Salem,Virginia PTSD Program

[Pleiku]

I am a Vietnam veteran, and a graduate of the in-patient Post Traumatic Stress Disorder treatment program at the VA Medical center in Salem, Virginia. The PTSD Treatment Program at the VAMC in Salem, is one of the very best in the VA system. Actually, it is the best on the east coast. Many veterans from Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Washington DC, Tennessee, North carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Pennsylvania, often wait as long as a year to get into the program. It is a 6 week long intensive psychodrama based program, that is geared toward addressing trauma related issues inherent in combat veterans. However, the program has become so underfunded, and understaffed, that it is now in jeopardy. At one time, this program had 19 staff members, but due to military reserve commitments, retirement, and disabilities, the program is now down to 11 staff members. Six of those members, are nursing staff, which leaves only five to run the program. Out of the five, one is the Director, who is responsible for the overall coordination of the program, The Director does not play a day to day role in conducting the program. out of the four left is the in-take coordinator, who is busy with evaluating and screening new applicants, and also does not play a major role in the operation of the program. So, in actuality, that leaves only 3 people to run the program. I understand, that the program has now reduced the number of veterans it will evaluate, and where a new group for the program is normally 15 veterans, that has now been whittled down to 11. In comparison, another PTSD program at the VAMC in Salisbury,North Carolina (in the same VISN as Salem), has 29 employees, and 19 full-time staff, and they are NOT a psychodrama based program.

I'm contacting you, because this is a subject you will hear more about, as our veterans start to return from combat in Iraq. Many will suffer from PTSD, and will seek treatment from the Veterans Administration. At the present, many PTSD programs are poorly staffed and underfunded, just like the Program at Salem VAMC in Salem, Virginia

I'm hoping, that you will view this as a serious matter. Veterans deserve more funding in the area of mental health, and in particular, the area of PTSD. The war in Iraq, will bring to bear, the importance of such programs, and their ability to lessen the impact of trauma, and the readjustment into society.

[1CAVCCO15MED]

It seems to me

We want to fight a war, run up the deficit, cut taxes and cut the budget. Now I'm neither a conservative nor liberal (I kind of think they are both full of ..it) but one thing my daddy did tell me is you pay your debts. PTSD is the debt of war. I know many who go to war do not get PTSD and many others don't believe it exists. Well, it does. If it didn't exist I would be doing what is the love of my life, taking care of sick people. I would give all the "benefits" I have received for just a chance to do my old job. I was damn good at it and I want to be damn good again. Instead I am relegated to sitting around typing on a computer in the middle of the night. I love you guys but it ain't work. Now the very government that thought up this Vietnam thing wants to cut the budget so they can get reelected. I support our troops in Iraq with all my heart. That is easy to say. When have you heard that anyone supports the troops with all their pocketbook? Certainly not any elected official of either party. That is why managers in the VA system are forced to make draconian choices in what programs to support and which to let die on the vine. I don't consider these guys the enemy. Hell, they're just the messengers. It is pathetic that they have to bear the brunt of the heat for decisions they really didn't want to make. Meanwhile politicians wave the flag and convince voters that real Americans don't pay taxes. If you want to observe the difinition of crawfish or alibi just suggest that any spending bill passed through Congress is required to include the tax increase for implementing the bill. I'll shut up now.

[Stick]

[i] If you want to observe the difinition of crawfish or alibi just suggest that any spending bill passed through Congress is required to include the tax increase for implementing the bill.

Fred, once again I am impressed with your genious. As far as PTSD goes I just wish that the torture that went along with it never happened. Years lost by simply saying "don't mess with me now, I could be dangerous." Discarded my wife and family for many of those years escaping to a bunker first and then escaping from them. Joanne and the kids kept coming back and I'm still here. Jo knew what was going on and still accepted me. Not the me that went to Vietnam but the me that went to her senior prom. Now have my family back and do have to go off to a bunker every once and awhile but I still have the family.
PTSD? What a terrible thing to refuse to recognize and allow to be treated conditionally on a budget. The condition is REAL and many of us here know it.
I am not the same guy that went to the senior prom. It's hard to dance with a stick. Never could dance worth a damn anyway. But how do you get over seeing dead friends? How do you get over seeing a little kid blow up? Get over it? NOT!
2003 not 1968.