Sen. Gillibrand Seeks Better Mental Healthcare for NYS Veterans

Sen. Gillibrand Seeks Better Mental Healthcare for NYS Veterans
by Brooklyn Eagle (edit@brooklyneagle.net), published online 07-01-2010

Brooklyn Has High Number of Vets With PTSD and TBI
BROOKLYN — Brooklyn has the highest number of recent Iraq and Afghanistan veterans in the city who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI), according to U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand’s office.

Approximately 580 Brooklyn veterans who returned from Iraq and Afghanistan after 9/11 suffer from PTSD, more than 540 Brooklyn vets suffer from TBI, and approximately 300 suffer from both, says Gillibrand.

Senator Gillibrand is now announcing new measures to bolster monitoring and treatment for men and women in uniform and new veterans. Her legislative agenda focuses on getting the bureaucracies at the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Veterans Administration (VA) to coordinate more effectively and work to address the stigma associated with mental health treatment by pushing for enhanced screening and better access to mental health providers.

Senator Gillibrand’s agenda asks to improve coordination between the Veterans Administration and the Defense Department. For example, she says, “the VA and DOD currently have no shared interoperable definition of what even constitutes TBI cases, making it difficult to ensure veterans are immediately receiving effective treatment when they transfer to the VA.”

She is also asking co-sponsoring legislation to “embed” a mental health professional with every National Guard and Reserve unit to build the trust of troops and their families and help identify the onset of mental injuries.

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Sen. Gillibrand Seeks Better Mental Healthcare for NYS Veterans

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Treating Returning Heroes
Nearly 8,000 veterans in New York suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Binghamton, NY (WBNG Binghamton)

About 300 of them are right here in the Southern Tier.

That number keeps growing as the wars overseas continue.

But is there enough treatment available?

Here's Action News Reporter Leigh Dana.

As the Fourth of July holiday approaches, we honor our founding Fathers fight for independence.

Our country's soldiers are currently fighting wars oversees with the goal of freeing us from terrorism.

But as they return home many are still at battle -- with themselves.

"Not all veterans, but some veterans come back from war with various problems that can range from PTSD or difficulty with family or difficulty sleeping or feeling more anxious and uncomfortable in crowds," said Dr. Allison Miller.

Dr. Miller works with veterans at the Binghamton Vet Center to help them re-integrate back into society.
read more of this here
http://www.wbng.com/news/local/97621079.html