Invisible Wounds: Psychological and Neurological Injuries Confront a New Generation of Veterans

As early as 1919, doctors began to track a psychological condition among combat veterans of World War I known as "shell shock." Veterans were suffering from symptoms such as fatigue and anxiety, but science could offer little in the way of effective treatment. Although there remains much more to learn, our understanding of war's invisible wounds has dramatically improved. Thanks to modern screening and treatment, we have an unprecedented opportunity to respond immediately and effectively to the veterans' mental health crisis. Among Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, rates of psychological and neurological injuries are high and rising. According to a landmark 2008 RAND study, nearly 20 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans screen positive for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or depression. Troops in Iraq and Afghanistan are also facing neurological damage,. Traumatic Brain Injury, or TBI, has become the signature wound of the Iraq War. The Department of Defense is tracking about 5,500 troops with TBIs, but many veterans are not being diagnosed. No one comes home from war unchanged, but with early screening and adequate access to counseling, the psychological and neurological effects of combat are treatable. In the military and in the veterans' community, however, those suffering from the invisible wounds of war are still falling through the cracks. We must take action now to protect this generation of combat veterans from the struggles faced by those returning from the Vietnam War

Needs Assessment: Veterans in Southwest Pennsylvania

This assessment by the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) finds that Southwest Pennsylvania veterans are struggling with issues pertaining to education, access to benefits and economic security immediately after leaving military service. It also finds that the region's 235,000 veterans differ dramatically in how they feel about veterans benefits and their own well-being depending on whether they served before 9/11 or after. This mixed methods study provides a comprehensive portrait of veterans in Southwest Pennsylvania, one of the nation's largest and densest veterans communities. CNAS researchers used cutting-edge analytical tools from the Veterans Data Project to better understand the population, leveraging public data sets made available by DoD, VA, and the Census Bureau to understand macro-level trends in the area. In addition to this data, the CNAS team conducted interviews and working group discussions with individuals representing more than 50 public, private and nonprofit sector organizations serving veterans in the region, and conducted surveys of area veterans as well

Dimensions in Health : A Sample of Rural and Global Health Issues

We invite you to explore an array of issues touching culture, rurality, or both, in the following collection of essays. In this class, we have defined both culture and rurality broadly and in expansive contexts. Much remains to be done, both locally and globally, to improve the health status of our varied populations and residents. Please join us in the analysis and resolution of the health challenges, inequities, and noteworthy mysteries that characterize particular rural and cultural settings.https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/rural-cultural-health/1001/thumbnail.jp

Meeting The Healthcare Needs of United States Veterans: Texas 8th Congressional District

Veterans of all ages utilize healthcare through the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), which is the medical branch of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The VHA is “America’s largest integrated healthcare system” serving approximately 9-million veterans annually (VHA 2018). Thousands of medical centers, hospitals, clinics, and community based outpatient clinics offer healthcare services within the VA network. These facilities are found throughout the country with 12 VA hospitals/healthcare system facilities located in Texas alone (USDVA 2018). Our study area is specific to the Conroe Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC). Even though the VHA currently serves 9-million veterans, approximately 20-million veterans live in the United States, meaning many veterans are either not utilizing VHA services, or they are getting their health needs from other facilities (VetPop 2016). The VA network offers countless services for veterans, but such an expansive medical framework comes with its limitations. The 2017 nonprofit and public administration capstone team extensively researched financial impacts of veterans healthcare, impacts of the Veterans Choice Act (VCA), and veteran homelessness and suicide (Castro, Hare, and Willis 2017). The findings from last year’s team provided a window for more work to be done, which led our group to research much of the same subject matter through a different lens. We also continued working with Congressman Kevin Brady and his Conroe office staff. Our main task was to review gaps previously identified by the former team and to find even more specific information about veterans’ healthcare in the 8th congressional district (8th district)

VA Mental Health: Number of Veterans Receiving Care, Barriers Faced, and Efforts to Increase Access

A publication issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In fiscal year 2010, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) provided health care to about 5.2 million veterans. Recent legislation has increased many Operations Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Iraqi Freedom (OIF) veterans' priority for accessing VA's health care, and concerns have been raised about the extent to which VA is providing mental health care to eligible veterans of all eras. There also are concerns that barriers may hinder some veterans from accessing needed mental health care. GAO was asked to provide information on veterans who receive mental health care from VA. In this report, GAO provides information on (1) how many veterans received mental health care from VA from fiscal years 2006 through 2010, (2) key barriers that may hinder veterans from accessing mental health care from VA, and (3) VA efforts to increase veterans' access to VA mental health care. GAO obtained data from VA's Northeast Program Evaluation Center (NEPEC) on the number of veterans who received mental health care from VA. The number of veterans represents a unique count of veterans; veterans were counted only once, even if they received care multiple times during a fiscal year or across the 5-year period. GAO also reviewed literature published from 2006 to 2011, reviewed VA documents, and interviewed officials from VA and veterans service organizations (VSO).

Describing Barriers to Healthcare Access in the Homer Area, Alaska

Presented to the Faculty of the University of Alaska Anchorage in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF SCIENCEData on healthcare access barriers are lacking for any location in the state of Alaska. The current project set out to describe the barriers to healthcare access experienced by people living in the rural Homer Area of southcentral Alaska. Of the 124 surveys returned 50 (46%) of the respondents identified cost, lack of specialists, transportation, time, and mistrust/dislike of providers as barriers that had kept them from accessing local heathcare in the previous 12 months. Improving healthcare access for this rural population will require a paradigm shift in how we think about healthcare. Novel approaches to when, where, and how healthcare is delivered will need to be considered if healthcare access is to be improved in the region.Title Page / Abstract / Table of Contents / List of Figures / List of Appendices / Introduction / Literature Review / Framework / Methods / Results / Discussion / References / Appendice

Healthcare Disparities in Rural Veterans

Veterans, as a population, tend to have higher levels of disability than the civilian population. The Veterans Affairs (VA), as an organization, is infamous for the bureaucratic challenges it presents to those seeking services. The complicated, confusing, and lengthy process of accessing care through the VA often presents a barrier in and of itself. Due to these and many other factors, veterans suffer from higher rates of disability, chronic illness, and mental illness compared to the general population. Rural veterans face additional barriers to healthcare based on their locale, including increased physical distance to care, and a shortage of general and specialty providers. The purpose of this project is to provide an educational intervention to veterans recently separated from the military and living in a rural setting regarding eligibility for healthcare benefits through the VA and the application process for said benefits. A pre and posttest was administered to evaluate improvements in veterans’ understanding of these concepts, as well as a qualitative survey to determine the most useful piece of information presented. Results showed modest improvement in veterans’ understanding of benefits and the application process, with evidence of successful process improvement though the project

Yale Nurse

https://elischolar.library.yale.edu/ysn_alumninews/1169/thumbnail.jp

A Guide to Understanding Mental Health Systems and Services in Texas

Hogg Foundation for Mental Healt