Veterans Walk Seminole County For PTSD

Veterans "walking off the war" through Seminole Co.
My FOX Orlando
By Jackie Orozco, Reporter
Feb 06, 2015

“Soldiers that have PTSD, we are not monsters. We've just been through a little bit more.

LAKE MARY, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35 ORLANDO) - Veterans are "walking off the war" quite literally. A non-profit organization called "Warrior Hike” started a few years ago and it's a therapy program that encourages veterans to hike national scenic trails. We caught up with a few of them in Lake Mary who are walking the Florida Trail which is 1,300 miles.

33-year old Ricky Cardona started his journey in the Everglades on January 8th.He's expected to finish his 1,300 mile hike in Florida by April. Today he's made it to Lake Mary. He says he's doing it to shed light about veterans dealing with transitioning back into civilian life with post-traumatic stress disorder.
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Seminole County Fire and Rescue Earn Praise from Wounded Times

This morning at 4:00 a.m. my husband was shaking and couldn't stop. He kept saying he was freezing but his skin felt cool so the last thought I had was he was running a fever. His whole body was shaking. I called 9-11. First the fire department showed up with members of Engine 27 and they were fantastic. 

The care they took with both of us was soothing in a time of crisis.

Then Seminole County Fire and Rescue 26 came, brought my husband to the hospital and stayed with him for while.

Many people can't understand how important it is to the families in need of more than just medical help in emergencies. The way they act, treat people with patience and care is priceless.

My husband is at the hospital waiting for a room. I had to come home and take care of our dog, so I'll head back there as soon as he has a room. The ER doctor is sure he has Pneumonia. I'll let you know more later but for now, I thought these outstanding crews deserved my praise. I always thought they were fantastic. Now I know for sure they really are a Godsend.

Son of Seminole Sheriff seriously injured in Afghanistan

Son of Seminole Sheriff seriously injured in Afghanistan

Don Eslinger Jr. in photo taken about 10 days ago

By Gary Taylor, Orlando Sentinel
4:41 p.m. EDT, September 25, 2011

The son of Seminole County Sheriff Don Eslinger was seriously injured Saturday when he was hit by mortar fire in Afghanistan.

Don Eslinger Jr., 20, underwent surgery Sunday morning [11 p.m. EST Saturday] at the Kandahar Airfield Hospital and is in a medically induced coma, his father said.

"His fellow soldiers and the medical team at both Forward Operating Base Bullard and Kandahar Airfield Hospital saved my son's life," Eslinger said. "They're doing a wonderful job."

He suffered broken ribs and a broken leg and his spleen was removed, Eslinger said.

Former Orange County Sheriff Kevin Beary and former DEA agent John O'Rourke are in Afghanistan and spoke to a medical team from Orlando that treated the soldier,and they relayed information to his father. They are contractors working with the Afghan government's police force.

Eslinger enlisted in the Army in July 2010 and was sent to Afghanistan in April. He was home on leave for two weeks before returning there Sept. 16, his father said.
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Seminole Behavioral Healthcare teaching Mental Health First Aid

Seminole Behavioral Healthcare is offering this again. I took the class a couple of months ago and it was wonderful. (Even I learned something there considering I spend so much time tracking it all day.) This is a unique opportunity to go places few will ever have to go so they understand what life is like for a survivor of trauma. It's a whole new world for them. It will also help you understand the types of trauma dictate how you need to approach the people you are trying to help heal.

Combat veterans have the toughest job of healing because of the severity of their traumas and duration. Then, cops. These people are not just survivors of the traumatic events, they are participants in them because of their jobs. Different traumas, different needs, different ways to help them. This is a great course to take.

Mental Health First Aid was created by Professor Anthony Jorm, a respected mental health literacy professor, and Betty Kitchener, a nurse specializing in health education. The program is auspiced at the ORYGEN Research Center at the University of Melbourne, Australia. Four detailed studies have been completed in Australia and nearly a dozen journal articles published on Mental Health First Aid’s impact on mental health literacy. One trial of 301 randomized participants found that those who trained in Mental Health First Aid have greater confidence in providing help to others, greater likelihood of advising people to seek professional help, improved concordance with health professionals about treatments, and decreased stigmatizing attitudes.

To date, Mental Health First Aid has been replicated in England, Scotland, Finland, Canada, Hong Kong, Ireland, Wales and Singapore. In the US, we truly value the supporting evidence and strive to achieve fidelity to the original Mental Health First Aid program developed in Australia. In the next ten years, we hope that Mental Health First Aid in the US will become as common as CPR and First Aid training. It has the potential to reduce stigma, improve mental health literacy, and empower individuals — the benefits are limitless!

In order to become certified in Mental Health First Aid, you must attend a 12 hour course endorsed by the National Council for Behavioral Healthcare. In order to find out more about upcoming classes, simply click the "Help/Contact" button to the left of this page, or call (407) 831-2411 X1206. There is still room available in our June class!
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http://seminoleceu.org/mental-health-first-i-9.html

Help available for soldiers, veterans, families

Help available for soldiers, veterans, families
posted by Kate Santich on December, 17 2009 6:55 PM


Seminole Behavioral Healthcare is offering free mental-health and substance-abuse counseling to military personnel and their families who work or reside in Seminole County and have been impacted by deployment to Afghanistan or Iraq.

The nonprofit organization recently received a grant of nearly $50,000 to provide the services, which will cover individual, couple and family therapy; drug and alcohol abuse; post-traumatic stress disorder and counseling for children of military personnel. Also, in January, the agency will launch a support group for family members of deployed or deploying soldiers.

The number of sessions covered will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

“We see a great need for it,” says Jim Berko, president and CEO of Seminole Behavioral Healthcare. “We became aware of the issues when people who had been in Afghanistan started returning to our area. … There is a lot of post-traumatic stress.”

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Help available for soldiers, veterans, families

I-4 Fatal crash came after shots fired at passing cars

Seminole County sheriff Don Eslinger (right) inspects the car after a crash split it in two. (Red Huber, Orlando Sentinel)

Police suspect road rage was factor in fatal crash
Dec 08, 2008 08:46
Walter Pacheco | Sentinel Staff Writer
Updated: 24 minutes ago
Deputies in Seminole County think road rage could be the cause of an accident that ended when a driver crashed into a pole, splitting it in half and killing a passenger.

Lt. James Clark said one of the occupants in the crashed vehicle was firing a weapon through the sunroof at passing cars on Interstate 4, near Lake Mary Boulevard sometime around 3:30 a.m.

Deputies responded to I-4 and followed the car. "Deputies tried to stop the vehicle, but it fled," Clark said. "The car was speeding at an excess of 100 mph before it lost control and struck a center median."

The car then spun out of control, striking a tree and wooden electric pole at West 25th Street and Elm Avenue in Sanford
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Floodwaters wash fire ants into home, man dies of bites

Man fatally bitten by fire ants that washed into his home
Willoughby Mariano Gary Taylor and Vincent Bradshaw, Sentinel Staff Writers
August 28, 2008

Tropical Storm Fay continued its deadly streak when a Chuluota-area man was bitten to death by fire ants that washed into his flooded home, authorities announced Wednesday.

It also caused more destruction and anxiety. The St. Johns River spilled over the sea wall into downtown Sanford. In DeBary, where more than 130 homes were flooded, residents worried after a sinkhole swallowed trees and damaged a road.

State Road 46 -- a major road in Volusia, Seminole and Brevard counties -- remained blocked because of rising waters from nearby Lake Harney that sent snakes, alligators, and rabbits swimming for higher ground.

And still, the floodwaters continued to rise.


The St. Johns River remained 7 inches to 2 1/2 feet above flood stage in Astor, DeLand, Sanford and Lake Harney. Waters in all but the Astor location were expected to rise through the weekend.

The storm's latest victim was described as a man "60-plus years old" who went into anaphylactic shock after receiving multiple fire-ant bites Tuesday morning. Because of flooding, rescue crews were delayed in reaching him. He was taken to a hospital, where he died that night, said Seminole County Emergency Manager Alan Harris.
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