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.