Katrina Five Years After: Hurricane Left a Legacy of Health Concerns
Friday, August 27, 2010
By Brian Donnelly
Five years ago, Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf region, killing nearly 2,000 and displacing more than 250,000 others from Louisiana to Florida. This week, in a series titled "Hurricane Katrina: Five Years After," FoxNews.com looks back on the costliest natural disaster ever to strike the United States.
When Hurricane Katrina ripped through New Orleans, leaving a legacy of death and destruction in its wake, the storm's immediate effects were evident. But now, five years later, the long-term effects on the devastated population’s mental and physical health still linger.
A study released this week linked the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history with a high incidence of anxiety in Gulf Coast-area children displaced by the hurricane, while another found increased sensitivity to mold in children with asthma whose homes were flooded.
“Being exposed to transient home situations, not being able to get access to care and the adversity of just the recovery process fraught with so many difficulties added and compounded the stress and trauma of being exposed to the devastation and personal loss of life and property during the event of the hurricane and the flooding itself,” said Anthony Speier, psychologist and deputy assistant secretary for the Office of Behavioral Health for the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals. “So that kind of set the stage for increased vulnerability of the population.”
read more here
Hurricane Left a Legacy of Health Concerns
Katrina's toll includes rise in suicide, mental illness
By Pam Firmin McClatchy Newspapers
BILOXI, Miss. — The last five years have been a mental health roller coaster for many among the Mississippi Gulf Coast's post-Hurricane Katrina population.
Suicides are up since Katrina hit on Aug. 29, 2005. More people are seeking treatment for substance abuse, therapists say, and post-traumatic stress disorder is on the rebound.
Though suicide numbers were higher in 2004 than in the years immediately after the storm, they have climbed in the years that followed. In Harrison County, the largest county on the Mississippi Coast, the number of people who committed suicide has increased since the storm from 30 in 2005 to 32 in 2006, 36 in 2007 and 44 in 2008.
Read more: Katrina and toll on mental health
Friday, August 27, 2010
2 GIs accused of using water punishment on kids
2 GIs accused of using water punishment on kids
The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Aug 26, 2010 19:12:06 EDT
OLYMPIA, Wash. — Two Joint Base Lewis-McChord soldiers who live in Yelm were accused of using water punishments on their children in January.
The Olympian reports both soldiers had served in Iraq but the incidents were unrelated.
read more here
2 GIs accused of using water punishment on kids
The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Aug 26, 2010 19:12:06 EDT
OLYMPIA, Wash. — Two Joint Base Lewis-McChord soldiers who live in Yelm were accused of using water punishments on their children in January.
The Olympian reports both soldiers had served in Iraq but the incidents were unrelated.
read more here
2 GIs accused of using water punishment on kids
8 firefighters hurt at Fort Bragg construction site
8 firefighters hurt at Bragg construction site
The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Aug 26, 2010 19:14:15 EDT
FORT BRAGG, N.C. — Eight firefighters were injured Thursday after a fire started in a barracks under construction here.
Fort Bragg officials said that six firefighters suffered smoke inhalation and heat exhaustion, and were treated at Womack Army Medical Center. Two firefighters were transported to Cape Fear Medical Center.
The fire started Thursday morning in a three-story building under construction near the 4th Brigade Combat Team barracks.
A statement issued by base officials said the fire was extinguished about 1:30 p.m., more than three hours after firefighters first arrived on the scene.
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2010/08/ap-army-bragg-eight-firefighters-hurt-082610/
The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Aug 26, 2010 19:14:15 EDT
FORT BRAGG, N.C. — Eight firefighters were injured Thursday after a fire started in a barracks under construction here.
Fort Bragg officials said that six firefighters suffered smoke inhalation and heat exhaustion, and were treated at Womack Army Medical Center. Two firefighters were transported to Cape Fear Medical Center.
The fire started Thursday morning in a three-story building under construction near the 4th Brigade Combat Team barracks.
A statement issued by base officials said the fire was extinguished about 1:30 p.m., more than three hours after firefighters first arrived on the scene.
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2010/08/ap-army-bragg-eight-firefighters-hurt-082610/
"War is hell" - and so is the aftermath
Dealing with troubled vets crucial
Aug 26, 2010
Veterans who served in combat in Iraq or Afghanistan are offered mental health care upon re-entry to American communities, but the possibility of tragedy remains. Last Friday's double-murder and suicide by a Hawaii veteran treated for post traumatic stress disorder is an extreme example of the need for more perceptive -- even aggressive -- measures to prevent violent outbreaks.
Clayborne Conley, a former Hawaii Army National Guardsman, shot and killed acquaintance Kristine Cass and her 13-year-old daughter, Saundra, before turning the gun on himself. Conley had been afflicted with insomnia, combat nightmares, morbid ruminations, suicidal thoughts and alcohol abuse upon his return to Hawaii from deployment in Iraq in 2005, according to court records.
In the years following his discharge, Conley was convicted of misdemeanors of assault and terroristic threatening. He was acquitted by reason of insanity in January 2009 of burglary and criminal property damage after entering a stranger's apartment and throwing furniture off the lanai two years earlier. Conley was committed to the Hawaii State Hospital and released in May of this year.
There were a lot of comments left on this but this one stands out.
kamaainaintx 23 hours ago
This editorial is tragically on the mark for our family. I was in combat in Korea and 'Nam, our grandson was in Gulf War II. He took his own life three years ago after struggling with the demons of war that still were with him. He took no one 'with him' but the result was devastating to us, nonetheless. There were few signs that we saw along the way - he had been participating in a VA program where he lived - to no apparent avail.
Some have said (cruelly, we might add) that 'he must have had those propensities before he enlisted'. If so, they were well-hidden for many years. He showed no such traits. It has been said that "War is hell" - and so is the aftermath.
We encourage all who have loved ones who may struggle with PTSD to heed the warning signs (if there are any that are visible) and be proactive in getting all the counseling and assistance that may be available.
Read more: Dealing with troubled vets crucial
Last weekend I posted the stories from Wisconsin and Hawaii. Both about National Guardsmen coming home with PTSD and both killing others before taking their own lives.
There was a comment on this blaming Democrats as if any of this is new. All wars produced emotional damage done to other humans but someone decided that this had to be made political. Guess it didn't matter that the numbers have been going up while political hacks stuck their fingers in their ears and said this country couldn't afford to increase funding for the DOD and the VA to care for the wounded because there were "two wars to pay for" at the same time neither war was included in the Presidential budget until Obama added them in. Just a shame all the way around but if people want to turn everything into some kind of political finger pointing, they should at least know what they are talking about.
Helping veterans has to be more than talking about it
I read reports everyday on what is happening to our veterans when they come home just as I read reports about the great and growing need of the members of the military still serving. I read about this group followed by another group jumping onto the gravy train pretending to be "doing something" to address the need. What I end up seeing is tiny action being taken with a small percentage of those in need actually being helped. Our troops and veterans tug at the heartstrings of the people of this country and we are a generous bunch. Program after program begs for funding and more attention so they can "deliver the care" that we all know is needed but no one is asking for any proof what they say they do actually works. After all these years, when you read the following it becomes clear that what all of these groups say they are delivering is not enough to really make a difference.
I am not saying we should stop supporting charities trying to help but we should be asking for proof of what they claim. We can see some groups making a difference, like Habitat for Humanity because we can see a house built. We can see it in homeless shelters because we see veterans in beds, being fed and provided with clothes. What we cannot see is programs that claim to be "curing" or healing them when we see the results in suicides, attempted suicides, homelessness, arrests and families falling apart all going up.
There are groups that claim to be doing something about PTSD and they have the publicity to make people believe what they say but when asked for specifics, asked to provide proof of their programs working, there is silence.
Does it help some? Depends on who tries it and what caused the damage. There is no one size fits all. No one expects there to be one "cure" for all but we should expect proof of what people claim and not just for today but for followup proof that it lasts or is just a short fix.
When there are PTSD programs, we need to know if they work and if the family is helped to stay together. If not then we will see more homeless veterans. What no one talks about is what remains of the family members. How are they psychologically and emotionally? How are the kids adjusting? Does the family blame themselves for the veteran becoming homeless? Did they know all they needed to know to stay together? Did they get enough support but just decided they didn't want to do it anymore?
What about suicide and attempted suicide? Did the veteran get all they needed to be able to heal? Did the family know what they needed to know? Did they learn enough after to be able to forgive themselves and understand that it was not their fault? Where are the support groups? What about the extended family members and friends? Do they have support?
There is so much that is not being talked about. We will not be able to really get ahead of the drama being played in hundreds of thousands of homes everyday until we start to get answers to the rest of the story.
U.S. official: Help us help vets
Jobs are ultimate solution, he says
BY GREG GARDNER
FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER
Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, urged local leaders to hire, educate and help find resources to support tens of thousands of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans returning to the most difficult economy in decades.
Speaking Thursday to the Detroit Economic Club, Mullen called on small business owners, hospital and college administrators to work with the Pentagon and the Veterans Administration to prevent veterans with medical and social needs from falling through the cracks.
"Hundreds of thousands, we're not sure quite frankly, are exhibiting the symptoms of and will have post-traumatic stress that all of us need to deal with," Mullen said.
Ultimately, jobs are the real solution. Mullen said the G.I. Bill is as robust now as it was after World War II. Once veterans get enrolled in universities and community college, they also are more likely to find social services.
Homelessness among veterans also must be addressed, said Mullen, a Vietnam War veteran. He said it took nearly 10 years before significant numbers of homeless Vietnam vets began showing up.
Read more: U.S. official: Help us help vets
I am not saying we should stop supporting charities trying to help but we should be asking for proof of what they claim. We can see some groups making a difference, like Habitat for Humanity because we can see a house built. We can see it in homeless shelters because we see veterans in beds, being fed and provided with clothes. What we cannot see is programs that claim to be "curing" or healing them when we see the results in suicides, attempted suicides, homelessness, arrests and families falling apart all going up.
There are groups that claim to be doing something about PTSD and they have the publicity to make people believe what they say but when asked for specifics, asked to provide proof of their programs working, there is silence.
Hyperbaric therapy not proved to help PTSD
By Letters To The Editor For Friday, Aug. 27
I appreciate that your article on the use of hyperbaric oxygen for blast-related traumatic brain injuries made clear that there is no compelling evidence supporting the efficacy of this treatment for this condition, particularly when the patient undergoes therapy months or even years after his or her accident ("A Lot of Hot Air," Aug. 14).
The article does not, however, mention the serious potential for psychological harm that any unknown or unproven treatment carries, especially in a context of severely "dysfunctional" and desperate patients as described by the physical therapist Ray Cralle. The article should make clear that hyperbaric therapy has no known benefit for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD. The fact that Mr. Cralle is "pleased with the success he has seen with his four veterans" does not constitute evidence of effectiveness or positive benefit in scientific terms.
In fact, your article incorrectly refers to Mr. Cralle's program as "a bold experiment." A true experiment, however, would require objectively verifiable criteria for defining a therapeutic effect, independent judges who do not have a vested interest in the outcome of the program, large control and treatment groups, as well as objective cognitive assessment both before and after treatment is received. In more basic terms, people receiving hyperbaric treatment would need to be compared with comparably injured people who did not receive any treatment at all. Ordinarily, such research is not designed, conducted, reviewed or published by physical therapists.
DAVID S. BUSH, PH.D.
Does it help some? Depends on who tries it and what caused the damage. There is no one size fits all. No one expects there to be one "cure" for all but we should expect proof of what people claim and not just for today but for followup proof that it lasts or is just a short fix.
When there are PTSD programs, we need to know if they work and if the family is helped to stay together. If not then we will see more homeless veterans. What no one talks about is what remains of the family members. How are they psychologically and emotionally? How are the kids adjusting? Does the family blame themselves for the veteran becoming homeless? Did they know all they needed to know to stay together? Did they get enough support but just decided they didn't want to do it anymore?
What about suicide and attempted suicide? Did the veteran get all they needed to be able to heal? Did the family know what they needed to know? Did they learn enough after to be able to forgive themselves and understand that it was not their fault? Where are the support groups? What about the extended family members and friends? Do they have support?
There is so much that is not being talked about. We will not be able to really get ahead of the drama being played in hundreds of thousands of homes everyday until we start to get answers to the rest of the story.
Homemade bombs kill 3 US troops in Afghanistan
Homemade bombs kill 3 US troops in Afghanistan
By CHRISTOPHER BODEEN (AP) – 56 minutes ago
KABUL, Afghanistan — Homemade bombs killed three U.S. troops in southern and eastern Afghanistan on Friday, and a roadside bomb tore through a crowded market in the increasingly volatile north, killing three police and two civilians.
No other details about the attacks on the U.S. troops were given by NATO and the identities of those killed were not immediately released in keeping with standard procedure.
A total of 55 foreign troops have been killed in Afghanistan this month, including 35 Americans, according to a count by The Associated Press. July was the deadliest month for U.S. forces in Afghanistan since the 2001 invasion, with 66 killed.
U.S. troops make up about 100,000 of the 120,000-strong foreign military contingent in Afghanistan, most of them in the south and east where the Taliban is most deeply entrenched.
read more here
Homemade bombs kill 3 US troops in Afghanistan
By CHRISTOPHER BODEEN (AP) – 56 minutes ago
KABUL, Afghanistan — Homemade bombs killed three U.S. troops in southern and eastern Afghanistan on Friday, and a roadside bomb tore through a crowded market in the increasingly volatile north, killing three police and two civilians.
No other details about the attacks on the U.S. troops were given by NATO and the identities of those killed were not immediately released in keeping with standard procedure.
A total of 55 foreign troops have been killed in Afghanistan this month, including 35 Americans, according to a count by The Associated Press. July was the deadliest month for U.S. forces in Afghanistan since the 2001 invasion, with 66 killed.
U.S. troops make up about 100,000 of the 120,000-strong foreign military contingent in Afghanistan, most of them in the south and east where the Taliban is most deeply entrenched.
read more here
Homemade bombs kill 3 US troops in Afghanistan
Thursday, August 26, 2010
American Support Boosts Troop Morale, Mullen Says
Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, greets Army Capt. Scott Leifker during a game between the Chicago White Sox and the Baltimore Orioles at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago, Aug. 25, 2010. Leifker was severely burned in a car bomb explosion in Iraq in 2006. Mullen is on three-day Midwest tour to meet with local civic and business leaders to discuss the needs of returning troops and their families, and how community leaders can support them. DoD photo by Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley
American Support Boosts Troop Morale, Mullen Says
By Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden
American Forces Press Service
CHICAGO, Aug. 26, 2010 – At last night’s Major League Baseball game between the Chicago White Sox and the Baltimore Orioles here, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of staff couldn’t help but notice the difference between the nation’s support for today’s servicemembers and veterans and the reception returning servicemembers received when they came home from Vietnam early in his military career.
Navy Adm. Mike Mullen threw out the ceremonial first pitch before the game and he also helped the host White Sox honor soldiers from a local Army Reserve unit.
Forty years ago, at the height of the Vietnam War, America didn’t support its troops, Mullen said. There was no tickertape parade when they returned from battle, and stories of Vietnam veterans being ridiculed in the streets by protestors were all too common.
The tension was so bad, Mullen said, that some servicemembers were even ashamed to wear their uniforms. Mullen witnessed such displays first hand, he noted, saying that’s just the way things were when he began his career in 1968.
Mullen, a Vietnam War veteran, has spent the past three years overseeing the war efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq. When the wars kicked off in 2001 and 2003, respectively, he said, one of his initial fears was that the American people might not support the troops.
“As someone who grew up [during the Vietnam War] and saw a complete disconnect between our men and women in uniform and the American people, [the level of support] was a huge concern for me when these wars started,” he said. “It was terrible during Vietnam. It was really bad how troops were treated.”
read the rest here
American Support Boosts Troop Morale, Mullen Says
Top Issues in Wounded Warrior Care
RevivingHeroes.org
Reviving the faithful few who are willing to risk it all for others....
AW2 Soldiers, Veterans, and Families Identify Top Issues in Wounded Warrior Care…
by Reviving Heroes on August 19, 2010
AW2 Soldiers, Veterans, and Families Identify Top Issues in Wounded Warrior Care
Image by The U.S. Army via Flickr Recently, more than several wounded Soldiers, Veterans, and their Family members gathered in San Antonio at the Army Wounded Warrior Program (AW2) Symposium and identified the following top five issues that should be addressed to advance wounded warrior care:
1. Concurrent receipt of retired and Veterans Affairs (VA) disability pay
2. Comprehensive psychoeducation for post-traumatic stress disorder PTSD)/traumatic brain injury (TBI) servicemembers, Family members, and caregivers
3. Veterans Affairs (VA) education for Army Wounded Warrior Program Advocates
4. Stipend for primary caregivers of ill/injured servicemembers
5. Community support coordinators in geographically dispersed areas
read more here
Top Issues in Wounded Warrior Care
Reviving the faithful few who are willing to risk it all for others....
AW2 Soldiers, Veterans, and Families Identify Top Issues in Wounded Warrior Care…
by Reviving Heroes on August 19, 2010
AW2 Soldiers, Veterans, and Families Identify Top Issues in Wounded Warrior Care
Image by The U.S. Army via Flickr Recently, more than several wounded Soldiers, Veterans, and their Family members gathered in San Antonio at the Army Wounded Warrior Program (AW2) Symposium and identified the following top five issues that should be addressed to advance wounded warrior care:
1. Concurrent receipt of retired and Veterans Affairs (VA) disability pay
2. Comprehensive psychoeducation for post-traumatic stress disorder PTSD)/traumatic brain injury (TBI) servicemembers, Family members, and caregivers
3. Veterans Affairs (VA) education for Army Wounded Warrior Program Advocates
4. Stipend for primary caregivers of ill/injured servicemembers
5. Community support coordinators in geographically dispersed areas
read more here
Top Issues in Wounded Warrior Care
Gluf War Vet John Paul Scott had to prove he's not dead yet
Disabled vet wins war over VA blunder
By LINDSAY WISE
Copyright 2010 Houston Chronicle
Aug. 25, 2010, 11:14PM
John Paul Scott wasn't sure he'd heard correctly.
"It's in the computer system that you're deceased," repeated an official from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
"What are you talking about?" Scott asked.
The 39-year-old Army veteran from Houston had been calling the VA's hotline twice a day for weeks to check the status of his disability claim. This time, on July 12, the VA official who answered the phone informed Scott he would no longer be receiving benefits because, according to VA records, he had passed away in April.
Scott suffers from vision problems traced to his service in the first Gulf War. In 2008, the VA had cut his monthly disability check by $2,000. Scott appealed. On June 25, he had finally won.
Now a bureaucratic blunder meant that Scott faced a Kafkaesque dilemma: As far as the VA was concerned, he was dead. His disability payments instantly halted. His medical prescriptions stopped. Scott, already in dire financial straits after the reduction in his benefits two years ago, feared he would end up on the street.
First thing the next morning, Scott went to the Houston VA Regional Office on Almeda Road and spoke to a woman at the front desk. Scott gave the woman three forms of ID and filled out a form: "I was told by the Department of Veterans Affairs that someone entered in their computer I was deceased," he wrote. "I am not. Please reinstate my benefits immediately. Thanks, John Paul Scott."
read more here
Disabled vet wins war over VA blunder
By LINDSAY WISE
Copyright 2010 Houston Chronicle
Aug. 25, 2010, 11:14PM
John Paul Scott wasn't sure he'd heard correctly.
"It's in the computer system that you're deceased," repeated an official from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
"What are you talking about?" Scott asked.
The 39-year-old Army veteran from Houston had been calling the VA's hotline twice a day for weeks to check the status of his disability claim. This time, on July 12, the VA official who answered the phone informed Scott he would no longer be receiving benefits because, according to VA records, he had passed away in April.
Scott suffers from vision problems traced to his service in the first Gulf War. In 2008, the VA had cut his monthly disability check by $2,000. Scott appealed. On June 25, he had finally won.
Now a bureaucratic blunder meant that Scott faced a Kafkaesque dilemma: As far as the VA was concerned, he was dead. His disability payments instantly halted. His medical prescriptions stopped. Scott, already in dire financial straits after the reduction in his benefits two years ago, feared he would end up on the street.
First thing the next morning, Scott went to the Houston VA Regional Office on Almeda Road and spoke to a woman at the front desk. Scott gave the woman three forms of ID and filled out a form: "I was told by the Department of Veterans Affairs that someone entered in their computer I was deceased," he wrote. "I am not. Please reinstate my benefits immediately. Thanks, John Paul Scott."
read more here
Disabled vet wins war over VA blunder
Staff sgt. sentenced for mistreating Marines
Staff sgt. sentenced for mistreating Marines
The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Aug 26, 2010 8:24:45 EDT
NORFOLK, Va. — A Marine staff sergeant is spending one year in confinement after pleading guilty to mistreating 17 male subordinates at a Chesapeake training facility.
Staff Sgt. James McCoy was the noncommissioned officer in charge of a training company at the Navy's Northwest Annex. He oversaw Marines waiting to begin a security training course at the base and injured Marines waiting to return to duty or be processed out of the service.
read more here
Staff sgt. sentenced for mistreating Marines
The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Aug 26, 2010 8:24:45 EDT
NORFOLK, Va. — A Marine staff sergeant is spending one year in confinement after pleading guilty to mistreating 17 male subordinates at a Chesapeake training facility.
Staff Sgt. James McCoy was the noncommissioned officer in charge of a training company at the Navy's Northwest Annex. He oversaw Marines waiting to begin a security training course at the base and injured Marines waiting to return to duty or be processed out of the service.
read more here
Staff sgt. sentenced for mistreating Marines
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