A new not-for-profit organization, HonorVet, is gearing up to be the
next- generation interactive community for veterans, service
members and their families. HonorVet.org is expected
to allow users to access mental health professionals at any time
of day through online video conferencing, instant messaging chat
rooms or phone. Users will be able to speak to
someone immediately or schedule an appointment.
MyVetwork is an online social networking community for
all U.S. Military active duty or retired veterans, their spouses,
families and friends.It is a free network that provides U.S.
military (and their families) with support, meaningful
connections and advice regarding healthcare and other resources.
A federal appeals court Wednesday [November 16,
2011] withdrew its May ruling that ordered sweeping reform
of the Department of Veterans Affairs to care for those returning
from combat with post-traumatic stress disorder and other
psychological injuries.
Saying “we owe our veterans the best when they come
home,” Gov.
Jerry Brown Tuesday established a statewide council
charged with improving services for Californians who have served their
country.
Through an executive order, Brown directed this new “California
Interagency Council on Veterans” to identify needs and prioritize
steps necessary to provide services at all levels of government.
New program training clinicians in psychology of
combat is an attempt to help fill the gap
When Daniel Brautigam tried to tell therapists how he felt having
urine thrown in his face at Guantanamo Bay, he experienced the
same frustration as thousands of other returning veterans who
have sought counseling.
Job assistance, health care and transitional housing are among
the top issues identified by a new California Department of
Veterans Affairs report that surveyed tens of thousands of state
veterans.
9th Circuit says treatment delays for PTSD and other
disorders are so ‘egregious’ that they violate veterans’ rights.
Judges say they waited ‘long enough’ for the VA to act and were
compelled to intervene.
A federal appeals court Tuesday [May 10, 2011] lambasted the
Department of Veterans Affairs for failing to care for those
suffering post-traumatic stress disorder and ordered a major
overhaul of the behemoth agency.
About six years ago, I was preparing to retire. Starting to cut
back on my clinical psychiatry practice, I was looking forward to
spending more time with my grandchildren and traveling with my
husband, Donald.
But then Donald and I happened to walk along the beach in Santa
Monica, just as a veterans’ group was putting up hundreds of
little white crosses in the sand, commemorating deaths of U.S.
soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. I gasped, stunned by the
enormity of the losses. And then I started thinking about all the
soldiers who have been returning home alive, and maybe physically
well, but traumatized by all they have seen and endured.
As a therapist, I knew I had the tools to help, and also that I
couldn’t ignore the need.
So rather than retire, I soon embarked on a new career, as the
founder of a new nonprofit organization called The Soldiers
Project, which provides free mental health care for
veterans and their families.
