AMVETS, NAMI PARTNER TO ASSIST VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILIES

Commander John P. "JP" Brown III, signs a memorandum of understanding that solidifies a partneship between the National Alliance on Mental Illness and AMVETS, June 24.

AMVETS, NAMI PARTNER TO ASSIST VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILIES

Offer education and guidance for veterans coping with mental illness

WASHINGTON, June 24, 2008—AMVETS, one of the nation’s leading veterans’ service organizations, and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) signed a memorandum of understanding this morning at the NAMI National Headquarters in Arlington, Va. The memorandum will allow both AMVETS and NAMI to share resources in assisting veterans and their families to identify and cope with mental illness through more than 1,300 AMVETS Posts and 1,200 NAMI affiliates nationwide.

“When troops come home from war, they just want to go home. They often don’t want to admit that they’re having issues readjusting,” said AMVETS National Commander John P. “JP” Brown III. “By partnering with NAMI, AMVETS will help teach families about some of the warning signs of mental illness and show them where to get help for their loved ones.”

A recent report by the RAND Corporation found that nearly 300,000 veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), with 320,000 more potentially suffering from traumatic brain injuries. The VA has also acknowledged gaps in available care for veterans living outside the commuting range VA health care facilities. While the VA is taking steps to fill in these gaps, AMVETS and NAMI are taking steps of their own to provide assistance.

The NAMI partnership, which developed out of AMVETS’ National Symposium on the Needs of Young Veterans, will help families of deployed service members to identify warning signs of potential mental health problems once their loved ones return from combat. AMVETS is uniquely poised to offer assistance to service members and their families through a 2005 memorandum of understanding with the National Guard Bureau, which allows AMVETS posts and departments to work directly with National Guard units across the country.

To date, AMVETS has provided thousands of man hours in support of the National Guard. The new partnership with NAMI will augment the kind of support that AMVETS offers to recently returned veterans facing a potentially difficult transition.

AMVETS will also work with NAMI to dispel the negative stigma surrounding post-combat mental health issues. RAND also suggests that many veterans are afraid to seek treatment for mental health. However, AMVETS is looking to teach that the human reaction to combat experience is natural and can be addressed through proper mental health channels.