Group items matching

in title, tags, annotations or url

Michael Kilpatrick, M.D. , Director of Strategic Communications for the Military Health System visits NNMC Bethesda "As we left Bethesda from a visit that was anticipated to be for "giving," I realized that once again I had "received." The fortitude and determination of a young Marine had rekindled my resolve to make certain the Military Health System always delivers on this obligation. The energy and enthusiasm of the hospital staff assured me the MHS has skills and compassion to do "the right thing."

Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program: All branches of the service have some form of the program, according to Lt. Col. Robin Smith Sr., chief well-being officer for the Army Reserve. The Yellow Ribbon program was launched "to prepare soldiers and their families for mobilization, sustain the families during mobilization and to help with reintegration with their families, communities and employers upon redeployment," he said.

DoD recently opened a 24-hour outreach center to provide information and referrals to military servicemembers, veterans, their families and others with questions about psychological health and traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Working together toward the same end-strengthening the health care capacity and crisis response capabilities of African nations to ultimately empower Africans to improve their health and security-was the theme of a conference in Washington, D.C., hosted by the Military Health System that introduced the new U.S. Africa Command surgeon to an array of partners from the military, Department of State, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and the African Union.

The Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury is operating the 24-hour center, which will be open 365 days a year and is staffed by behavioral health consultants and nurses, including some former military psychologists.

More than 750 people from the departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs and private enterprise -- including social workers, chaplains, researchers, and family members - are gathered here this week for a suicide-prevention conference.

TUESDAY, Dec. 9 (HealthDay News) -- A decade-long study into post-traumatic stress disorder among combat veterans and their identical twins has yielded critical information on the root causes of this devastating condition. The researchers found that both genetic and environmental factors increase the risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The work, to be presented Tuesday at the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology annual meeting in Scottsdale, Ariz., was sponsored by both the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health and the Veterans Administration.

Smoking and other tobacco use is common in the military, presenting a major health risk to the men and women in uniform. Indeed, tobacco use rates within the Department of Defense (DoD) exceed those of the general population by two percent. So this November 20, as we observe the Great American Smokeout established by the American Cancer Society, the Military Health System (MHS) encourages service members and their families to make a commitment to quitting smoking.

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.

A public service campaign starting Tuesday _ Veterans Day _ encourages Iraq and Afghanistan veterans to log onto a new social networking site calledhttp://www.CommunityofVeterans.org. The site was developed by the nonprofit organizations Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America and the Ad Council

Former Army sergeant and triple amputee Bryan anderson offered a message of perseverance and courage at a recent event held in McLean, Va. anderson, who received the Purple Heart for his injuries suffered during a deployment to Iraq, urged those in the audience to "experience life and have fun - you only live once."

* Speak Up, Reach Out * Resources Across the MHS and Its Partners o Give Help, Get Help o From the Services and VA o MHS Organizations o From DoD and Beyond o More Information o Theme Graphics for You to Use

OCEANSIDE, Calif. - The region's naval medical hospitals and clinics are distributing more fliers and posters reminding military service members and their families about preventing the spread of the flu amid international concerns about "swine flu."

With more and more veterans coming back from Iraq with post-traumatic stress disorder, North Coast Congressman Mike Thompson is trying to make sure they get the help they need. Thompson and Rep. Denny Rehberg, R-Mont., introduced legislation Thursday in the House that would require every soldier to have face-to-face mental health screening before being deployed on a combat mission, again upon their return and then every six months for the next two years. The bill is companion legislation to a measure introduced in the Senate by Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont.

CHARLOTTE COUNTY -- A $200,000 grant will help provide medical care in Charlotte County for veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Charlotte Behavioral Health Care received the grant from the Florida BRAIVE Fund at Gulf Coast Community Foundation of Venice. The grant will be used over the next 18 months to address mental health, substance abuse and related psychological needs of 75 to 100 veterans and family members.

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.

As organizations throughout the U.S. work to help combat veterans, the Coalition for Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans decided to bring them all together so they could share knowledge about what they're doing and talk about what still needs to be done. CIAV is a clearinghouse of 50 agencies that seek to help veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. At the three-day conference, veterans like McGinnis talked about their experiences trying to access care after returning from deployment, family members talked about their own versions of "combat stress," and care specialists talked about what they had to offer as well as how the different organizations could team up.

A new Institute of Medicine report, recommends that DoD gradually reduce (and eventually eliminate) the use of tobacco products to restore and maintain the optimal health and readiness of our nation's service members.

The Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury (DCoE) is one of many parts of the Department of Defense (DoD) that is undertaking initiatives to promote the prevention, early identification and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury (TBI) and substance use disorders.

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.