The summer of 2005 began as an ordinary summer for Marine Corps Veteran Calvin Bowman. He would go to work, come home, eat red beans and rice with crawfish or shrimp and listen to some good ole jazz. Hurricane Katrina hit that August and Bowman’s life changed dramatically.
He was suddenly homeless.
Bowman came to North Texas a few days after the hurricane on a charter bus. From one shelter to the next while dealing with the unexpected relocation and being separated from family, he found himself struggling to keep his life in order.
Through months of addiction and erratic behavior, Bowman finally said, “Enough is enough.” One day at a shelter in Fort Worth, he sat in on a presentation given by VA. It was then he found out about the many resources available to him as a Veteran.
His life would change again.
Bowman learned about a program called Veterans Recovery Center (VRC). It was there he found hope and expectancy of better days ahead. “I was on the wrong track,” he said. “I didn’t want to be a victim of my circumstances.”
VRC incorporates individualism in the mental health recovery plan. The term recovery is no longer a word isolated to pertain solely to alcohol and drug-related problems; it is a term used to also address recovery from a mental illness. The self-directed process VRC uses helps Veterans by encouraging them to play a major role in their recovery. It gives them the opportunity to adjust or change their feelings, attitudes, beliefs and perceptions about life. Veterans at the VRC are active partners in all aspects of their care.
“My behavior was a reflection of my inner pain,” Bowman said. “VRC enabled me to understand my pain and challenged me to make changes.”
As a registered occupational therapist and licensed professional counselor working at the VRC, Armintia Alcorn has been Bowman’s recovery partner for three years. “He [Bowman] was the ideal candidate for the program,” said Alcorn. “He grasped the concept of recovery and got deeply involved. I am very proud of him.”
By and large, VRC offers a variety of recovery groups, activities and opportunities which stimulate hope, progressive change, support and family education. The center focuses not just on recovery from an individual perspective, but also helps Veterans reintegrate into the community and refers them to other programs and services within VA to achieve optimum results.
In addition to his new found love for ceramics, Bowman enjoys going to the movies and also Texas rodeos. “We didn’t have rodeos in New Orleans,” he said. “I still visit from time to time, but Texas is home now.”
Bowman recently signed up to be a VA North Texas volunteer and also has plans to be a peer support specialist at VA and in the community.
Los Angeles poised to ban new fast-food restaurants in poor area lacking healthier fare
AP Worldstream July 29, 2008 | CHRISTINA HOAG In the impoverished neighborhood of South Los Angeles, fast food is the easiest cuisine to find _ and that’s a problem for elected officials who see it as an unhealthy source of calories and cholesterol. this web site fast food restaurants
The City Council was poised to vote Tuesday on a moratorium on new fast-food restaurants in a swath of the city where a proliferation of such eateries goes hand-in-hand with obesity.
“Our communities have an extreme shortage of quality foods,” City Councilman Bernard Parks said.
The aim of the yearlong moratorium, which was approved last week in committee, is to give the city time to try to attract restaurants that serve healthier food.
The California Restaurant Association says the moratorium, which could be extended up to two years, is misguided.
Fast food “is the only industry that wants to be in South LA,” said association spokesman Andrew Casana. “Sit-down restaurants don’t want to go in. If they did, they’d be there. This moratorium isn’t going to help them relocate.” The proposed ban comes at a time when governments of all levels are increasingly viewing menus as a matter of public health. Last Friday, California became the first state in the nation to bar trans fats, which lowers levels of good cholesterol and increases bad cholesterol.
It also comes as the Los Angeles City Council tackles issues beyond safety, schools and streets. The council last week decided to outlaw plastic bags.
Fast-food restaurants have found themselves in the frying pan in a number of cities. Some places, including Carmel-by-the Sea and Calistoga, have barred “formula” restaurants altogether; others have placed a cap on them _ Arcata allows a maximum of nine fast-food eateries; others have prohibited the restaurants in certain areas, such as Port Jefferson, New York, in its waterfront area.
Most initiatives were designed to preserve a city’s historic character. The Los Angeles bid is one of few that cite residents’ health.
The mounting pressure has caused chains to insert healthier food choices in their menus. McDonalds offers salads and low-fat dressings; Burger King stocks Kids Meals with milk and apple pieces.
That’s why the restaurant industry says it’s unfair to blame them for fat people.
“What’s next _ security guards at the door saying ‘You’re overweight, you can’t have a cheeseburger’?” Casana said.
But public health officials say obesity has reached epidemic proportions in low-income areas such as South Los Angeles and diet is the key reason.
According to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, 30 percent of adults in South Los Angeles area are obese, compared to 19.1 percent for the metropolitan area and 14.1 percent for the affluent westside. Minorities are particularly affected: 28.7 percent of Latinos and 27.7 percent of blacks are obese, compared to 16.6 percent of whites. see here fast food restaurants
Perry says that’s no accident. South LA residents lack healthy food options, including grocery stores, fresh produce markets _ and full-service restaurants with wait staff and food prepared to order.
A report by the Community Health Councils found 73 percent of South L.A. restaurants were fast food, compared to 42 percent in West Los Angeles.
If the moratorium is passed, Perry wants to lure restaurateurs and grocery retailers to area.
Rebeca Torres, a South Los Angeles mother of four, said she would welcome more dining choices, even if she had to pay a little more. “They should have better things for children,” she said. “This fast-food really fattens them up.” ___ On the Net:
CHRISTINA HOAG
ATTENTION READERS
We See The World From All Sides and Want YOU To Be Fully Informed
In fact, intentional disinformation is a disgraceful scourge in media today. So to assuage any possible errant incorrect information posted herein, we strongly encourage you to seek corroboration from other non-VT sources before forming an educated opinion.
About VT -
Policies & Disclosures -
Comment Policy
Due to the nature of uncensored content posted by VT's fully independent international writers, VT cannot guarantee absolute validity. All content is owned by the author exclusively. Expressed opinions are NOT necessarily the views of VT, other authors, affiliates, advertisers, sponsors, partners, or technicians. Some content may be satirical in nature. All images are the full responsibility of the article author and NOT VT.
