http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/15791120.htm
Oct. 18, 2006
Vet Centers see escalating demand for help as troops return
By David Goldstein
McClatchy Newspapers
WASHINGTON -
A network of community-based walk-in veterans' treatment centers is
under increasing pressure as more and more former troops who served in
Iraq and Afghanistan have come looking for help.
A report to be issued Thursday from the House Veterans Affairs
Committee's Democratic staff says that nearly a third of all Vet
Centers have seen the demand rise for outreach and other services.
The report surveyed 60 of the 207 Vet Centers operated by the
Department of Veterans Affairs.
It found that the number of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who have
sought help for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) doubled - from
nearly 4,500 to more than 9,000 - from October 2005 through June 2006.
The number of veterans with other types of possible mental health and
readjustment problems also doubled, and in some cases tripled, the
report said.
Half of the Vet Centers sampled reported that their expanding
caseloads have affected their ability to treat their current
clientele.
"The administration's failure to increase staffing and other resources
for Vet Centers has put their capacity to meet the needs of veterans
and their families at risk," the report said.
"The Vet Centers' staff are dedicated and deeply committed to meeting
the needs of veterans and their families, but without additional
resources, even dedicated staff has limits," said Rep. Michael
Michaud, D-Maine, the House VA Committee member who requested the
report.
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Returning veterans need help. The Republican administration and the
Republican Congress are much too busy.
Harry
.
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