Department of Veterans Affairs reaching out to vets via blogs and social media
By Amanda Erickson
Friday, April 9, 2010
A little before 8 every morning, Brandon Friedman steps into his cubicle, turns on his computer and tries to single-handedly revolutionize the way the Department of Veterans Affairs talks to vets.
Friedman, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, arrived at VA eight months ago with a mandate: to reach veterans using new media -- and little else. It's no easy mission at a department known for its communication failures and cumbersome bureaucracy.
Friedman has helped overhaul the department's Web site, created a dozen Facebook pages and launched a Twitter account. The goal, he said, is to improve communication between veterans and the department.
Friedman, who served in the 101st Airborne, knows how hard life can be for veterans. "When I got out of the Army, I was done," he said. "I didn't want to deal with anything anymore."
He spent his first months at home drinking and traveling. But after a bout of appendicitis left him bedridden, he began blogging about his experiences. That led to a book deal ("The War I Always Wanted" was published in 2007) and eventually a position with VetVoice, an online forum for progressive veterans.
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Veterans Affairs reaching out to vets via blogs and social media
OpEd News Tuesday, March 30, 2010
ReplyDeleteHuman Rights Law and Returning Veterans
Medication side effects are the #4 leading cause of death in the U.S. annually. Veterans have the right to make informed, intelligent choices about medications and natural alternatives to maximize the benefits and minimize the risks of treatment. There are effective treatment strategies for PTSD that do not use drug therapy.
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Human-Rights-Law-and-Retur-by-MedicalWhistleblow-100330-795.html
See also the website:
MedicalWhistleblower.viviti.com
Over the years I've heard all kinds of claims but usually these claims omit one glaring fact. Nothing works for everyone. The blend of mind-body and spirit approaches works best. Even with this, there are different treatments for the mind. Some find relief with just therapy but others need a combination of medications and therapy. Some find group secessions work better than one on one or support groups. For the body, eating right, doing relaxing exercises, like Yoga and Martial Arts, walking, swimming and other sports works well to calm down the body. The truth is none of these things work as well until the spirit is healed. PTSD is a wound to the emotions and thus, the soul is wounded, so this needs to be considered in any treatment. It is for this reason there has to be a lot of different treatments and programs.
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