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WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 7, 2008) - AMVETS, one of the nation's
leading veterans service organizations, and the National Alliance
on Mental Illness signed a memorandum of understanding last week at
the alliance's Virginia headquarters in Arlington.
The memorandum allows AMVETS and NAMI to share resources to
assist veterans and their families in identifying and coping with
mental illness. Together, the two organizations have more than
2,500 locations where veterans and their families can go to learn
more about readjustment issues and mental illness.
"When troops come home from war, they just want to go home. They
often don't want to admit that they're having issues readjusting,"
said John P. Brown III, AMVETS national commander. "By partnering
with NAMI, AMVETS will help teach families about some of the
warning signs of mental illness and show them where to get help for
their loved ones."
A recent report by the Rand Corporation, a nonprofit think tank,
found that nearly 300,000 veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan suffer
from post-traumatic stress disorder. Another 320,000 potentially
suffer from traumatic brain injuries, according to the report.
The Department of Veterans Affairs has acknowledged some of
these veterans aren't within commuting distance of VA health care
facilities, which creates gaps in available care. While VA takes
steps to bridge these gaps, AMVETS and NAMI are taking steps of
their own to provide assistance.
The NAMI partnership, which developed out of AMVETS' "National
Symposium on the Needs of Young Veterans," will help families of
deployed servicemembers to identify warning signs of potential
mental health problems once their loved ones return from
combat.
AMVETS is uniquely poised to offer assistance to servicemembers
and their families through a 2005 memorandum of understanding with
the National Guard Bureau, which allows AMVETS posts and
departments to work directly with National Guard units across the
country.
To date, AMVETS has provided thousands of man-hours in support
of the National Guard. The new partnership with NAMI will augment
the kind of support that AMVETS offers to recently returned
veterans facing a potentially difficult transition.
AMVETS also will work with NAMI to dispel the negative stigma
surrounding post-combat mental health issues, something the Rand
study suggests keeps many veterans from seeking treatment. However,
AMVETS is looking to teach that the human reaction to combat
experience is natural and can be addressed through proper mental
health channels.
AMVETS is a supporter of America Support You, a Defense
Department program connecting citizens and companies with military
personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.
Editor's Note: To find out about more individuals,
groups and organizations that are helping support the troops,
visit www.AmericaSupportsYou.mil. America
Supports You directly connects military members to the support of
the America people and offers a tool to the general public in their
quest to find meaningful ways to support the military
community.
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