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War Impacts Us All: Minding the Gap Among Veterans and Civilians
Much has been made of the many issues facing veterans in our country and the myriad of services and organizations addressing their needs. In fact, veterans returning from war have all faced similar issues through the centuries. These are the common dynamics of adjusting to civilian life, reengaging...
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Ending Veteran Homelessness on Long Island
In 2011 President Obama, Department of Defense Secretary Eric Shinseki and HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan announced a five-year plan to end veteran homelessness in the United States. The announcement was backed up by record funds to help achieve this goal. VASH vouchers (Veterans Administration...
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Employment Opportunities Off the Battlefield Help Veterans Combat Mental Health Challenges
People are most fulfilled when their career goals lead to financial security, personal identity, and meaningful contributions to community. For a significant number of individuals, many of whom are military veterans, nothing would be more fulfilling and mentally stimulating than simply landing a...
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Substance Abuse Among Veterans: Challenges and Hope
Coping with the invisible wounds of war is the new front line for hundreds of thousands of soldiers returning from multiple deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan. Sleepless, on high alert, and waiting in fear for something terrible to happen, countless veterans turn to alcohol or drugs to try and...
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Let’s Not Forget Older Veterans
Wilbur Cohen’s account of his post-war suffering in Arthur Kleinman’s wonderful book, What Really Matters1 begins with the following: “The war. It’s what happened to me in the war. I could never get over it. But I learned to live with it. Then all of a sudden on my sixtieth birthday it...
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The NYSPA Report: The Changing Face of the VA
Much has been written in the last several years about returning Veterans and their mental health issues. The VA health care system has gone from being a rather low-key assortment of hospitals and clinics around the country, often situated in urban areas or close to military bases, to a “hot...
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The NYSPA Report – Report on the Veterans Mental Health Training Initiative
In response to the severe shortage of mental health professionals skilled in combat related mental health issues, the New York State Psychiatric Association (NYSPA), the National Association of Social Workers – New York State Chapter (NASW-NYS) and the Medical Society for the State of New York...
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New York to Develop Strategies to Assist Returning Veterans and Their Families
Governor David A. Paterson recently announced that New York was one of nine states and one territory that participated in the National Policy Academy for returning veterans; a public-private collaborative aimed at developing strategies to improve services provided to returning veterans needing...
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From Da Nang to Baghdad: Treating Combat PTSD
In 1971 I was assigned to the 98th Medical Detachment, KO Team, one of two specialized, 28 man units made up of psychiatrists, a social work officer, nurses, and para-professional enlisted specialists in social work and neuropsychiatric procedures to assess and treat psychiatric casualties and drug...
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Columbia Trauma and PTSD Program: Vital Research and Treatment for Veterans
Those of us who have not had the misfortune of enduring war find it difficult to understand. Popular culture is rife with images of warfare, but nothing in civilian life actually compares to the experiences of combat. Combat stress includes not only the constant threat of injury and death, the...
