Top 10 Veterans News from Around the Country 10-24-08

Today’s Local News for Veterans

What’s Inside

1. VA Co-Sponsoring Arts Festival.
2. Qwest To Provide Voice, Data Services To VA.  
3. Homeless Facility In Illinois To Receive VA Grant.  
4. Veteran Helps Set Up Alternative Drug Court In Oklahoma.  
5. Expert Says More Data Needed On Mental Health Of Military Children.  
6. USC Program Will Train Social Workers To Deal With Military Families.  
7. Vet Center In Florida To Host Open House.  
8. VA Hospital In Kansas Operating Drive-Up Flu Shot Clinic.  
9. Outreach Vehicle To Provide Services To Arkansas Vets.
10. VA Training Acquisitions Personnel In Maryland.

4.      Veteran Helps Set Up Alternative Drug Court In Oklahoma.   MTV News (10/23, Rabino) profiled John Bennett, who, after returning home from deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq, "started researching alternatives to locking up veterans who may have combat-related psychological or mental problems" such as PTSD or traumatic brain injury. Eventually, Bennett led efforts to "set up an alternative court for vets in the Tulsa County drug court system," which will hear its "first cases…in mid-November." MTV News added that when Bennett began his attempts to set up the court, he and Matt Stiner, the veterans’ liaison for Tulsa Mayor Kathy Taylor, made calls to various places, including the US Department of Veterans Affairs.

5.      Expert Says More Data Needed On Mental Health Of Military Children.   The Army News Service (10/24, Collins) reports, "Studies show that most military children are just as healthy and resilient as civilian children, but psychiatrists are concerned about their stress levels, said a mental health expert during the Association of the United States Army annual meeting Oct. 8." Dr. Stephen J. Cozza, "the associate director of the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress and a professor at the Uniformed Services University School of Medicine’s psychiatry department, told the audience at the third and final Family Forum that experts need to know more about how multiple deployments and changes like combat injuries, death," and PTSD affect military children. Cozza "pointed out that…most of the existing research and data comes from Operation Desert Storm or earlier and civilian studies."
 

6.      USC Program Will Train Social Workers To Deal With Military Families.   The Los Angeles Times (10/23, Chong) said the University of Southern California (USC) "is launching a new program to train therapists who understand the difficulties of military families. Starting next fall," USC’s "School of Social Work will offer a military specialization within the two-year master’s program in social work." The Times added, "The Army recently contracted with Fayetteville State University in North Carolina to create a social work master’s program at Ft. Sam Houston in Texas, but the USC program is the first military track based at a university, USC officials said."

7.      Vet Center In Florida To Host Open House.   The first story in the Fort Myers (FL) News-Press’ (10/24) "Veterans Notes" column reports, "Veterans are invited to attend an open house from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 10, at the Fort Myers Vet Center." Those attending can meet "the staff and learn about the Vet Center program." 8.      VA Hospital In Kansas Operating Drive-Up Flu Shot Clinic.   The last story in the Kansas City (MO) Star‘s (10/24, Wiebe) "Community Briefs" column reports the Veterans Affairs medical center in Leavenworth "began offering a drive-up flu shot clinic Tuesday and will continue the clinic through Nov. 8." The clinic "will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. On Saturdays, the clinic will be offered from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Schwarzkopf room at the main hospital building."
      The Greenville (TN) Sun (10/23) reported, "Veterans will be given an opportunity to receive a flu shot at a special Saturday Flu Clinic on Nov. 1" at the James H. Quillen VA Medical Center at Mountain Home. For "qualifying veterans who cannot attend this clinic," a regular walk-in one will be available for them each weekday "beginning Nov. 3."

9.      Outreach Vehicle To Provide Services To Arkansas Vets.   On its website, KARK-TV Little Rock, AR (10/23) reported "veterans in northwest Arkansas will benefit from a vehicle designed to make outreach services more accessible." The vehicle, which will "be used by the veterans center" in Fayetteville, "is a mobile counseling unit that will allow veterans in remote areas easy access to services provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs." The "Fayetteville center was one of 50 to receive a vehicle."

10.    VA Training Acquisitions Personnel In Maryland.   The Frederick (MD) News Post (10/23, Waters) reported, "Each year the government purchases billions of dollars in materials and services," but "are those that are doing the contract negotiations trained professionals? The Department of Veteran Affairs wants to make sure that its acquisition personnel are," according to Efrain J. Fernandez and Lisa K. Doyle, two officials with the VA. The agency "is locating its Center for Acquisition Innovation and its Acquisition Academy" in Frederick. The News Post said Fernandez is the center’s while Doyle is chancellor of the academy, which has already begun training 30 people.