Health Dialogues: Veterans' Health

Approximately 120,000 Californians have served at least one tour of duty in Iraq or Afghanistan. Some of these veterans come home to face new battles: PTSD, brain injuries, mental illness and even homelessness. How prepared are the VA and our communities to deal with the needs of returning veterans? Join Health Dialogues in July for a discussion of the health of returning servicemen and women.

Veterans' Health

Approximately 120,000 Californians have served at least one tour of duty in Iraq or Afghanistan. Some of these veterans come home to face new battles: Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), brain injuries, mental illness -- even homelessness. How prepared are the VA and our communities to deal with the needs of returning veterans? Guest: Congressman Bob Filner (D), chair of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs. . Guest: Dr. Heidi Kraft, former Navy clinical psychologist and author of "Rule Number Two: Lessons I Learned in a Combat Hospital." Kraft was deployed to Iraq with the Marines in 2004 and currently exclusively treats active duty patients with combat trauma. . Guest: Leslie Martin, licensed clinical social worker and director of the P.O.S.T. (Post Traumatic Stress Outpatient Services Team) at the West Los Angeles Veterans Health Care System. . Guest: Sarita Ledet, Walter Williams' mother and a psychologist. . Guest: Walter Williams, case manager at Swords to Ploughshares..

• More: Swords to Ploughshares : provides counseling and case management, employment and training, housing, and legal assistance to homeless and low-income veterans. Also advocates for systemic reforms at the local, state and national levels.
• More: The Coming Home Project : a group of veterans, psychotherapists and interfaith leaders offering free, confidential group support and stress management workshops and retreats for veterans and families.
• More: National Center for PTSD : promotes research and education on the prevention, understanding, and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder.
• More: Post-Deployment Stress: What Families Should Know; What Families Can Do [pdf] : study from the RAND Corporation.
• More: U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs : official site of the VA.
• More: Vets4Vets : non-partisan veteran organization dedicated to helping Iraq and Afghanistan-era veterans feel good about themselves and heal from any negative aspects of service and war through the use of peer support.