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Concerns Mount Over Waiting Lists at Veterans Affairs Mental Health Centers
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
By Kelley Beaucar Vlahos
WASHINGTON — The suicide of a 25-year-old Iraq war veteran has revived questions over how long returning troops are having to wait for treatment from Veterans Affairs hospitals for post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health problems.
"We're hearing of too many cases of waiting lists — particularly involving cases of post-traumatic stress disorder," said Rep. Michael Michaud, D-Maine, chairman of the House Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Health.
"I'm not going to take a shot at the administration or the Democrats, it's just a problem that needs to be fixed, it's an American problem," said Larry Provost, an Army reservist who was given a two-month wait for an appointment to address his own PTSD.
Since 2002, tens of thousands of returning veterans have been treated for symptoms of the emotional disorder, brought on by the traumas of war in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Acknowledging the need for additional facilities to treat mental health, Veterans Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson announced last week that the department would be incorporating 23 new Readjustment Counseling Service Centers in the next two years. That's on top of the 209 that are already operating around the country.
"Our vet centers lead the world in helping combat veterans successfully re-adjust to life at home," said Nicholson. "It's an important service which combat veterans have earned. VA continues to expand into more communities with our vet centers to bring our services closer to the veterans who need them."
"Care is available and it's available 24/7," said Dr. Lawrence Adler, a researcher in psychiatry with the Denver VA Medical Center. Adler told FOXNews.com that returning veterans' mental health is a top priority and the vet centers are providing critical care for veterans and their families facing re-adjustment and substance abuse issues.
But that is not placating the family of Marine Jonathan Schulze, who hanged himself Jan 16. His family says four days earlier, Schulze had called doctors at the veteran's hospital in St. Cloud, Minn., and told them he was suicidal. They told The Associated Press that he was turned away on account of a waiting list for beds at the hospital.
As a rule, the VA does not put off veterans with suicidal tendencies, say VA officials. The Minnesota hospital would not comment directly on the claim, but officials say beds in their psychiatric unit do not have a waiting list.
Currently, 21 veterans are on a waiting list for a separate mental health residential treatment center, according to AP, which reported that the other unit is for less immediate, ongoing cases.
VA hospital records indicate that Schulze never told hospital staff he was contemplating suicide, but Schulze's father and stepmother insist they heard Jonathan tell hospital staff over the phone that he was suicidal. They say he told them he was informed he was 26th in line for a bed.
According to his stepmother, a day before the Jan. 12 call, Schulze went to the hospital with his bags packed and requested admission, but was turned away. The case is under investigation by the Department of Veterans Affairs in Washington.
The Schulzes, who opened Jonathan's records up to reporters, say they are upset the records do not reflect the severity of his case. Schulze had sought care from the Minneapolis Veterans Medical Center repeatedly since his return from a seven-month tour of duty in Iraq in 2004.
"The most disturbing part for me is their denial of Jon's suicidal condition," said Jim Schulze, a Vietnam veteran.
According to the latest VA records, out of the 205,097 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans treated by the VA since 2002, 73,157 had a potential mental disorder and 39,331 of them were tentatively diagnosed with PTSD. A March 2006 report in the Journal of American Medical Association revealed that 35 percent of returning troops from Iraq sought mental health care within a year of coming home.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,251580,00.html
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
By Kelley Beaucar Vlahos
WASHINGTON — The suicide of a 25-year-old Iraq war veteran has revived questions over how long returning troops are having to wait for treatment from Veterans Affairs hospitals for post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health problems.
"We're hearing of too many cases of waiting lists — particularly involving cases of post-traumatic stress disorder," said Rep. Michael Michaud, D-Maine, chairman of the House Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Health.
"I'm not going to take a shot at the administration or the Democrats, it's just a problem that needs to be fixed, it's an American problem," said Larry Provost, an Army reservist who was given a two-month wait for an appointment to address his own PTSD.
Since 2002, tens of thousands of returning veterans have been treated for symptoms of the emotional disorder, brought on by the traumas of war in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Acknowledging the need for additional facilities to treat mental health, Veterans Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson announced last week that the department would be incorporating 23 new Readjustment Counseling Service Centers in the next two years. That's on top of the 209 that are already operating around the country.
"Our vet centers lead the world in helping combat veterans successfully re-adjust to life at home," said Nicholson. "It's an important service which combat veterans have earned. VA continues to expand into more communities with our vet centers to bring our services closer to the veterans who need them."
"Care is available and it's available 24/7," said Dr. Lawrence Adler, a researcher in psychiatry with the Denver VA Medical Center. Adler told FOXNews.com that returning veterans' mental health is a top priority and the vet centers are providing critical care for veterans and their families facing re-adjustment and substance abuse issues.
But that is not placating the family of Marine Jonathan Schulze, who hanged himself Jan 16. His family says four days earlier, Schulze had called doctors at the veteran's hospital in St. Cloud, Minn., and told them he was suicidal. They told The Associated Press that he was turned away on account of a waiting list for beds at the hospital.
As a rule, the VA does not put off veterans with suicidal tendencies, say VA officials. The Minnesota hospital would not comment directly on the claim, but officials say beds in their psychiatric unit do not have a waiting list.
Currently, 21 veterans are on a waiting list for a separate mental health residential treatment center, according to AP, which reported that the other unit is for less immediate, ongoing cases.
VA hospital records indicate that Schulze never told hospital staff he was contemplating suicide, but Schulze's father and stepmother insist they heard Jonathan tell hospital staff over the phone that he was suicidal. They say he told them he was informed he was 26th in line for a bed.
According to his stepmother, a day before the Jan. 12 call, Schulze went to the hospital with his bags packed and requested admission, but was turned away. The case is under investigation by the Department of Veterans Affairs in Washington.
The Schulzes, who opened Jonathan's records up to reporters, say they are upset the records do not reflect the severity of his case. Schulze had sought care from the Minneapolis Veterans Medical Center repeatedly since his return from a seven-month tour of duty in Iraq in 2004.
"The most disturbing part for me is their denial of Jon's suicidal condition," said Jim Schulze, a Vietnam veteran.
According to the latest VA records, out of the 205,097 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans treated by the VA since 2002, 73,157 had a potential mental disorder and 39,331 of them were tentatively diagnosed with PTSD. A March 2006 report in the Journal of American Medical Association revealed that 35 percent of returning troops from Iraq sought mental health care within a year of coming home.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,251580,00.html