Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Veterans' issues

Jessica Elgot (Huffington Post) reports more soldiers and veterans died last year from suicide than from combat.  And while you may be nodding your head and thinking, "Already aware of that," she's reporting on British troops.  Elgot zooms in on one suicide:


Lance Sergeant Dan Collins who survived a bomb blast while serving in Helmand Province in Afghanistan in 2009, killed himself while still a serving soldier on New Year's Eve 2011 after suffering with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, the BBC reported.
His mother Deana told Panorama her son was a "victim of war" and his name should be added to the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire which honours the military casualties of every conflict since WWII.
"Soldiers with PTSD are exactly the same. They're victims of war and they should be treated exactly the same," she said.

 Rachael Rettner (Washington Post) wrote about Post-Traumatic Stress yesterday and noted:


 In a review article, researchers draw upon these studies to piece together a new model for how the condition arises. The model suggests that three factors are necessary for PTSD to develop: A person needs to have certain risk factors for the condition; he or she must be exposed to a traumatic event; and, after that event, further changes to the brain need to occur.
With this view of the condition, researchers may ultimately be able to predict who is at risk for PTSD before experiencing a traumatic event and to treat people at the right time after trauma to prevent subsequent brain changes from occurring, thus keeping the disorder from progressing to its final form.

There are many ways to treat Post-Traumatic Stress.  Medication is one way (with some calling for drugs before the development of PTS). Medication is not the only way and is not successful for all veterans.  As the Chair of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, Senator Bernie Sanders, has noted in hearings this year, there are other approaches that can be stand-alones or integrated into other treatments and/or therapies.  These include yoga, equine therapy and the canine programs.

Holly Hoechstenbach (Leaf-Chronicle) reports:

The companionship of a dog can make an instant impact in the life of a soldier with post traumatic stress disorder.
Girl Scout Troop 779 held PAWS (Pups Assisting Wounded Soldiers) at Trinity Episcopal Church on Sunday from 2 to 6 p.m.
The event was open to dogs and people, and all proceeds benefited the Train A Dog/Save a Warrior (TADSAW) program, a non-profit organization committed to training service dogs and lessening anxiety in a soldier’s life.

Programs utilizing dogs have been successful and popular.  There are many possible reasons for why that is including the unconditional bond that can exist.  Thomas Brennan (Star News Online) reports:
"The bond we share is more than just that of man's best friend," said [Christian] Boles, 40, of Richlands. "He is a four-legged guardian angel. There's been many instances where I'd be lost without him."
Diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder that stemmed from numerous deployments as a Marine, Boles now finds solace with his furry friend, Fisher, by his side. More often than not, Fisher will begin consoling and cuddling up to Boles before he is aware he is having a problem.

Courageous Companions is a program in Canada and  Brittany Greenslade (Global News) reports:

The dogs are rescued from shelters and First Nations communities and then trained by volunteers.
Since it started, MSAR has been able to train and donate more than 325 free service dogs to those in need. Among them, 82 dogs are trained to help soldiers with PTSD, and 23 have been placed with soldiers in Manitoba.
Master Cpl. Bill Nachuk has been in the military for 16 years and served in Israel, Bosnia and Afghanistan.

Treatments and therapies for any condition or illness can require lengthy travel.  That's especially true for rural veterans -- this is an issue that Senators Jon Tester and Mark Begich regularly raise in Senate Veterans Affairs Committee hearings.  Mark Thompson (Time magazine) reports that, in the last five years, the money the VA is paying out for travel reimbursement "has more than doubled."  Though we're supposed to be spending conscious, that's rate is not a bad thing.  Unless the VA intends to vastly increase the number of VA facilities (or facilities that they will reimburse for veterans treatment), a number of veterans will have to travel to seek services.  The "more than doubled" actually indicates, to me, how little was being offered prior to Congress turning their attention to this issue.

Another veterans issue is unemployment.  Transitioning from the military to the civilian world can prove challenging when it comes to finding a job -- especially in this economy.  Today, veterans job fairs will take place in Detroit, Michigan and Jackson, Mississippi.  These are part of  the Chamber of Commerce's Hiring Our Heroes job fairs taking place across the country.  This month's job fairs are:

  
July 16, 2013 – Jackson, MS
July 16, 2013 – Detroit, MI
July 18, 2013 – Springfield, OR
July 18, 2013 – Springfield, VA
July 24, 2013 – Pasadena, TX
July 25, 2013 – Enterprise, AL
July 30, 2013 – Davenport, IA
July 30, 2013 – Montgomery, AL
July 30, 2013 – Reno, NV
July 31, 2013 – Butler County, PA


There are other jobs fairs as well.  The state of Minnesota's job fair is today, "Join us Tuesday, July 16,  from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Earle Brown Heritage Center, 6155 Earle Brown Drive, in Brooklyn Center, MN."  It would be great if the VA actively promoted job fairs at its website, however, that doesn't happen.  And the few times that they do note a job fair (ahead of time), it's buried on some page with no link to it on the home page.  The jobless rate (for veterans or the general population) is not vanishing as a problem and with more service members due to transition to veteran status over the next two years, this is the problem that's really not getting the attention it needs.


We'll close with a press release on veterans issues, but first, the following community sites -- plus Adam Kokesh, The Diane Rehm Show, Cindy Sheehan, Antiwar.com, Black Agenda Report, Susan's On the Edge and Pacifica Evening News -- updated last night and this morning:



Last Thursday, the House Veterans Affairs Committee issued the following press release:

Miller: President Obama Must Help Stop Patient Deaths, Bring Accountability to VA

For more information, contact: Curt Cashour, (202) 225-3527
Jul 11, 2013
WASHINGTON, DC – On May 21, 2013, Chairman Jeff Miller wrote President Obama to request his assistance in addressing a rash of suicides, deaths and other serious patient-care issues at Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers across the country. After nearly two months without a response from the president, Chairman Miller today released the letter (read it here) along with the following statement:
“A pattern of heartbreaking veteran deaths, suicides and a host of other patient safety issues have cast a dark shadow over VA medical centers around the country. For months we have tried in vain to compel VA leaders to take meaningful steps to prevent future adverse incidents by holding accountable VA employees and managers responsible for letting patients fall through the cracks. Unfortunately, department officials seem more intent on issuing bureaucratic slaps on the wrist than the sort of serious punishments required to send a message that substandard care for veterans will not be tolerated. What’s more, patient deaths apparently aren’t even enough to prevent failing VA executives from receiving huge performance bonuses and glowing performance reviews. Because these issues are long-standing, systemic, and evidently immune to the current structure of accountability within VA, I believe President Obama’s direct involvement and leadership is required to help us end the culture of complacency that is engulfing the Veterans Health Administration and compromising patient safety.” – Rep. Jeff Miller, Chairman, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs
###
Related
Chairman Miller letter to President Obama
May, 21, 2013
VA Pittsburgh director lauded as Legionnaires’ disease outbreak raged
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Lawmaker troubled by limited disciplinary action over Atlanta VA scandal
ABC Atlanta
Anger over bonuses for VA officials
CBS Buffalo, NY
Lawmaker asks why Dallas VA officials rewarded with bonuses
ABC Dallas
Pittsburgh victims' kin outraged over VA official's award
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Despite probe, Dayton VA chief received bonuses
Dayton Daily News
Atlanta VA exec scored bonuses while audits found lapses
Atlanta Journal-Constitution

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