Counselors mobilize for rural veterans

Counselors mobilize for rural veterans
BY MARTIN J. KIDSTON of the Helena Independent Record



HELENA - Military veterans in rural Montana who cannot travel for counseling will find the service coming to them once the vet centers in Missoula and Billings hire staff for two new mobile treatment units.

This spring, the two centers each received a 38-foot motor coach converted to serve as a mobile counseling office.

The units include private interview rooms and a satellite feed capable of linking up with a doctor's office for live interviews.

“We can provide counseling outreach to those who have denied themselves service, whether it's because they can't get to us or because of the stigma attached to it,” said Alvie Penskin, a readjustment counseling technician with the Missoula mobile veterans center.

While each center received its vehicle several months ago, neither has the staff needed to fully operate the units.

The Billings center is close, waiting only for the counselor it has already hired. The Missoula center expects to hire a social worker in about a month.

Once the hiring is complete, the units will set out to market the service and establish a circuit around the state. The Billings center has already displayed its mobile center in Bozeman and Miles City. The Missoula center expects to showcase its unit in Hamilton and Libby in August.

“The point is to reach the veterans who are out in the remote areas of Montana,” said Dirk Robinson, a counselor at the Billings Vet Center. “Sometimes they get missed with the mental health issues. We want to reach the veterans who aren't getting reached, and this will definitely help with that.”
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Counselors mobilize for rural veterans