U.S. VETS group hopes to identify and treat post traumatic stress disorder in combat veterans
Weingart and UniHealth Foundations
LOS ANGELES (CNS) - A Los Angeles-based nonprofit veterans group announced that it has started an effort to identify and treat combat veterans suffering from untreated post traumatic stress disorder.
U.S. VETS, which is dedicated to providing housing and services to homeless and at-risk veterans, said nearly 20 percent of all veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan suffer from PTSD, but only 40 percent seek treatment.
The condition can be a precursor to a host of problems, including depression, anxiety, isolation, anger management, substance abuse and homelessness, said Stephen Peck, the president and chief executive of the Los Angeles-based group.
"Our goal is to get them early before the trouble begins,'' Peck said.
"No one has ever done anything like this before.''
There are more than 2,000 veterans staying in 11 U.S.VETS sites across the country. The organization provides housing and a wide array of coordinated programs to support the efforts of veterans working to reintegrate into the civilian community, Peck said.
The new PTSD outreach program, which will be staffed and further developed in January. is funded by grants by the Weingart and UniHealth Foundations, Peck said.
The program will initially be run out of the U.S.VETS site in Long Beach and concentrate on outreach to veterans attending community colleges, including Long Beach City College, Santa Monica Community College and Los Angeles Community College, he said.
Peck, a Marine who was in combat in Vietnam, said the program could easily be expanded if it proves successful.
COLUMBIA, S.C.—Cindy Williams didn’t tell anyone about her years in the military after she returned to civilian life in 2003, including how she was gang-raped by fellow soldiers.
Williams and 30 other South Carolina female veterans have broken their silence about their experiences in the military, from the recruitment office to the battlefield, in “Soldier Girl,” a documentary by University of South Carolina (USC) speech, communication and rhetoric instructor Cathy Brookshire.
LOS ANGELES, Calif.—Members of the armed forces, law enforcement and fire departments will be honored during pregame ceremonies at Dodger Stadium tonight as the team conducts Heroes Night.
Representatives of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Los Angeles Police Department, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, California Highway Patrol, Los Angeles Fire Department, Los Angeles County Fire Department will throw out a simultaneous ceremonial first pitch before the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
LOS ANGELES, Calif. — The Los Angeles Dodgers will open their 2013 season today against the World Series champion San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium, which underwent $100 million worth of improvements during the offseason.
The upgrades — including new high-definition video boards in left field and right field, wider concourses and expanded restrooms — will make attending a game “a lot more comfortable, a lot more entertaining and a lot more fun,” said team president and CEO Stan Kasten.
Sunday, May 29
Free Admission to Knott’s Berry Farm, Soak City for All U.S. Military
Knott’s Berry Farm and Southern California Knott’s Soak City water parks in San Diego and Buena Park will offer free admission to active and retired U.S. military personnel Memorial Day weekend. A valid military I.D. must be presented to receive free admission.
For more information visit www.knotts.com.
PBS’s National Memorial Day Concert
Veterans Day traces its roots back to World War I, originally known as the Great War, because the carnage and scope (it involved all of the world’s major powers and a total number of combatants topping 70 million troops) of it surpassed any previous armed struggle experienced in the history of civilization. The official end of hostilities was marked by the Treaty of Versailles, signed on June 28, 1919 at the palace of the same name on the outskirts of Paris.
