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A new Navy program dedicated to restoring, protecting and building the mental health of sailors, Marines and their families is now open at Naval Medical Center San Diego.

The Defense Department believes that talking about why and how servicemembers seek help for combat stress will help eliminate the stigma associated with psychological injuries. So it is launching "Real Warriors" - a program in which servicemembers can talk about and listen to the stories of those who sought help for psychological injuries or traumatic brain injuries.

The Military Health System is asking you to "Share Your Care" in a video contest that showcases the people, programs and facilities supporting the health of our service members and families! The Share Your Care contest, is open to all service members, their families and MHS personnel, and it runs Feb. 27 through March 30, 2009.

Two important initiatives are underway to help define those service members affected by brain injury. The initiatives are organizations known as the Center for Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine and the National Intrepid Center of Excellence, or "NICoE." These two collaborating programs will play key roles to address traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Feturing TAPS offers peer-based support, crisis care, casualty casework assistance and grief and trauma resources, all free. Unlike most programs offered through the military, TAPS provides ongoing help to anyone grieving the death of a loved one in the military, regardless of the relationship to the deceased, where they live, or the circumstances of the death.

The Army's Dr. Shad Deering and Maj. Amber Pocrnich talk about TeamSTEPPS™ and patient safety in a combat environment. TeamSTEPPS™ is an initiative of DoD's Patient Safety Program.

For veterans struggling financially due to a job loss or decreased income, Department of Veterans Affairs officials offer an assortment of programs that can relieve the costs of health care or provide care at no cost.

The Military Health System will host a Web town hall on Nov. 19 from 2 to 4 p.m. Eastern time on www.health.mil as part of the ongoing dialog between senior military leaders and service members and their families about the Defense Department's medical care programs and services for its wounded, ill and injured troops.

he Mental Health Self-Assessment Program® (MHSAP) offers service personnel and their families the opportunity to take anonymous, mental health and alcohol use self-assessments online, via the phone, and through special events held at installations. The self-assessments are a brief series of questions that, when linked together, help create a picture of how an individual is feeling.

MIAMI, Fla. - Navy Recruiting District (NRD) Miami Sailors visited Miami Children's Hospital to deliver smiles, words of encouragement and ball caps in support of the "Caps for Kids" program July 31.

"Real Warriors is a program aimed at wiping out the stigma associated with getting mental health care in the military," said Army Brig. Gen. (Dr.) Loree Sutton. "We want people to seek help the same way they would if they had a physical wound." Sutton is a psychiatrist who heads the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury.

The Defense Department recently handed out contracts to three companies to design independent living systems for injured vets. They're supposed to help the wounded make the transition from hospitalization to home, and then provide long-term care. Two of the systems being developed, from Ingenium Care, LLC and Camris International, use a wireless network packed with touch screens, motion detectors and wearable, pre-programmed schedulers.

BREMERTON, Wash. (NNS) -- A baby recently born eight weeks early at Naval Hospital Bremerton (NHB) was delivered by staff members who implemented the new DoD patient safety strategy of TeamSTEPPS, a teamwork-based program designed to improve patient safety.

The US Department of Veterans Affairs provides patient care and federal benefits to veterans and their dependents. The home page for the Department of Veterans Affairs provides links to veterans benefits and services, as well as information and resources for other Departmental programs and offices.

Treatment for servicemembers suffering from psychological trauma really is a brave new world. Before the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, there was little research on effective treatments and not much pressure to add to what existed, said Army Brig. Gen. (Dr.) Loree Sutton, director of the Defense Center of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury. Sutton, at a Warrior Resilience Conference here, said her office has been working with the services to develop treatment programs and is researching best medical practices. But the effort isn't a simple matter of an open checkbook; results count.

Specially adapted homes are being built by Helping a Hero for our severely wounded heroes injured in theater during the War on Terror

Hearing the sounds of wounded soldiers crying for help and the staccato of nearby gunfire, Illinois National Guard Capt. Thomas Kim briefly flashed back to a war zone, but his mind quickly returned to the combat trauma simulation being held in a classroom at Rush University Medical Center .