VETERANS MENTAL HEALTH SUMMIT 2020 on Behalf of the Veterans Health Coalition, Thank You for Taking the Time Watch This Summit
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WELLNESS IS PREVENTION: VETERANS MENTAL HEALTH SUMMIT 2020 On behalf of the Veterans Health Coalition, thank you for taking the time watch this summit. We encourage you to reach out to these resources to increase your well-being and build a healthy life. The Resource Guide which is available on the Summit webpage includes these resources and more. Please feel free to download it and share it widely! www.veteranshealthcoalition.org/mental-health-summit www.veteranshealthcoalition.org THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS Here’s to your health! The Charles E. Kubly Foundation (CEKF) is pleased to be sponsoring the Veterans Virtual Mental Health Summit. We hope you’ll glean something personally useful from the Summit—health tips and strategies that work for you, exposure to new wellness practices, and motivation from other veterans sharing their stories. Wellness IS Prevention! The CEKF is focused on raising awareness about the common disease of depression, eliminating stigma so everyone talks more freely about mental health, increasing access to mental health resources and preventing suicide. It raises funds which it grants to nonprofit organizations working in mental health and suicide prevention. Ann Homstad Executive Director The Charles E. Kubly Foundation www.veteranshealthcoalition.org Rogers Behavioral Health is proud to partner with the VA to educate and support veterans and their families. Rogers and the VA Health System share the goal of positively impacting the lives and health of veterans and their families who are affected by mental health conditions, and we realize these wounds can be long-lasting and sometimes invisible. Rogers is committed to helping veterans and their families to move forward by providing them with the most effective and compassionate behavioral health care possible. We are honored work with the VA to support the recovery of those who have served our country. Saluting and honoring Veterans requires more than gratitude. It requires action and dedication. For more than 20 years, Humana has served Veterans, military personnel and their families. Humana’s involvement started with being awarded the TRICARE South contract in 1996. Humana’s involvement with the Veteran community includes continued hiring initiatives focusing on hiring Veterans and military spouses, continuing exclusive designation as the national Medicare Advantage plan carrier for VFW and AMVETS, working on improving Veteran food insecurity through Ruck Marches at Rock ‘N’ Roll Marathons and Uniting to Combat Hunger campaigns, volunteering with local Veterans groups, and various other Veteran focused initiatives. In 2013, Humana received Secretary of Defense Distinguished Freedom Award for supporting National Guard and Reserve employees. Most recently Humana was named a Top Veteran Friendly Company in the US Veterans Magazine Annual Best of the Best list (2020). Humana Medicare Advantage plans have also earned the highly coveted “Recommended by USAA” designation. When it comes to Veteran’s, Humana is your company. Contacts: Mike Sylvester Henry Bourassa Phone: (414)551-1331 Phone: (262)501-1816 www.veteranshealthcoalition.org NOW FOR THE PROGRAMMING: The Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center is located on 245 acres on the western edge of Milwaukee. The Medical Center delivers primary, secondary, and tertiary medical care in 196 hospital beds and provides more than 857,000 visits annually through an extensive outpatient program. The nursing home care unit of 113 beds offers geriatric programming and the 150 domiciliary beds are the focus of programs in Substance Abuse Rehabilitation, Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder care. The VAMC also has community clinics in Appleton, Cleveland, Green Bay, and Union Grove, Wisconsin. Special programs include interventional radiology, cardiac surgery, comprehensive cancer care including radiation therapy, an extensive telemedicine program with the Iron Mountain, MI VAMC, a Spinal Cord Injury Unit, and, in long term care, a Geriatric Evaluation and Management Program and a palliative care program. Reducing Veteran suicide is VA’s top clinical priority. In this presentation you will learn about the Suicide Prevention Program’s national initiatives as well as local efforts to prevent suicide among Veterans. Suicide is a national public health issue that affects everyone. Individuals do not need specialized mental health training to help someone who is suicidal. Simple effective interventions can make a real difference and save a life. Contact: Laura Acompando, LCSW Erin Maney, LCSW Phone: (414)384-2000 Ext. 42671 Phone: (414)384-2000 Ext. 46787 www.veteranscrisisline.net www.betherewis.com www.veteranshealthcoalition.org SUCCESS STORIES SAM FLOYD I currently am working with a counselor through the VA. It is a form of acceptance therapy. There is a mediation element that is very helpful that I try to practice in my everyday life. I also started my own coffee roasting business with the intension to start conversations. Conversations over coffee can be the start of the healing process that so many veterans are longing for. A percentage of every sale goes to an Organization called Semper Fi Fund. They are an organization that gives veterans resources and they also provide opportunities that allow veterans to heal from their wounds suffered while serving our country. My company is my own form of therapy as well. It provides me opportunities to tell my story so that others may hear it and seek help if they are struggling. Thank you again for this opportunity, Sam Floyd, Operation Coffee www.semperfifund.org www.operationcoffee.com. www.veteranshealthcoalition.org MARK FOREMAN Navy Corpsman with the 3rd Battalion/5th Marines in Vietnam (1968) I was a Navy Corpsman attached to the grunt marines for five weeks in Vietnam. It was my job when a marine was wounded to stop their bleeding and keep them breathing long enough to be medevacked to a field hospital. Every day, from sunrise to sunset, we walked in single file through small villages, rice fields, and dense jungle-covered mountains. We received sniper fire most days, but they never hit any of us. It wasn’t until the fifth week that everything turned south. Eighty-three of us were climbing a steep mountain when we found ourselves surrounded by fifteen hundred North Vietnamese Army Regulars. 70% of us were either killed or wounded in the first ten minutes of the battle. I was severely wounded on the second day of what turned out to be a very bloody six-day battle. It took five days before any of us wounded could be safely medevacked to field hospitals. The process of healing physically, emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually from this kind of trauma has been an ongoing, but fascinating challenge over the past fifty-two years. DAVID BROWN My name is Dave Brown and I am U.S. Army, Retired, and Iraqi Combat Veteran. I proudly served in the U.S. Army and Army National Guard for a combine service time of 14 years. Because of my combat service I have developed daily challenges that I have face for the past 17 years. During the last 17 years I have struggled with recovery, addiction, and PTSD. During my time of struggle, I have found my calling in helping vets like myself and the passion for cooking. Helping veterans and cooking has become therapeutic and my new purpose in life. These two new passions of mine have allowed me to follow my dreams. www.veteranshealthcoalition.org RESOURCE PRESENTATIONS Advocate-Aurora Veterans Program is designed by Veteran for Veterans. Military is a culture, and we believe that understanding that culture is essential to helping our veteran and active duty brothers and sisters to find wellness. This presentation is a brief overview of our program and our philosophy and why military culture matters, and how we are helping veterans. Presenter: Dr Gregory Burek, USMC Veterans can call 414-454-6516 or 414-454-6600 to schedule and/or get information on programming. The Center for Veterans Issues (CVI), is a non-profit 501(c) 3 veteran service organization dedicated to serving all veterans in the areas of housing, employment, legal matters and re- adjustment services. Our approach is a wrap-around approach, where CVI provides needed community services for all veterans. CVI serves all who wore the uniform! Dr Berdie Cowser is presenting for CVI. Eduardo Garza, CEO Veterans Resource Center, 3400 W Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53208 414-345-4251 https://www.cvivet.org/ www.veteranshealthcoalition.org Capt. John D Mason Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Captain-John-D-Mason-Veteran-Peer-Outreach-Program- 359067281582256 Mark Flower, Veteran Peer Specialist, shares with you about this outreach program. The Veteran Peers use their unique skills and Veteran affiliation to provide outreach by engaging Veterans and their families in the community to connect them with Veterans, VA healthcare, and community resources to live a healthy and productive life. Contacts: Mark Flower (414) 238-1798 (cell) (414) 955-8910 (office) [email protected] Chris Swift (262) 227-2050 (cell) (414) 955-8910 (office) [email protected] www.veteranshealthcoalition.org In today’s modern world, more and more people are turning to yoga and massage as natural alternatives to improve overall health and well-being. In this presentation, you will learn about the benefits of the practice, and specifically how this practice is helping the Veteran population. Hear from a Veteran who shares his personal yoga journey. Meet the owner of Everyday Bliss and the teacher who has been providing FREE weekly yoga classes for Veterans on Sundays at 10:30 am. Discover details on how you can join. We look forward to meeting you! 262-781-8102 http://everyday-bliss.com Float Milwaukee is the area’s first dedicated floatation therapy center. Our spa-like environment allows for floating in a private pod or private open pool with 10 inches of warm water and 950 pounds of Epsom salt.