Veterans, mental health experts, veterans' health care providers, and the Chairman of the House Veterans' Affairs Health Subcommittee join Giffords in calling for a new approach to veterans' mental health care
TUCSON - U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords today called for a new approach to providing mental health services for the men and women who served our country in the Armed Forces.
"We need new ways to remove the stigma, to provide hope for recovery and to ensure ready access to services," Giffords said at the kick off of her community initiative to improve veterans' mental health services. "We have an obligation to our men and women in uniform - past, present and future - to get this right."
Because of the ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, a growing number of veterans require treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury. Yet there is little or no coordination among local, state and federal mental health care providers. Giffords convened Saturday's two-hour discussion to address this problem.
"Our discussion today is just the beginning of our effort to bring our community together to act with singular purpose to make sure that those veterans who need mental health services will get those services when and where they need them," Giffords said. "Supporting our veterans is a community responsibility."
Giffords, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, was joined at the meeting by U.S. Rep. Michael Michaud, a three-term congressman from Maine's 2nd Congressional District who serves as chairman of the House Veterans' Affairs Health Subcommittee.
"The bottom line is, these men and women served our country with distinction, with honor," said Michaud. "We have to take care of them."
Michaud, who last year played a key role in helping the 110th Congress pass the largest funding increase in the history of the Veterans Administration, said the House of Representatives has passed 66 pieces of legislation that will help veterans. Among them is the Wounded Warriors Assistance Act, which increases the screening, tracking and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder and other combat-related mental health conditions.
But while the Wounded Warriors Assistance Act was signed into law in January 2008, Michaud noted that much veterans-related legislation remains stuck in the Senate. "They've got to get their act together," he said.
Participating in discussion were veterans, veterans' health care providers and mental health experts from across Southeastern Arizona. Forty-one people, including Giffords and Michaud, took part in Tucson and 13 took part in Sierra Vista. The two locations were linked by video.
Neal Cash, CEO of the Community Partnership of Southern Arizona, praised the House for making strides in improving veterans" mental health care, but said more needs to be done. "The gap between the demand and the resources is great," he said.
Cash also said it was important for communities to play a role in ensuring quality mental health care. "Local planning really matters," he said. "What's relevant for Southern Arizona might not be relevant for other parts of the country."
Among the specific ideas to emerge from the meeting was a suggestion by Giffords to reach out to veterans through popular social networking websites, such as MySpace and Facebook. Jonathan Gardener, director of the Southern Arizona VA Health Care System, said the congresswoman's idea was "excellent."
Other participants included: Mark Clark, CEO of CODAC; Kathy Wells, COO of La Frontera; Armando Moreno of COPE; Dana Johnson, CEO of SEABHS; Col. William Humphrey, director of Health Services at Fort Huachuca; Col. William Pollan, director of Health Services at Davis-Monthan; Dr. David Emelity, chief of Mental Health Care Line; Sergio Arellano of the Army Wounded Warrior Program; Mary Figura of Comin' Home; Abel Moreno of Vets4vets; and Dan Ross of Vietnam Vets of America.