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It was a day to honor those who have served their country – and a time to let veterans know that their country is here to help.
The third annual Veterans Resource Fair was held at the Washington State University campus extension near downtown Spokane on May 30, an event that brought together former soldiers from World War II to Vietnam to Iraq. The gathering was shifted from August to May this year to coincide with the observance of Memorial Day.
“This is an opportunity for us to bring together a broad spectrum of organizations and individuals who support veterans in our community,” said Rep. Cathy McMorris-Rodgers, who represents Washington’s 5th district in the U.S. Congress. “It means a lot to the military to have a community that is here for them.”
Sharon Helman, director of the Spokane Veterans Affairs Medical Center, described the event as “part of our continuing outreach for veterans” and gave credit to McMorris for standing behind programs benefiting those who serve or have served in the military.
|“She has been very involved in the direction the VA Hospital has gone,” Helman said. “This is not just a one-time event where she just shows up and forgets about us. I hear from the congresswoman at least once a week.”
Helman expressed gratitude to individuals and organizations throughout the Inland Northwest who “help heal wounds you see and the wounds you don’t see.”
Increased efforts to provide mental health support to veterans include a 24-hour, toll-free help-line, 1-800-273-8255, a Web site, www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org and a program utilizing “military life consultants” who provide support and a sounding board to active military personnel. Kurt Rossbach, a suicide prevention coordinator, is part of the staff at the Spokane VA Hospital.
Helman described a series of renovations and additions underway for the VA Hospital including the construction of a specialty care unit, a mental health building, refurbished first floor and newly resurfaced road.
Staff from the Veterans Outreach Center in Spokane Valley answered questions at one of several dozen informational booths at the fair. The center serves as a valuable resource for area veterans and their families, providing counseling, legal and medical referrals as well as employment assistance.
Mike Ogle of the Vet Center said that while events like the fair generate worthwhile attention, the task of supporting former soldiers is a year-round responsibility. Each year, Ogle helps coordinate a series of “stand-downs,” or gatherings of veterans in rural communities like Libby, Mont,. Colville and Post Falls, Idaho. Similar to a mobile version of the resource fair, the events get the word out about mental health care, medical assistance and legal help.
Ogle said the stand-downs tie into the Vet Center’s mission of providing veterans with “the right coping skills” in addressing issues like post traumatic stress disorder, often associated with the trials of combat. All counseling remains confidential.
“The first step is making life functional,” he said. “This is stigma-free. It’s about vets helping vets. We understand what they are going through.”
Ogle, a Persian Gulf veteran who spent eight years abroad, mostly in the Middle East, will be on the road again this summer – this time in a brand new mobile counseling center, one of 50 motor coaches added to the VA fleet this year.
Each 38-foot vehicle will be staffed by Vet Center counselors and outreach workers and travel to towns and cities that may be lacking resources for veterans. According to a VA press release, “the mobile units will be used to provide outreach and direct readjustment counseling at active-duty, reserve and National Guard activities, including post-deployment health reassessments fro returning combat service members.”
“I think it’s going to make a difference,” said Ogle.
Chuck Marsden, executive assistant to the director at the Spokane VA Hospital, said the mobile counseling centers are part of a continuing effort to provide quality care to veterans, regardless of where they live. Marsden said awareness has improved significantly since the Vietnam era when many veterans were not treated for issues like PTSD.
“We learned from that,” he said. “We’re a lot more cognizant of staying in tune and reaching out to vets.”
Ogle talked about the “courageousness of vets” who seek out mental health support.
“It’s about overcoming that stigma,” he said. “Recognizing that you need help is really that first step in getting better.”
Want to find out more?
The Veterans Outreach Center is located at 100 N. Mullan Road, Suite 102 in Spokane Valley and can be reached by calling 444-8387. The Spokane Veterans Affairs Medical Center can be reached at 434-7000. For more information, visit www.va.gov.
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By
Craig Howard
