comfortable. He did not want them isolated in their rooms because he said, Soldiers diagnosed with PTSD are easily over-stimulated and don't want to be around anybody.
"Only, we can't leave them there," he said. "So I had to sort of seduce them out of their rooms."
So Fortunato decided the center would have to look like a lodge at a ski resort. The entrance to the facility is equipped with oversized leather, mission-style chairs, wood floors and the sound of trickling water from a cascading fountain that sits in the lobby has a calming effect. At the end of a hallway, is an Asian-looking room with background therapeutic sounds, called the meditation room.
"This room has a purpose," Fortunato said. "You can sense the music playing, which is based on breathing, and if you spend three minutes in this room with the door shut, without anyone talking you, you will find that your mental state has changed."
Fortunato said that during treatments, Soldiers have to stir up memories they don't want to remember, but that are necessary for them to work through. This procedure arouses them, and by going inside the room, the ambiance helps them calm down again, he said.
"There is a lot of traffic in and out of this room," he said. "You will sometimes find four Soldiers just sitting here, and we want them to do that.
"And let me say that regardless of what your faith is, there is always something that makes our life meaningful," Fortunato added. "We all have some notion about why relationships are important and who we are. All those issues are questioned by Soldiers in war. They come home and they have to deal with questions they usually don't have the ability to handle ... And I'm not offering any particular answers, but God have mercy, we have to help Soldiers answer those questions ... so that they can get on with their lives."
A group of therapists and a chaplain help Soldiers raise painful questions so they can get through the grief they have been holding onto, which he said is one of the things Soldiers resist most.
"In theater if you lose a buddy, here is what you do: drink water, stuff it down and go back out on the road," Fortunato said. "Because you don't have time to grieve, and that is what a Soldier has to do. But when you come back and you have done that for a whole year, you have a load of grief you haven't done."
Another issue Fortunato said the military was not addressing before was the physical aspect. He said many post-deployment Soldiers constantly tap their feet and hands.
"In order to stay alive, their bodies have been hyper-aroused for so long, that they come back and cannot turn it off," he said. "Their body doesn't even remember how to relax again, and because of that they don't sleep and are irritable."
Therefore, service members have to learn how to relax again. And to acquire the relaxation mode again, Fortunato designed a therapeutic program, which includes massages, acupuncture, Tai Chi, yoga, Reiki, power walks and visits to the mall.
"You would think that going to the mall would be fun, but it is not fun for a post-deployment Soldier," Fortunato said. "There are too many people, too much noise, which sets them up for panic attacks. But we can't leave them there, so we teach them relaxation techniques to modulate stress and we take them to the mall."
The staff then ups the outings by taking them to a simulated indoor range, where Soldiers can fire real weapons. They start out with insurgent silhouettes, which then build up to ambush scenarios, which can be very challenging for some Soldiers, Fortunato said.
"But we have to challenge them if they want to stand up and be warriors again," he added.
Fortunato said there are reasons why service members get PTSD that have nothing to do with character. A recent finding of a strong genetic predisposition is a factor that puts people at risk.
A 5-HTT gene serotonin transporter, which regulates anxiety and depression in the brain, contains "alleles," which can either be short or long. He said people with one or two short alleles become depressed more often after stressful events than individuals with two long alleles. Research is underway on combat-related disorders and some possibilities include deploying Soldiers with short alleles on medication, which will help inoculate them from getting PTSD.
"We are in the process of doing a research protocol with 400 Soldiers," Fortunato said. "WBAMC is considering that research protocol. And if we can show that it is true, then we move to the next step. The Army is very interested in doing the best thing for the Soldier and if we find that's what we need to do then we will do it."
Another of the many therapies in the program is the cognitive rehabilitation, which treats stress hormones that, if too high, can damage part of the brain that controls thinking, especially memory. By using the brain-train treatment at the R&R center, Soldiers can regain all their functions.
"It just takes work," Fortunato said. "It is like a muscle - you have to work it to make it better."
The program includes three phases: In the first three months, Soldiers receive 35 hours of treatment per week. Then it drops to 21 hours a week for another three months. After that, they go back to their units, but with seven-hour-a-week after care. So far, 12 out of 37 Soldiers have graduated and are back in their units.
Fortunato said he wants to deploy to Iraq in the future with a Combat Stress Control Unit as their unit psychologist.
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J.B. Stone - Posts: 47720
- Joined: 04/ 11/ 03 10:01 am
- Location: Northwest Montana
by J.B. Stone » 07/ 25/ 08 2:49 pm
WV doctor testifies to Congress about PTSD
By Scott Finn
July 24, 2008
http://www.wvpubcast.org/newsarticle.aspx?id=3630
The war in Iraq has raged for five years – the war in Afghanistan even longer. And more than ever before, the battles are being fought, not just by full-time, active duty military, but by the National Guard and Reserves.
On Thursday, a researcher from West Virginia University testified to Congress about the impact on these citizen-soldiers. They have high rates of post-traumatic stress disorder and depression, especially in rural areas. But almost half of the veterans who need help aren’t getting it.
Dr. Joseph Scotti told the Senate Veterans Affairs committee about a survey of hundreds of West Virginia guard members, sponsored by the state Legislature.
He discovered that members of the National Guard experienced the horrors of war just as much as full-time soldiers, sailors and marines.
"In West Virginia, the members of the National Guard and Reserve had experienced as much combat exposure as active duty personnel, Scott says. "So they were right up there on the front lines, experiencing as much in terms of witnessing death and experiencing danger."
Despite that, they receive less preparation and less support when they return.
"These are our citizen soldiers," he says. "With a short notice, they are put through an intensive training and sent to a war zone. And then, with almost equally short notice, brought home and given a couple of days to decompress, and sent right back to their families and jobs. We know from the past, like the Vietnam War, that doesn’t work very well."
In the survey, veterans answered questions about their mental state, and Scotti and other researchers scored them. More than one-third had post-traumatic stress disorder, and almost half scored high on either PTSD or depression.
Guard members are more likely to suffer from psychological problems than active-duty personnel. And rural veterans report more problems than urban ones.
"It's certainly harder to get to the VA, it’s harder to get to the Vet Centers," Scotti says. "We have community-based outpatient clinics throughout the state, but they primarily have a primary care, medical function and not a psychological, mental health function. So even if they get there, if the physicians don’t recognize their difficulties in the mental health area, then they’re kind of sunk."
Senator Jay Rockefeller is the longest-serving member of the Veterans Affairs committee. He admits there are major problems, but that Congress is committed to fixing them.
"And because of the Iraqi-Afghan situation, and all the new injuries, traumatic brain injuries and now eye injuries and traumatic stress disorder, which we had known about but which came to us instantly on television, about seven seconds later. It kind of woke the Congress up," Rockefeller says.
Rockefeller visited a clinic for veterans in Logan earlier this week. He says rural clinics like this one are one solution.
"I’d say smother West Virginia in places that people can get to easily and talk in a comfortable setting, like this, on a first floor, not in some big building somewhere. And then solve their problems," Rockefeller says.
Scotti wants Congress to fully fund “homecoming programs” which follow veterans long after they leave the service.
Also, he says more training is needed for those on the front-lines of taking care of veterans. Especially in rural areas, they’re more likely to reach out to their minister or doctor than a mental-health professional.
According to the survey, most veterans know about the services available to them, but between one-third and one-half of veterans with psychological problems aren’t receiving treatment.
Scotti says the mental health system failed Vietnam Vets. He hopes we won’t let down our newest veterans.
"The Vietnam Generation taught us about our failures," Scotti says. "They brought to out minds in psychology and mental health, just what PTSD is. I’m praying that we’ll do better and I think we’ve already done better. But there is great room for improvement."
By Scott Finn
July 24, 2008
http://www.wvpubcast.org/newsarticle.aspx?id=3630
The war in Iraq has raged for five years – the war in Afghanistan even longer. And more than ever before, the battles are being fought, not just by full-time, active duty military, but by the National Guard and Reserves.
On Thursday, a researcher from West Virginia University testified to Congress about the impact on these citizen-soldiers. They have high rates of post-traumatic stress disorder and depression, especially in rural areas. But almost half of the veterans who need help aren’t getting it.
Dr. Joseph Scotti told the Senate Veterans Affairs committee about a survey of hundreds of West Virginia guard members, sponsored by the state Legislature.
He discovered that members of the National Guard experienced the horrors of war just as much as full-time soldiers, sailors and marines.
"In West Virginia, the members of the National Guard and Reserve had experienced as much combat exposure as active duty personnel, Scott says. "So they were right up there on the front lines, experiencing as much in terms of witnessing death and experiencing danger."
Despite that, they receive less preparation and less support when they return.
"These are our citizen soldiers," he says. "With a short notice, they are put through an intensive training and sent to a war zone. And then, with almost equally short notice, brought home and given a couple of days to decompress, and sent right back to their families and jobs. We know from the past, like the Vietnam War, that doesn’t work very well."
In the survey, veterans answered questions about their mental state, and Scotti and other researchers scored them. More than one-third had post-traumatic stress disorder, and almost half scored high on either PTSD or depression.
Guard members are more likely to suffer from psychological problems than active-duty personnel. And rural veterans report more problems than urban ones.
"It's certainly harder to get to the VA, it’s harder to get to the Vet Centers," Scotti says. "We have community-based outpatient clinics throughout the state, but they primarily have a primary care, medical function and not a psychological, mental health function. So even if they get there, if the physicians don’t recognize their difficulties in the mental health area, then they’re kind of sunk."
Senator Jay Rockefeller is the longest-serving member of the Veterans Affairs committee. He admits there are major problems, but that Congress is committed to fixing them.
"And because of the Iraqi-Afghan situation, and all the new injuries, traumatic brain injuries and now eye injuries and traumatic stress disorder, which we had known about but which came to us instantly on television, about seven seconds later. It kind of woke the Congress up," Rockefeller says.
Rockefeller visited a clinic for veterans in Logan earlier this week. He says rural clinics like this one are one solution.
"I’d say smother West Virginia in places that people can get to easily and talk in a comfortable setting, like this, on a first floor, not in some big building somewhere. And then solve their problems," Rockefeller says.
Scotti wants Congress to fully fund “homecoming programs” which follow veterans long after they leave the service.
Also, he says more training is needed for those on the front-lines of taking care of veterans. Especially in rural areas, they’re more likely to reach out to their minister or doctor than a mental-health professional.
According to the survey, most veterans know about the services available to them, but between one-third and one-half of veterans with psychological problems aren’t receiving treatment.
Scotti says the mental health system failed Vietnam Vets. He hopes we won’t let down our newest veterans.
"The Vietnam Generation taught us about our failures," Scotti says. "They brought to out minds in psychology and mental health, just what PTSD is. I’m praying that we’ll do better and I think we’ve already done better. But there is great room for improvement."
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J.B. Stone - Posts: 47720
- Joined: 04/ 11/ 03 10:01 am
- Location: Northwest Montana
by J.B. Stone » 07/ 27/ 08 11:03 pm
J.B. Stone wrote:WestViking wrote:
IMO, you might try getting Congress to appoint a veterans' Ombudsman who has the power to investigate complaints, issue summonses to appear, the authority to require disclosure and who reports directly to Congress on his or her findings. That could get the veteran's issues as well as their medical recommendations directly to the people who control the $$$.
The VA administration need to be reminded that its function is to provide services to veterans, not to manage the budget.
There ARE several avenues open to Veterans, although most have no clue how to use them:U.S. Department Of Veterans Affairs
OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL
http://www.va.gov/oig/
The Office of Inspector General is an independent organization with the goal of minimizing fraud, waste, and abuse in the Department of Veterans Affairs' programs, activities and functions. The Office of Healthcare Inspections (54) was created to monitor the health care provided to the veterans.
To carry out its inspections responsibilities, the Office of Healthcare Inspections is legally authorized to gain access to all records, reports, audits, reviews, documents, papers, recommendations, or other pertinent materials.
Mission
The Office of Healthcare Inspections (OHI) is dedicated to ensuring that eligible veterans, and qualified family members, receive high quality medical care and support. The OHI supports the Secretary's vision of "Putting Veterans First", and aspires to provide the highest possible level of innovative and forward-looking clinical consultative support to Office of Inspector General operating elements. OHI will work in a cooperative spirit to provide meaningful oversight and consultation to improve and strengthen VHA health care programs that are essential to the well-being of our veteran patients.
In performing its assigned functions, OHI inspects individual health care issues, performs quality program assistance reviews of medical center operations, evaluates Nationwide health care programs, and provides clinical consultations that are designed to strengthen Veteran's Health Administration's (VHA's) health care, and other missions, in order to help VHA to enhance patient care programs and to prevent and deter fraud, waste, and abuse. The OHI's oversight efforts emphasize National mandates for creating a more efficient, less costly government. Inherent in every OHI effort will be the principles of continuous quality improvement, focus on helping the Department to strengthen day-to-day operations, and emphasis on caring customer service and continually-improved patient outcomes.
The OHI will facilitate the IG's ability to keep the Secretary and the Congress fully and currently informed about problems relating to VA programs and the need for corrective action. In doing so, the OHI staff will strive to lead and be innovators in the performance of their duties, being consistently fair, honest, and objective, and fulfilling their responsibilities with integrity.
http://www.va.gov/oig/organization/insp ... efault.asp
Then, there's ....GAO.GOV
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) is known as "the investigative arm of Congress" and "the congressional watchdog." GAO supports the Congress in meeting its constitutional responsibilities and helps improve the performance and accountability of the federal government for the benefit of the American people.
http://www.gao.gov/
Topic Collection: Military and Veterans Health Care and Disability Benefits
This page lists the most recent reports and testimonies related to military and veterans' health care and disability benefits issued since March 2003.
http://www.gao.gov/docsearch/featured/h ... efits.html
AND, thanks to your great suggestions, I found out about THIS....!!!House bill creates VA ombudsman's office
By Andy Leonatti CongressDaily June 9, 2008
WASHINGTON - Citing the confusion veterans face when trying to arrange benefits, the House Veterans' Affairs Health Subcommittee passed a bill Thursday creating an ombudsman office within the Veterans Affairs Department (VA).
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Paul Hodes, D-N.H., was adopted by unanimous voice vote, along with the adoption by voice vote of a substitute amendment from Veterans' Affairs Health Subcommittee Chairman Michael Michaud, D-Maine.
The bill instructs the VA secretary to create an office of the ombudsman, and designate the head of the office.
The office would act as a one-stop shop for information on benefits administered by the VA, including medical, housing and education. When testifying in support of his bill before the Health Subcommittee on June 14, 2007, Hodes said the VA has separate hotlines for different benefits, and the process can be confusing to veterans returning from overseas.
Michaud's substitute amendment expanded the duties of the new office. Under the amendment, the VA secretary will designate an ombudsman director in each of the department's three administrations, health, benefits and cemeteries. The ombudsman director in each administration will report to the head ombudsman.
The amendment also defines the official duties of the office of the ombudsman as providing patient advocacy and problem resolution, provide assistance in understanding benefits, provide information on claims submissions and field complaints from veterans.
The VA secretary will also designate six regional ombudsmen throughout the United States for both the health and benefits administrations.
However, the VA does not support the bill. VA Undersecretary for Health Michael Kussman testified at the Health Subcommittee hearing on the bill that it would create an unnecessary level of bureaucracy within the VA. Kussman added the VA already has officers such as patient advocates and benefit counselors, and many state level veterans departments also have counselors.
http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0608/060908markup1.htm
And, finally....anyone who does NOT employ an authorized VA Service Organization to assist with their Disability Claim or Health Care requests is a FOOL...!!!Directory of Veterans Service Organizations
Welcome to the online Directory of Veterans Service Organizations. This is published as an informational service by the Office of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. This up-to-date, database driven website allows you to View VSO information in a variety of ways. You may also Search through the VSO database to find information that suits your needs.
Inclusion of an organization in the directory does not constitute approval or endorsement by VA or the United States Government of the organization or its activities. Some VSOs are "chartered", which means they are federally chartered and/or recognized or approved by the VA Secretary for purposes of preparation, presentation, and prosecution of claims under laws administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Inclusion of non-chartered organizations does not constitute or reflect VA recognition of said organization and its representatives for purposes of representation of VA claimants.
http://www1.va.gov/vso/
* Organizations Chartered by Congress and/or Recognized by VA for Claim Representation
African Amer.Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Assoc.
Air Force Sergeants Association
American Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor
American Ex-Prisoners of War
American GI Forum of the United States
American Gold Star Mothers, Inc.
American Legion
American Red Cross
American War Mothers
AMVETS
Armed Forces Services Corporation
Army and Navy Union, USA, Inc.
Blinded Veterans Association
Blue Star Mothers of America, Inc.
Catholic War Veterans, USA, Inc.
Congressional Medal of Honor Society of the United States of America
Disabled American Veterans
Fleet Reserve Association
Gold Star Wives of America, Inc.
Italian American War Veterans of the USA
Jewish War Veterans of the USA
Korean War Veterans Association of the USA, Inc.
Legion of Valor of the USA, Inc.
Marine Corps League
Military Chaplains Association of the United States of America
Military Order of the Purple Heart of the U.S.A., Inc.
Military Order of the World Wars
National Amputation Foundation, Inc.
National Association for Black Veterans, Inc.
National Association of County Veterans Service Officers, Inc.
National Association of State Directors of Veterans Affairs (NASDVA)
National Veterans Legal Services Program
Navy Club of the United States of America
Navy Mutual Aid Association
Non Commissioned Officers Association
Paralyzed Veterans of America
Pearl Harbor Survivors Association, Inc.
Polish Legion of American Veterans, USA
Swords to Plowshares: Veterans Rights Organization
The Retired Enlisted Association
United Spinal Association
US Submarine Veterans of World War II
Veterans Assistance Foundation, Inc.
Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States
Veterans of the Vietnam War, Inc./Vets. Coalition
Veterans of World War I of the USA, Inc.
Vietnam Veterans of America
Women`s Army Corps Veterans Association
http://www1.va.gov/vso/index.cfm?template=view
Some avenues and/or organizations may be more effective/helpful in each case, but the Veteran is doing himself a GREAT disservice by eschewing these options.
I would have NEVER gotten my VA Disability Claim due to PRoject SHAD through without the Vietnam Veterans of America's help and encouragement...!!!
Thank you for your reply and suggestions.
-
J.B. Stone - Posts: 47720
- Joined: 04/ 11/ 03 10:01 am
- Location: Northwest Montana
by J.B. Stone » 07/ 29/ 08 4:47 pm
Battle on homefront
Vet struggled to get pension, benefits
Tue, July 29, 2008
By JOE WARMINGTON
http://www.torontosun.com/News/Columnis ... 71-sun.php
KINGSTON -- He has already bravely gone into battle for this country and should never have had to battle against it.
But that's what injured war veteran Petty Officer Robert Leroux, and others, have had to do to get their proper pension and medical care after serving so heroically in Afghanistan.
Their adversary this time wasn't bombs and bullets but red tape and regulations.
"I don't understand it, either," said the 26-year veteran of the Canadian Forces who was medically discharged with honour in March. "I already did my part for king and country."
And he did. Four times in Afghanistan to be exact. He has the medals to show for it. And the wounds. Some physical. Some mental. What he said he didn't have for more than four months after being medically discharged was his financial compensation entitlements that he more than earned.
"For the first time I missed a mortgage payment," said the separated father of three, who hails originally from Burlington. "And now my credit has taken a dive."
He also said because of the same bureaucratic loophole that created the above dilemma, he and his children are not fully covered medically until Nov. 1.
He said upon discharge he had to find his own doctors -- including several specialists like a psychiatrist.
"And I am not alone," he said. "I put this up on my own Facebook site and I found a lot of people have had the same problem."
Now I know what you are thinking: How could this be?
In this specific case, Leroux, 45, did tours in Afghanistan in 2002, '04, '05 and '06.
"As part of signal's intelligence, we were always at the pointy end," he said, adding there was lots of killing.
In many cases, he was the investigator of bomb scenes where his friends were killed by a Taliban IED.
"The only things you find at a bomb scene are hands, the head and feet," he said, visibly tense. "It's a hard job. It's not one of the things you look forward to."
In a small coffee shop, he looks nervously around at each person. "I know everybody's face," he said, adding he understands he's home in Canada but keeping track of faces to stay alive in Afghanistan has proven to be a difficult habit to shake.
As is the memory of Feb. 16, 2006. "The threat was sniper fire. We did a quick turn."
He went flying out of his Bison vehicle and landed on his head. More than two years later he still suffers from post-concussion syndrome, as well as neck, back and leg pain.
But it's the mental part of the package that has him struggling the most.
"I had no idea what post-traumatic stress syndrome would do to you," he said.
"You don't sleep, there is anger, resentment, guilt, sexual dysfunction and fatigue."
This is the guy our country made go "16 weeks and six days" without receiving his pension cheque. There is just no excuse for this. He's already fought the ruthless Taliban. It's not right to make a guy fight to make ends meet upon his medical discharge.
"It has been so hard," he said. "I had to borrow money from family to survive. I literally got down to half a tank of gas and $2 in my pocket."
Now here's what I think should happen today.
Right from the top there should be an immediate investigation into Leroux's claims and those of the others. If there is merit, the resources should be deployed this week to end this humiliation of our courageous veterans.
It's that simple! No need for litigation or inquiry. If there is a backlog of claims, fix it today and don't put another Canadian warrior through this kind of dance.
It may not happen that fast. I have all the appropriate calls out and am prepared to tell the other side if there is one.
No one I spoke with inside the military yesterday wanted to address it -- some citing confidentiality.
"That's what we are running into," said Leroux. "They always say they are sympathetic but they also say there is nothing they can do about it."
Good thing our soldiers never say that when going into battle against the Taliban.
"I don't want this to be negative toward the military," he said adamantly. "They have done a great job and so have the doctors working with me on my specific injuries. I have my pension coming in now. I am doing this for all of the guys coming home who will have to face this."
And so am I. Don't create conflict for people who have had enough conflict.
Vet struggled to get pension, benefits
Tue, July 29, 2008
By JOE WARMINGTON
http://www.torontosun.com/News/Columnis ... 71-sun.php
KINGSTON -- He has already bravely gone into battle for this country and should never have had to battle against it.
But that's what injured war veteran Petty Officer Robert Leroux, and others, have had to do to get their proper pension and medical care after serving so heroically in Afghanistan.
Their adversary this time wasn't bombs and bullets but red tape and regulations.
"I don't understand it, either," said the 26-year veteran of the Canadian Forces who was medically discharged with honour in March. "I already did my part for king and country."
And he did. Four times in Afghanistan to be exact. He has the medals to show for it. And the wounds. Some physical. Some mental. What he said he didn't have for more than four months after being medically discharged was his financial compensation entitlements that he more than earned.
"For the first time I missed a mortgage payment," said the separated father of three, who hails originally from Burlington. "And now my credit has taken a dive."
He also said because of the same bureaucratic loophole that created the above dilemma, he and his children are not fully covered medically until Nov. 1.
He said upon discharge he had to find his own doctors -- including several specialists like a psychiatrist.
"And I am not alone," he said. "I put this up on my own Facebook site and I found a lot of people have had the same problem."
Now I know what you are thinking: How could this be?
In this specific case, Leroux, 45, did tours in Afghanistan in 2002, '04, '05 and '06.
"As part of signal's intelligence, we were always at the pointy end," he said, adding there was lots of killing.
In many cases, he was the investigator of bomb scenes where his friends were killed by a Taliban IED.
"The only things you find at a bomb scene are hands, the head and feet," he said, visibly tense. "It's a hard job. It's not one of the things you look forward to."
In a small coffee shop, he looks nervously around at each person. "I know everybody's face," he said, adding he understands he's home in Canada but keeping track of faces to stay alive in Afghanistan has proven to be a difficult habit to shake.
As is the memory of Feb. 16, 2006. "The threat was sniper fire. We did a quick turn."
He went flying out of his Bison vehicle and landed on his head. More than two years later he still suffers from post-concussion syndrome, as well as neck, back and leg pain.
But it's the mental part of the package that has him struggling the most.
"I had no idea what post-traumatic stress syndrome would do to you," he said.
"You don't sleep, there is anger, resentment, guilt, sexual dysfunction and fatigue."
This is the guy our country made go "16 weeks and six days" without receiving his pension cheque. There is just no excuse for this. He's already fought the ruthless Taliban. It's not right to make a guy fight to make ends meet upon his medical discharge.
"It has been so hard," he said. "I had to borrow money from family to survive. I literally got down to half a tank of gas and $2 in my pocket."
Now here's what I think should happen today.
Right from the top there should be an immediate investigation into Leroux's claims and those of the others. If there is merit, the resources should be deployed this week to end this humiliation of our courageous veterans.
It's that simple! No need for litigation or inquiry. If there is a backlog of claims, fix it today and don't put another Canadian warrior through this kind of dance.
It may not happen that fast. I have all the appropriate calls out and am prepared to tell the other side if there is one.
No one I spoke with inside the military yesterday wanted to address it -- some citing confidentiality.
"That's what we are running into," said Leroux. "They always say they are sympathetic but they also say there is nothing they can do about it."
Good thing our soldiers never say that when going into battle against the Taliban.
"I don't want this to be negative toward the military," he said adamantly. "They have done a great job and so have the doctors working with me on my specific injuries. I have my pension coming in now. I am doing this for all of the guys coming home who will have to face this."
And so am I. Don't create conflict for people who have had enough conflict.
-
J.B. Stone - Posts: 47720
- Joined: 04/ 11/ 03 10:01 am
- Location: Northwest Montana
by J.B. Stone » 08/ 05/ 08 10:31 am
http://www.thehilltimes.ca/html/index.p ... diers/&c=2
DND says 14.1% of soldiers returning from Afghanistan have OSI and PTSD
CF says it's providing 'full spectrum, high-quality, health services to our fighting forces wherever they serve.'
By Harris MacLeod
Some 14 per cent of Canadian soldiers returning from Afghanistan reported experiencing symptoms of operational stress injuries, and 6.5 per cent of that total experienced symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, or both, according to the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Forces Health Services Group.
Maj. André F. Berdais, a senior public affairs officer, at the Canadian Forces Health Service Group, in an email response to The Hill Times, said 85 per cent of the members of the Canadian Forces report "good health," but 14.1 per cent reported "experiencing certain symptoms of one or more six common mental health problems—major depression, minor depression, suicidal thoughts, generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, or PTSD."
Maj. Berdais said "more specifically, symptoms of PTSD, depression, or both were seen in 6.5 per cent of returning CF personnel. These are by far the most common operational stress injuries seen in the CF."
However, some believe that figure is low.
"The only thing you have to remember is the aspect that if it is PTSD, it's the post-thing, we don't know when it will transpire, that's just the snapshot right now. Cumulatively, over time, how many of 1,000 people who were in Afghanistan eventually get it, because some may only get PTSD or symptoms of it five years from now, that's what's bizarre about it. That's a snapshot in time of whenever they did the stats, if you want to do it cumulatively overtime who knows how many [will develop PTDS]," said Fred Doucette, a CF veteran who served as a peacekeeper in Cyprus and in Bosnia and was medically released in 2001 from the military after he was diagnosed with PTSD.
Mr. Doucette now runs peer support groups for the Department of National Defence in New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island for members of the Canadian Forces who have operational stress injuries, including PTSD.
Mr. Doucette said another issue with the DND's statistics on mental health among soldiers is that the numbers do not take into account former soldiers who are no longer with the military.
He said that when a veteran dies, Veteran Affairs does not keep track of whether or not it was a suicide, and therefore it gets streamed into provincial suicide statistics and does not contribute to the information on mental health issues for former soldiers.
Also, according to statistics from the Canadian Forces Health Services Group, 52 per cent of CF members with PTSD-related concerns were already in care soon after their return from deployment, which they say is an indication that efforts from within the Forces to decrease the stigma around PTSD and facilitate early care-seeking have been successful.
"In the last two years, [there's] been a real effort to increase the number of mental health professionals. So, screening and serving the Armed Forces personnel, we've made a post-deployment decompression time so coming out of the theatre they have a little time to adjust before coming back to society," said Conservative MP James Lunney (Nanaimo-Alberni, B.C.), who serves on the House National Defence Committee, last week in an interview with The Hill Times.
"[We've] almost doubled the number of mental health professionals, which is difficult knowing there's a shortage of health professionals all across the country. So, you're competing with the public sector, in general, for health professionals who are in demand all over the country. By and large, we know that there've been deficiencies in the past, the Armed Forces are making great strides in moving forward and trying to address those needs," Mr. Lunney said.
The committee has been working on a report, expected to come out in the fall, on the state of mental health services in the Canadian Forces, with a special emphasis on PTSD.
Auditor General Sheila Fraser issued a report in 2007 where she took issue with the inadequate availability of mental health care for CF members.
The military is hoping to double the number of mental health staff by 2009 from 229 to 447, at an estimated cost of $98-million.
NDP defence critic Dawn Black (New Westminster-Coquitlam, B.C.), who also sits on the House National Defence Committee, said she thinks this number is still insufficient and that CF members are not getting the care they need.
Ms. Black said she believes one of the biggest barriers to soldiers getting adequate treatment for mental health issues is the enduring stigma in the military around the condition.
"Canadian Forces personnel came form different parts of Canada but told basically the same story, that they were not believed, that they were made fun of, that they were belittled. That they were told to, 'Suck it up soldier, just get on with it,' " Ms. Black said last week.
"I found the consistency of the testimony from soldiers and their families who testified as well of the barriers towards treatment and the barriers towards receiving mental health services that they needed to become well again, and strong again, which is not there for them. Each of those soldiers, and each of their families told basically the same story, and if anything surprised me it was just how similar each of these stories were," said Ms. Black.
Ms. Black said there are also things the military could be doing, in terms of the way soldiers in the field are dealt with, to help safeguard the mental health of CF personnel.
In June The Toronto Star reported claims that Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan were being told to ignore incidents of sexual assault among the civilian population.
The claims were made by several Canadian Forces chaplains, and one solider, Cpl. Travis Schouten, who said he witnessed an Afghan national army solider abusing a young boy in 2006.
The story said Cpl. Schouten now suffers from "severe post-traumatic stress disorder."
Ms. Black said she can't comment on the specifics of the case, but she did say that she raised it in an in-camera session of House Defence Committee and that she hopes the issue will be addressed in the final report.
"I've certainly been in contact, for over a year now, with that young solider," she said. "I wrote to Defence Minister MacKay about that case months, and months ago."
Ms. Black said she has not received any "meaningful" response about the issue from the Mr. MacKay (Central Nova, N.S.).
Dr. Joyce Belliveau, a clinical psychologist who has worked extensively with members and veterans of the Canadian Forces, said she went to Ottawa to testify before the House of Commons Defence Committee because the mental healthcare system for Canadian Forces in New Brunswick, where she practises, was "going to hell in a hand basket."
She echoed some of the Auditor General's criticisms, that soldiers were getting "lost" in the system and the military was not adequately monitoring their care.
Dr. Belliveau said that in the 12 years that she has been working with CF members with operational stress injuries (OSI) she has seen a "remarkable" improvement in the attitude towards mental health issues in the military.
She said also that she has noticed improvement in some areas of mental health care, for instance, now there are social workers stationed in Afghanistan to offer counseling to CF members.
"I had an email from a former client of mine who is in Afghanistan right now, and she was having some difficulties and she was able to go see the clinical social worker who is there in Afghanistan. That wasn't available to people who were on tours before, so that to me is very preemptive," said Dr. Belliveau.
Dr. Belliveau said that, despite some positive steps by the military, there are still CF members who are waiting as long as 18 months to receive treatment.
She said that she would like to see recommendations in the House Defence Committee's report that there be more qualified clinical staff available to soldiers and veterans because right now the military is relying too much on "bachelors level" social workers who she feels aren't adequately qualified to address all of the needs of CF personnel suffering from an OSI.
Dr. Belliveau also said that the system needs to be improved so that soldiers can get treatment more quickly, and their care also needs to be tracked better from when they enter the system.
"Research has demonstrated that people who are actually treated for PTSD and OSI are good to go back to theatre. They know what it is, they know how to handle it they and know what to do in the situation. It's a treatable disorder; people can go into remission, we don't say they're cured but they go into remission and with proper therapy they're given all sorts of tools to stabilize, to deal with the traumas and, as they say, they're 'Good to go,' and they are."
Maj. Berdais said the CF Health Services provides a "full spectrum, high-quality, health services to Canada's fighting forces wherever they serve. It is responsible for all aspects of health care and well-being of CF members, at home and abroad, including mental health care."
hmacleod@hilltimes.com
DND says 14.1% of soldiers returning from Afghanistan have OSI and PTSD
CF says it's providing 'full spectrum, high-quality, health services to our fighting forces wherever they serve.'
By Harris MacLeod
Some 14 per cent of Canadian soldiers returning from Afghanistan reported experiencing symptoms of operational stress injuries, and 6.5 per cent of that total experienced symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, or both, according to the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Forces Health Services Group.
Maj. André F. Berdais, a senior public affairs officer, at the Canadian Forces Health Service Group, in an email response to The Hill Times, said 85 per cent of the members of the Canadian Forces report "good health," but 14.1 per cent reported "experiencing certain symptoms of one or more six common mental health problems—major depression, minor depression, suicidal thoughts, generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, or PTSD."
Maj. Berdais said "more specifically, symptoms of PTSD, depression, or both were seen in 6.5 per cent of returning CF personnel. These are by far the most common operational stress injuries seen in the CF."
However, some believe that figure is low.
"The only thing you have to remember is the aspect that if it is PTSD, it's the post-thing, we don't know when it will transpire, that's just the snapshot right now. Cumulatively, over time, how many of 1,000 people who were in Afghanistan eventually get it, because some may only get PTSD or symptoms of it five years from now, that's what's bizarre about it. That's a snapshot in time of whenever they did the stats, if you want to do it cumulatively overtime who knows how many [will develop PTDS]," said Fred Doucette, a CF veteran who served as a peacekeeper in Cyprus and in Bosnia and was medically released in 2001 from the military after he was diagnosed with PTSD.
Mr. Doucette now runs peer support groups for the Department of National Defence in New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island for members of the Canadian Forces who have operational stress injuries, including PTSD.
Mr. Doucette said another issue with the DND's statistics on mental health among soldiers is that the numbers do not take into account former soldiers who are no longer with the military.
He said that when a veteran dies, Veteran Affairs does not keep track of whether or not it was a suicide, and therefore it gets streamed into provincial suicide statistics and does not contribute to the information on mental health issues for former soldiers.
Also, according to statistics from the Canadian Forces Health Services Group, 52 per cent of CF members with PTSD-related concerns were already in care soon after their return from deployment, which they say is an indication that efforts from within the Forces to decrease the stigma around PTSD and facilitate early care-seeking have been successful.
"In the last two years, [there's] been a real effort to increase the number of mental health professionals. So, screening and serving the Armed Forces personnel, we've made a post-deployment decompression time so coming out of the theatre they have a little time to adjust before coming back to society," said Conservative MP James Lunney (Nanaimo-Alberni, B.C.), who serves on the House National Defence Committee, last week in an interview with The Hill Times.
"[We've] almost doubled the number of mental health professionals, which is difficult knowing there's a shortage of health professionals all across the country. So, you're competing with the public sector, in general, for health professionals who are in demand all over the country. By and large, we know that there've been deficiencies in the past, the Armed Forces are making great strides in moving forward and trying to address those needs," Mr. Lunney said.
The committee has been working on a report, expected to come out in the fall, on the state of mental health services in the Canadian Forces, with a special emphasis on PTSD.
Auditor General Sheila Fraser issued a report in 2007 where she took issue with the inadequate availability of mental health care for CF members.
The military is hoping to double the number of mental health staff by 2009 from 229 to 447, at an estimated cost of $98-million.
NDP defence critic Dawn Black (New Westminster-Coquitlam, B.C.), who also sits on the House National Defence Committee, said she thinks this number is still insufficient and that CF members are not getting the care they need.
Ms. Black said she believes one of the biggest barriers to soldiers getting adequate treatment for mental health issues is the enduring stigma in the military around the condition.
"Canadian Forces personnel came form different parts of Canada but told basically the same story, that they were not believed, that they were made fun of, that they were belittled. That they were told to, 'Suck it up soldier, just get on with it,' " Ms. Black said last week.
"I found the consistency of the testimony from soldiers and their families who testified as well of the barriers towards treatment and the barriers towards receiving mental health services that they needed to become well again, and strong again, which is not there for them. Each of those soldiers, and each of their families told basically the same story, and if anything surprised me it was just how similar each of these stories were," said Ms. Black.
Ms. Black said there are also things the military could be doing, in terms of the way soldiers in the field are dealt with, to help safeguard the mental health of CF personnel.
In June The Toronto Star reported claims that Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan were being told to ignore incidents of sexual assault among the civilian population.
The claims were made by several Canadian Forces chaplains, and one solider, Cpl. Travis Schouten, who said he witnessed an Afghan national army solider abusing a young boy in 2006.
The story said Cpl. Schouten now suffers from "severe post-traumatic stress disorder."
Ms. Black said she can't comment on the specifics of the case, but she did say that she raised it in an in-camera session of House Defence Committee and that she hopes the issue will be addressed in the final report.
"I've certainly been in contact, for over a year now, with that young solider," she said. "I wrote to Defence Minister MacKay about that case months, and months ago."
Ms. Black said she has not received any "meaningful" response about the issue from the Mr. MacKay (Central Nova, N.S.).
Dr. Joyce Belliveau, a clinical psychologist who has worked extensively with members and veterans of the Canadian Forces, said she went to Ottawa to testify before the House of Commons Defence Committee because the mental healthcare system for Canadian Forces in New Brunswick, where she practises, was "going to hell in a hand basket."
She echoed some of the Auditor General's criticisms, that soldiers were getting "lost" in the system and the military was not adequately monitoring their care.
Dr. Belliveau said that in the 12 years that she has been working with CF members with operational stress injuries (OSI) she has seen a "remarkable" improvement in the attitude towards mental health issues in the military.
She said also that she has noticed improvement in some areas of mental health care, for instance, now there are social workers stationed in Afghanistan to offer counseling to CF members.
"I had an email from a former client of mine who is in Afghanistan right now, and she was having some difficulties and she was able to go see the clinical social worker who is there in Afghanistan. That wasn't available to people who were on tours before, so that to me is very preemptive," said Dr. Belliveau.
Dr. Belliveau said that, despite some positive steps by the military, there are still CF members who are waiting as long as 18 months to receive treatment.
She said that she would like to see recommendations in the House Defence Committee's report that there be more qualified clinical staff available to soldiers and veterans because right now the military is relying too much on "bachelors level" social workers who she feels aren't adequately qualified to address all of the needs of CF personnel suffering from an OSI.
Dr. Belliveau also said that the system needs to be improved so that soldiers can get treatment more quickly, and their care also needs to be tracked better from when they enter the system.
"Research has demonstrated that people who are actually treated for PTSD and OSI are good to go back to theatre. They know what it is, they know how to handle it they and know what to do in the situation. It's a treatable disorder; people can go into remission, we don't say they're cured but they go into remission and with proper therapy they're given all sorts of tools to stabilize, to deal with the traumas and, as they say, they're 'Good to go,' and they are."
Maj. Berdais said the CF Health Services provides a "full spectrum, high-quality, health services to Canada's fighting forces wherever they serve. It is responsible for all aspects of health care and well-being of CF members, at home and abroad, including mental health care."
hmacleod@hilltimes.com
-
J.B. Stone - Posts: 47720
- Joined: 04/ 11/ 03 10:01 am
- Location: Northwest Montana
by J.B. Stone » 08/ 05/ 08 6:25 pm
Pentagon spends $300M to study troops' stress, trauma
By Gregg Zoroya, USA TODAY
The Pentagon is spending an unprecedented $300 million this summer on research for post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury, offering hope not only for troops but hundreds of thousands of civilians.
The money — the most spent in one year on military medical research since a $210 million breast cancer study in 1993 — will fund 171 research projects on two of the most prevalent injuries of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
Gregory O'Shanick, national medical director for the Brain Injury Association of America, says the funding initiative is "without a doubt … an all-time high" for spending by the government on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI). He says civilian victims will benefit directly from the military studies.
HEALTH BLOG: More mental health news and notes
By contrast, the National Institutes of Health, the world's largest government sponsor of medical research with an annual budget of $28 billion, spends about $80 million per year on TBI research, according to the NIH.
FIND MORE STORIES IN: Afghanistan | Iraq | Prevention | Centers for Disease Control | National Institutes of Health | Rand Corp | Rep. Bill Pascrell | Brain Injury Association of America | University of Miami School of Medicine | Congressional Brain Injury Task Force
"It is huge," says Ross Bullock, director of neurotrauma at the University of Miami School of Medicine and lead investigator in a Pentagon-funded study of a drug designed to improve oxygen flow to damaged brain cells. "It is the just the most … enormous thing that has happened in traumatic brain injury research."
An estimated 1.4 million Americans suffer TBI each year, leaving 235,000 hospitalized and 50,000 dead, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The majority are mild cases that can often lead to recovery. Many others suffer lasting damage to their short-term memory and problem-solving abilities, researchers say.
The new research focuses considerable attention on mild TBI, says Navy Capt. E. Melissa Kaime, head of the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs office, which is distributing the funds. The studies should be completed in 18 months to five years, she says.
Projects range from the development of an eyeglasses-like device that can detect brain injury through eye movement to coordinated studies of troops and veterans at locations across the country, Kaime says.
The Pentagon also will target new ways of delivering therapy to PTSD victims living in remote areas of the USA and reducing the stigma that can keep victims from seeking help, she says.
The military funding will go toward evaluating up to 20 different medications for TBI, she says, and studying ways of regenerating damaged brain cells.
Half of the $300 million in Pentagon funds have been distributed, and all will be paid out by Sept. 30, Kaime says.
Congress has provided an additional $273.8 million this year to study battlefield injuries, some of which will also go toward researching PTSD and TBI.
A study released in April by the RAND Corp. think tank estimates 300,000 current or former combat troops have PTSD or depression, and up to 320,000 may have suffered a brain injury.
"We're in the midst of an exciting era for those who have been damaged," says Rep. Bill Pascrell, D-N.J., founder of the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force.
By Gregg Zoroya, USA TODAY
The Pentagon is spending an unprecedented $300 million this summer on research for post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury, offering hope not only for troops but hundreds of thousands of civilians.
The money — the most spent in one year on military medical research since a $210 million breast cancer study in 1993 — will fund 171 research projects on two of the most prevalent injuries of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
Gregory O'Shanick, national medical director for the Brain Injury Association of America, says the funding initiative is "without a doubt … an all-time high" for spending by the government on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI). He says civilian victims will benefit directly from the military studies.
HEALTH BLOG: More mental health news and notes
By contrast, the National Institutes of Health, the world's largest government sponsor of medical research with an annual budget of $28 billion, spends about $80 million per year on TBI research, according to the NIH.
FIND MORE STORIES IN: Afghanistan | Iraq | Prevention | Centers for Disease Control | National Institutes of Health | Rand Corp | Rep. Bill Pascrell | Brain Injury Association of America | University of Miami School of Medicine | Congressional Brain Injury Task Force
"It is huge," says Ross Bullock, director of neurotrauma at the University of Miami School of Medicine and lead investigator in a Pentagon-funded study of a drug designed to improve oxygen flow to damaged brain cells. "It is the just the most … enormous thing that has happened in traumatic brain injury research."
An estimated 1.4 million Americans suffer TBI each year, leaving 235,000 hospitalized and 50,000 dead, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The majority are mild cases that can often lead to recovery. Many others suffer lasting damage to their short-term memory and problem-solving abilities, researchers say.
The new research focuses considerable attention on mild TBI, says Navy Capt. E. Melissa Kaime, head of the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs office, which is distributing the funds. The studies should be completed in 18 months to five years, she says.
Projects range from the development of an eyeglasses-like device that can detect brain injury through eye movement to coordinated studies of troops and veterans at locations across the country, Kaime says.
The Pentagon also will target new ways of delivering therapy to PTSD victims living in remote areas of the USA and reducing the stigma that can keep victims from seeking help, she says.
The military funding will go toward evaluating up to 20 different medications for TBI, she says, and studying ways of regenerating damaged brain cells.
Half of the $300 million in Pentagon funds have been distributed, and all will be paid out by Sept. 30, Kaime says.
Congress has provided an additional $273.8 million this year to study battlefield injuries, some of which will also go toward researching PTSD and TBI.
A study released in April by the RAND Corp. think tank estimates 300,000 current or former combat troops have PTSD or depression, and up to 320,000 may have suffered a brain injury.
"We're in the midst of an exciting era for those who have been damaged," says Rep. Bill Pascrell, D-N.J., founder of the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force.
-
J.B. Stone - Posts: 47720
- Joined: 04/ 11/ 03 10:01 am
- Location: Northwest Montana
by J.B. Stone » 08/ 11/ 08 12:05 pm
Remote-control warriors suffer war stress
Predator operators prone to psychological trauma as battlefield comrades
MARCH AIR RESERVE BASE, Calif. - The Air National Guardsmen who operate Predator drones over Iraq via remote control, launching deadly missile attacks from the safety of Southern California 7,000 miles away, are suffering some of the same psychological stresses as their comrades on the battlefield.
Working in air-conditioned trailers, Predator pilots observe the field of battle through a bank of video screens and kill enemy fighters with a few computer keystrokes. Then, after their shifts are over, they get to drive home and sleep in their own beds.
But that whiplash transition is taking a toll on some of them mentally, and so is the way the unmanned aircraft's cameras enable them to see people getting killed in high-resolution detail, some officers say.
In a fighter jet, "when you come in at 500-600 mph, drop a 500-pound bomb and then fly away, you don't see what happens," said Col. Albert K. Aimar, who is commander of the 163rd Reconnaissance Wing here and has a bachelor's degree in psychology. But when a Predator fires a missile, "you watch it all the way to impact, and I mean it's very vivid, it's right there and personal. So it does stay in people's minds for a long time."
He said the stresses are "causing some family issues, some relationship issues." He and other Predator officers would not elaborate.
Personalizing the fight
But the 163rd has called in a full-time chaplain and enlisted the services of psychologists and psychiatrists to help ease the mental strain on these remote-control warriors, Aimar said. Similarly, chaplains have been brought in at Predator bases in Texas, Arizona and Nevada.
In interviews with five of the dozens of pilots and sensor operators at the various bases, none said they had been particularly troubled by their mission, but they acknowledged it comes with unique challenges, and sometimes makes for a strange existence.
"It's bizarre, I guess," said Lt. Col. Michael Lenahan, a Predator pilot and operations director for the 196th Reconnaissance Squadron here. "It is quite different, going from potentially shooting a missile, then going to your kid's soccer game."
Among the stresses cited by the operators and their commanders: the exhaustion that comes with the shift work of this 24-7 assignment; the classified nature of the job that demands silence at the breakfast table; and the images transmitted via video.
A Predator's cameras are powerful enough to allow an operator to distinguish between a man and a woman, and between different weapons on the ground. While the resolution is generally not high enough to make out faces, it is sharp, commanders say.
Often, the military also directs Predators to linger over a target after an attack so that the damage can be assessed.
"You do stick around and see the aftermath of what you did, and that does personalize the fight," said Col. Chris Chambliss, commander of the active-duty 432nd Wing at Creech Air Force Base, Nev. "You have a pretty good optical picture of the individuals on the ground. The images can be pretty graphic, pretty vivid, and those are the things we try to offset. We know that some folks have, in some cases, problems."
Chambliss said his experience flying F-16 fighter jets on bombing runs in Iraq during the 1990s prepared him for his current job as a Predator pilot. But Chambliss and several other wing leaders said they were concerned about the sensor operators, who sit next to pilots in the ground control station. Often, the sensor operators are on their first assignment and just 18 or 19 years old, officers said.
While the pilot actually fires the missile, the sensor operator uses laser instruments to guide it all the way to its target.
'No one's walking into it blind'
On four or five occasions, sensor operators have sought out a chaplain or supervisor after an attack, Chambliss said. He emphasized that the number of such cases is very small compared to the number of people involved in Predator operations.
Col. Rodney Horn, vice commander of the 147th Reconnaissance Wing at Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base near Houston, said his unit went out of it way to impress upon sensor operators the sometimes lethal nature of the job. "No one's walking into it blind," he said.
Master Sgt. Keith LeQuire, a 48-year-old sensor operator here, said the 163rd asks prospective sensor operators whether they are prepared for the deadly serious mission. "No one's been naive enough to come in to interview but not know about that aspect of the job," he said.
Unlike soldiers living together in the war zone, the Predator operators do not have the close locker-room-style camaraderie that allows buddies to talk about the day's events and blow off steam. But many Predator operators at Creech employ a decompression ritual during the long ride home, said Air Force Lt. Col. Robert P. Herz.
"They're putting a missile down somebody's chimney and taking out bad guys, and the next thing they're taking their wife out to dinner, their kids to school," said Herz, a Ph.D. who interviewed pilots and sensor operators for a doctoral dissertation on human error in Predator accidents.
"A lot of them have told me, 'I'm glad I've got the hour drive.' It gives them that whole amount of time to leave it behind," Herz said. "They get in their bus or car and they go into a zone — they say, 'For the next hour I'm decompressing, I'm getting re-engaged into what it's like to be a civilian.'"
Predator operators prone to psychological trauma as battlefield comrades
MARCH AIR RESERVE BASE, Calif. - The Air National Guardsmen who operate Predator drones over Iraq via remote control, launching deadly missile attacks from the safety of Southern California 7,000 miles away, are suffering some of the same psychological stresses as their comrades on the battlefield.
Working in air-conditioned trailers, Predator pilots observe the field of battle through a bank of video screens and kill enemy fighters with a few computer keystrokes. Then, after their shifts are over, they get to drive home and sleep in their own beds.
But that whiplash transition is taking a toll on some of them mentally, and so is the way the unmanned aircraft's cameras enable them to see people getting killed in high-resolution detail, some officers say.
In a fighter jet, "when you come in at 500-600 mph, drop a 500-pound bomb and then fly away, you don't see what happens," said Col. Albert K. Aimar, who is commander of the 163rd Reconnaissance Wing here and has a bachelor's degree in psychology. But when a Predator fires a missile, "you watch it all the way to impact, and I mean it's very vivid, it's right there and personal. So it does stay in people's minds for a long time."
He said the stresses are "causing some family issues, some relationship issues." He and other Predator officers would not elaborate.
Personalizing the fight
But the 163rd has called in a full-time chaplain and enlisted the services of psychologists and psychiatrists to help ease the mental strain on these remote-control warriors, Aimar said. Similarly, chaplains have been brought in at Predator bases in Texas, Arizona and Nevada.
In interviews with five of the dozens of pilots and sensor operators at the various bases, none said they had been particularly troubled by their mission, but they acknowledged it comes with unique challenges, and sometimes makes for a strange existence.
"It's bizarre, I guess," said Lt. Col. Michael Lenahan, a Predator pilot and operations director for the 196th Reconnaissance Squadron here. "It is quite different, going from potentially shooting a missile, then going to your kid's soccer game."
Among the stresses cited by the operators and their commanders: the exhaustion that comes with the shift work of this 24-7 assignment; the classified nature of the job that demands silence at the breakfast table; and the images transmitted via video.
A Predator's cameras are powerful enough to allow an operator to distinguish between a man and a woman, and between different weapons on the ground. While the resolution is generally not high enough to make out faces, it is sharp, commanders say.
Often, the military also directs Predators to linger over a target after an attack so that the damage can be assessed.
"You do stick around and see the aftermath of what you did, and that does personalize the fight," said Col. Chris Chambliss, commander of the active-duty 432nd Wing at Creech Air Force Base, Nev. "You have a pretty good optical picture of the individuals on the ground. The images can be pretty graphic, pretty vivid, and those are the things we try to offset. We know that some folks have, in some cases, problems."
Chambliss said his experience flying F-16 fighter jets on bombing runs in Iraq during the 1990s prepared him for his current job as a Predator pilot. But Chambliss and several other wing leaders said they were concerned about the sensor operators, who sit next to pilots in the ground control station. Often, the sensor operators are on their first assignment and just 18 or 19 years old, officers said.
While the pilot actually fires the missile, the sensor operator uses laser instruments to guide it all the way to its target.
'No one's walking into it blind'
On four or five occasions, sensor operators have sought out a chaplain or supervisor after an attack, Chambliss said. He emphasized that the number of such cases is very small compared to the number of people involved in Predator operations.
Col. Rodney Horn, vice commander of the 147th Reconnaissance Wing at Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base near Houston, said his unit went out of it way to impress upon sensor operators the sometimes lethal nature of the job. "No one's walking into it blind," he said.
Master Sgt. Keith LeQuire, a 48-year-old sensor operator here, said the 163rd asks prospective sensor operators whether they are prepared for the deadly serious mission. "No one's been naive enough to come in to interview but not know about that aspect of the job," he said.
Unlike soldiers living together in the war zone, the Predator operators do not have the close locker-room-style camaraderie that allows buddies to talk about the day's events and blow off steam. But many Predator operators at Creech employ a decompression ritual during the long ride home, said Air Force Lt. Col. Robert P. Herz.
"They're putting a missile down somebody's chimney and taking out bad guys, and the next thing they're taking their wife out to dinner, their kids to school," said Herz, a Ph.D. who interviewed pilots and sensor operators for a doctoral dissertation on human error in Predator accidents.
"A lot of them have told me, 'I'm glad I've got the hour drive.' It gives them that whole amount of time to leave it behind," Herz said. "They get in their bus or car and they go into a zone — they say, 'For the next hour I'm decompressing, I'm getting re-engaged into what it's like to be a civilian.'"
-
J.B. Stone - Posts: 47720
- Joined: 04/ 11/ 03 10:01 am
- Location: Northwest Montana
by J.B. Stone » 08/ 12/ 08 10:29 am
The rules of treating PTSD
Posted on: Monday, August 11, 2008, 6:19 AM
Herald/SARAH MOORE KUSCHELL
http://www.kdhnews.com/news/story.aspx?s=27146
"You either have it or know someone who has it," said Owen McGonnell, a licensed professional counselor from Harker Heights, referring to post-traumatic stress disorder.
McGonnell, sponsored a public seminar on the disorder earlier this week and during the session offered a set of rules for treating the disorder – "two sets of rules: the rules of home and the rules of combat" – an approach to treating the disorder that involves "rewiring the brain" and "recalibrating one's own world."
"Because the mechanics of PTSD are known, it is treatable," McGonnell said in an interview with the Herald on Thursday.
Stress effect
Intense stress over a period of time changes a person, which in turn changes the way the person reacts reflexively, said McGonnell, adding that for example, driving down a road in Iraq is not the same as driving down a road in Killeen. The road in Iraq is as dangerous as it is long and reacting to life-threatening danger is just that – a split-second, emotionally-detached reaction.
A thought process does not go into a reaction.
"Reactions to combat are not processed by the brain, they're not reasoned, they're not logical or thought out," McGonnell said.
And the fact that reactions lack a thought process is what McGonnell refers to as "reducing ones options" – an immediate reaction only offers one option or one way to handle a situation.
Therapy involves "redesigning your map to add more options," McGonnell said, adding that "you can't take away what people have experienced, but you can add options."
Identifying triggers
"One man told me that the sight of his three kids together is reminiscent of the kids he saw on the streets in Iraq," McGonnell said.
For others the heat, certain odors or sounds are triggers that transport the individual to Iraq.
McGonnell urges, that in order to treat PTSD, a person must reassign a new label to the trigger.
Triggers are what helped you and your comrades to survive in Iraq. Remove it from your current awareness by recognizing that you are now in a safe place at home, McGonnell said.
By creating a stopping point for the brain, between recognizing something that reminds an individual of Iraq and the immediate reaction that followed, is what McGonnell refers to as rewiring the brain.
It is essentially thought control.
"Do this every time you have a trigger. If you practice a behavior for 30 days it becomes a habit," McGonnell said.
Changing together
In his seminar, McGonnell also offered advice to couples facing separation.
Oftentimes couples approach McGonnell when they realize they've grown apart over time.
But, there is a way to combat growing apart. McGonnell suggests communication – telling each other how the world is affecting them.
"To avoid becoming a stranger to your spouse tell them 'I'm telling you this not to solve my problems from over there, but so you'll know who I am, who I've become,'" McGonnell said, adding that spouses need to develop a vocabulary amongst themselves that will help get the meaning out versus divulging gorey details.
Anger management
McGonnell also talks about anger management and adds that it boils down to managing one's energy.
"Anger is intense energy. It's what happens to a person as a result of one's thoughts or behaviors – what someone's done or not done," McGonnell said, suggesting that if a person can manage his energy, he can also manage his anger in terms of thoughts, labels and body images.
He suggests again, creating a stopping point for the brain between seeing and doing.
Contact Iuliana Petre at ipetre@kdhnews.com or (254) 501-7469.
Posted on: Monday, August 11, 2008, 6:19 AM
Herald/SARAH MOORE KUSCHELL
http://www.kdhnews.com/news/story.aspx?s=27146
"You either have it or know someone who has it," said Owen McGonnell, a licensed professional counselor from Harker Heights, referring to post-traumatic stress disorder.
McGonnell, sponsored a public seminar on the disorder earlier this week and during the session offered a set of rules for treating the disorder – "two sets of rules: the rules of home and the rules of combat" – an approach to treating the disorder that involves "rewiring the brain" and "recalibrating one's own world."
"Because the mechanics of PTSD are known, it is treatable," McGonnell said in an interview with the Herald on Thursday.
Stress effect
Intense stress over a period of time changes a person, which in turn changes the way the person reacts reflexively, said McGonnell, adding that for example, driving down a road in Iraq is not the same as driving down a road in Killeen. The road in Iraq is as dangerous as it is long and reacting to life-threatening danger is just that – a split-second, emotionally-detached reaction.
A thought process does not go into a reaction.
"Reactions to combat are not processed by the brain, they're not reasoned, they're not logical or thought out," McGonnell said.
And the fact that reactions lack a thought process is what McGonnell refers to as "reducing ones options" – an immediate reaction only offers one option or one way to handle a situation.
Therapy involves "redesigning your map to add more options," McGonnell said, adding that "you can't take away what people have experienced, but you can add options."
Identifying triggers
"One man told me that the sight of his three kids together is reminiscent of the kids he saw on the streets in Iraq," McGonnell said.
For others the heat, certain odors or sounds are triggers that transport the individual to Iraq.
McGonnell urges, that in order to treat PTSD, a person must reassign a new label to the trigger.
Triggers are what helped you and your comrades to survive in Iraq. Remove it from your current awareness by recognizing that you are now in a safe place at home, McGonnell said.
By creating a stopping point for the brain, between recognizing something that reminds an individual of Iraq and the immediate reaction that followed, is what McGonnell refers to as rewiring the brain.
It is essentially thought control.
"Do this every time you have a trigger. If you practice a behavior for 30 days it becomes a habit," McGonnell said.
Changing together
In his seminar, McGonnell also offered advice to couples facing separation.
Oftentimes couples approach McGonnell when they realize they've grown apart over time.
But, there is a way to combat growing apart. McGonnell suggests communication – telling each other how the world is affecting them.
"To avoid becoming a stranger to your spouse tell them 'I'm telling you this not to solve my problems from over there, but so you'll know who I am, who I've become,'" McGonnell said, adding that spouses need to develop a vocabulary amongst themselves that will help get the meaning out versus divulging gorey details.
Anger management
McGonnell also talks about anger management and adds that it boils down to managing one's energy.
"Anger is intense energy. It's what happens to a person as a result of one's thoughts or behaviors – what someone's done or not done," McGonnell said, suggesting that if a person can manage his energy, he can also manage his anger in terms of thoughts, labels and body images.
He suggests again, creating a stopping point for the brain between seeing and doing.
Contact Iuliana Petre at ipetre@kdhnews.com or (254) 501-7469.
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J.B. Stone - Posts: 47720
- Joined: 04/ 11/ 03 10:01 am
- Location: Northwest Montana
by J.B. Stone » 08/ 25/ 08 3:31 pm
Veterans Hospital Told to Stop Diagnosing Iraq War Soldiers with PTSD
Monday, August 25, 2008 by: David Gutierrez
The post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) coordinator for a Texas veterans hospital sent an email to facility staff suggesting that they stop diagnosing returning Afghanistan and Iraq veterans with PTSD.
"Given that we are having more and more compensation-seeking veterans, I'd like to suggest that you refrain from giving a diagnosis of PTSD straight out," wrote psychologist Norma J. Perez in an email to the staff of the Olin E. Teague Veterans' Center in Temple, Texas.
Saying that Veterans Affairs (VA) staffers "really don't ... have the time to do the extensive testing that should be done to determine PTSD," Perez suggested that they should instead "consider a diagnosis of Adjustment Disorder."
Veterans diagnosed with Adjustment Disorder receive significantly less in the way of disability and health care benefits than those diagnosed with PTSD. An estimated 300,000 Afghanistan and Iraq war veterans are currently suffering from either PTSD or severe depression, according to a recent report by the Rand Corp.
"VA staff across the country are working their hearts out to get our veterans the care they need and deserve," said Sen. Patty Murray of Washington. "But emails like these make their jobs far more difficult."
VA Secretary James Peake said that Perez acted inappropriately and without the knowledge or direction of the agency. The psychologist's actions are "repudiated at the highest level of our health care organization," he said.
Rep. Bob Filner, chair of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, expressed skepticism and asked Peake for further explanation.
"Where is she getting it from?" Filner asked. "Why is she saying this? Who is giving her the order?"
The VA has also drawn criticism recently for internal emails suggesting that information be concealed on the number of returning veterans who have committed suicide. Estimates suggest that this number may be as high as 18 per day.
http://www.naturalnews.com/023970.html
Monday, August 25, 2008 by: David Gutierrez
The post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) coordinator for a Texas veterans hospital sent an email to facility staff suggesting that they stop diagnosing returning Afghanistan and Iraq veterans with PTSD.
"Given that we are having more and more compensation-seeking veterans, I'd like to suggest that you refrain from giving a diagnosis of PTSD straight out," wrote psychologist Norma J. Perez in an email to the staff of the Olin E. Teague Veterans' Center in Temple, Texas.
Saying that Veterans Affairs (VA) staffers "really don't ... have the time to do the extensive testing that should be done to determine PTSD," Perez suggested that they should instead "consider a diagnosis of Adjustment Disorder."
Veterans diagnosed with Adjustment Disorder receive significantly less in the way of disability and health care benefits than those diagnosed with PTSD. An estimated 300,000 Afghanistan and Iraq war veterans are currently suffering from either PTSD or severe depression, according to a recent report by the Rand Corp.
"VA staff across the country are working their hearts out to get our veterans the care they need and deserve," said Sen. Patty Murray of Washington. "But emails like these make their jobs far more difficult."
VA Secretary James Peake said that Perez acted inappropriately and without the knowledge or direction of the agency. The psychologist's actions are "repudiated at the highest level of our health care organization," he said.
Rep. Bob Filner, chair of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, expressed skepticism and asked Peake for further explanation.
"Where is she getting it from?" Filner asked. "Why is she saying this? Who is giving her the order?"
The VA has also drawn criticism recently for internal emails suggesting that information be concealed on the number of returning veterans who have committed suicide. Estimates suggest that this number may be as high as 18 per day.
http://www.naturalnews.com/023970.html
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J.B. Stone - Posts: 47720
- Joined: 04/ 11/ 03 10:01 am
- Location: Northwest Montana
by J.B. Stone » 09/ 28/ 08 10:43 am
More mental health care, abuse aid in VA billAudrey Hudson (Contact)
Friday, September 26, 2008
Legislation passed by the House on Thursday would expand veterans' treatment for substance abuse and mental health care, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as well as provide counseling for families of veterans.
The House approved by voice votes the Veterans' Mental Health and Other Care Improvements Act and the Veterans' Benefits Improvements Act.
The Senate is expected to pass both measures before Congress wraps up its work this weekend.
The benefits package would provide a faster system to process claims, expand pilot programs that offer adjustable rate loans and offer legal help to military reservists who lose their jobs because they are deployed overseas.
"It's a disgrace that veterans have to wait months or years for the benefits they have earned because of a bureaucracy that simply doesn't work," said Rep. John Hall, New York Democrat.
"A nimble, responsive VA claims system could go a long way to help our nation live up to its commitment to care for wounded veterans and their families. It could prevent suicides, bankruptcies, poverty, family disruptions and homelessness among our nation's disabled veterans," Mr. Hall said.
Rep. Bob Filner, California Democrat and chairman of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, said the bills would help modernize the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to become a "21st-century world class entity that reflects the selfless and priceless sacrifices of those it serves - our veterans, their families survivors."
The health care bill includes a pilot program to establish rural health care for veterans who must travel hundreds of miles to get treatment and expands benefits to children of Vietnam and Korean war veterans who are born with spina bifida.
Chris Needham, senior legislative associate for the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), called the legislation "tremendous" and said his organization is "highly supportive."
"We hope the Senate will pass it quickly. We've been waiting a long to get a veterans health care package passed this session," Mr. Needham said.
"The treatments for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder are just wonderful, and this will greatly improve care for thousands of returning service members," Mr. Needham said.
Rep. Michael H. Michaud, Maine Democrat and chairman of the Veterans Affairs subcommittee on health, pushed for more treatment for veterans suffering from substance-abuse disorders but said it needs to be included with treatment for veterans who also have PTSD.
"Substance-use disorders frequently co-occur with other mental health conditions, and the need for services is increasing," Mr. Michaud said. "VA needs to rededicate itself to providing comprehensive services that can address both substance-abuse and other mental health conditions such as PTSD."
As lawmakers were wrapping up the legislation Thursday, the VA building in downtown Washington was closed for two hours due to an anthrax scare. A suspicious package and a letter warning of anthrax inside was investigated and determined to be a hoax.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/200 ... n-va-bill/
Friday, September 26, 2008
Legislation passed by the House on Thursday would expand veterans' treatment for substance abuse and mental health care, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as well as provide counseling for families of veterans.
The House approved by voice votes the Veterans' Mental Health and Other Care Improvements Act and the Veterans' Benefits Improvements Act.
The Senate is expected to pass both measures before Congress wraps up its work this weekend.
The benefits package would provide a faster system to process claims, expand pilot programs that offer adjustable rate loans and offer legal help to military reservists who lose their jobs because they are deployed overseas.
"It's a disgrace that veterans have to wait months or years for the benefits they have earned because of a bureaucracy that simply doesn't work," said Rep. John Hall, New York Democrat.
"A nimble, responsive VA claims system could go a long way to help our nation live up to its commitment to care for wounded veterans and their families. It could prevent suicides, bankruptcies, poverty, family disruptions and homelessness among our nation's disabled veterans," Mr. Hall said.
Rep. Bob Filner, California Democrat and chairman of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, said the bills would help modernize the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to become a "21st-century world class entity that reflects the selfless and priceless sacrifices of those it serves - our veterans, their families survivors."
The health care bill includes a pilot program to establish rural health care for veterans who must travel hundreds of miles to get treatment and expands benefits to children of Vietnam and Korean war veterans who are born with spina bifida.
Chris Needham, senior legislative associate for the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), called the legislation "tremendous" and said his organization is "highly supportive."
"We hope the Senate will pass it quickly. We've been waiting a long to get a veterans health care package passed this session," Mr. Needham said.
"The treatments for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder are just wonderful, and this will greatly improve care for thousands of returning service members," Mr. Needham said.
Rep. Michael H. Michaud, Maine Democrat and chairman of the Veterans Affairs subcommittee on health, pushed for more treatment for veterans suffering from substance-abuse disorders but said it needs to be included with treatment for veterans who also have PTSD.
"Substance-use disorders frequently co-occur with other mental health conditions, and the need for services is increasing," Mr. Michaud said. "VA needs to rededicate itself to providing comprehensive services that can address both substance-abuse and other mental health conditions such as PTSD."
As lawmakers were wrapping up the legislation Thursday, the VA building in downtown Washington was closed for two hours due to an anthrax scare. A suspicious package and a letter warning of anthrax inside was investigated and determined to be a hoax.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/200 ... n-va-bill/
-
J.B. Stone - Posts: 47720
- Joined: 04/ 11/ 03 10:01 am
- Location: Northwest Montana
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