VETERANS

Poconos sees innovative approaches to mental health care for veterans

Brian Myszkowski
Pocono Record

As more and more individuals embrace mental health care as a priority, veterans in the Poconos are finding much-needed growth and success in specialized care meant to address their particular needs.

According to St. Luke's University Health Network, Pennsylvania serves nearly 800,000 veterans, the fourth largest veteran population in the country. Each year, about 47,000 people die by suicide in the United States, with veterans being 1.5 times more likely to die by suicide than non-veterans. The risk for female veterans is even more dire, as they are 2.2 times more likely to die by suicide than non-veterans.

Despite the stigma attached to seeking mental health care as a veteran, more and more former servicemen and servicewomen are exploring therapy, medication and other strategies to address their issues.

A May 2021 report from the Government Accountability Office noted the Department of Veterans Affairs had witnessed a 90% increase in the number of veterans receiving mental health from fiscal year 2006 to 2019, more than three times the rate of increase for all VA health care services. During this time, the VA's reported mental health budget escalated from $2.4 to $8.9 billion.

More:Tobyhanna Army Depot's Employee Services Center draws awareness to suicide prevention

Going forward, the VA expects demand for mental health services to grow even further, with the department predicting a 32% increase in outpatient health services over in the decade since the initial report.

According to the GAO report, one-third of veterans who received VA care in 2018 had at least one diagnosed mental health condition, with depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and anxiety being the most common. Often, veterans are diagnosed with multiple mental heath conditions.

Treatment for these conditions can vary, but usually include either therapy, medication, or a combination of the two strategies.

In the end, though, "(a) key focus of VA’s mental health efforts is suicide prevention, which is VA’s highest priority."With a population of veterans in want of mental health help, and the incredibly dire possibilities of what could happen if they do not receive that assistance, it is more important than ever to explore increased and more diverse treatments for veterans' mental health.

Veterans Hub of Northeastern PA opens its doors

This week, the Scranton Vet Center and St. Luke's University Health Network announced the start of in-person counseling by appointment at the Veterans Hub of Northeastern PA, located on the first floor of St. Luke's Lehighton Campus grounds. Licensed social worker and director of the Scranton Vet Center Denise Carey, MSW, LCSW, will provide those services each Wednesday.

Christine M. LeClair, director of Veterans Affairs, Carbon County, said that Carbon County Veterans Affairs is fortunate to partner with St. Luke’s and Scranton Vet Center “to empower community members, local leaders, organizations, family and friends to take action against veteran suicide.”

LeClair said the partnership “plans to equip our community with the tools and resources it needs to connect veterans who are experiencing an emotional or mental health crisis with lifesaving support.” LeClair also said that she believes “having this local, in-person option for counseling is key to addressing the stigma, normalizing mental health care, and providing that specialized care that our veterans deserve.”

The Veterans Hub of Northeastern PA, which is located on St. Luke’s University Health Network’s Lehighton Campus, has begun providing weekly, appointment-only counseling services for veterans as of this week.

Carey agreed, noting that those at the Vet Center are "proud and honored to be part of the Veterans Hub."

"The Hub allows for eligible veterans to have convenient access to readjustment counseling services without having to drive to Wilkes-Barre or Scranton," Carey said. "It is my pleasure and honor to work with St. Luke’s and Christine LeClair in this important endeavor.”

Accredited Veteran Service Officers (VSO) also will be available at the Veterans Hub by appointment to file claims for local, state and federal veteran benefits.

While the new Veterans Hub is accepting patient appointments now, the facility will host a grand opening ceremony at 1 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 10. Guests can RSVP for the event, which will feature light refreshments, by calling 570-325-3986.

The Hub is being dedicated to Chad Peyton, a friend of LeClair’s, with whom she served in the Army and who tragically died by suicide last May.

“Our tagline for the Hub is: ‘Here you will find Compassion, Hope, Advocacy and Direction,’” LeClair said.

Anger, loss and a tentative peace:Veterans from northeast PA describe life after the military

Veterans helping veterans

Pursuing mental health treatment for veterans can be effective, though without input from those who have lived the military life, it may be lacking.

Over at the Valor Clinic Foundation, Sergeant Major Mark Baylis has worked for years to facilitate programs intended to" Provide Veterans with assistance accessing benefits, securing shelter, and providing long-lasting Post Traumatic Stress resources and relief through our Veterans Unstoppable Program," as the clinic's mission statement reads.

"We do peer groups every Thursday at Paul's House, and the third Tuesday of the month at the (American) Legion in Gilbert, and PTSD retreats at our facility in Carbon County once a month," Baylis said.

Valor utilizes combat-experienced veterans for counseling services as part of a peer-oriented program, where those counselors are often more in tune with the circumstances experienced by other veterans, either during their initial training or combat scenarios.

"We run our programs 'veteran centric,' and it's worked really well; our suicide rate is zero 10 years into our program, so we think it's worked," Baylis said.

When veterans seek treatment for mental health problems in the world of civilians, they often run into issues regarding diagnoses and strategies. Baylis does not disregard the importance of clinicians in treating mental health issues — he noted counselors at Valor are educated to know when someone requires the help of a clinician — though there are areas where they lack understanding, he said.

"But I don't think the clinical approaches are as vibrantly conscious of veterans' specific behavior trends enough to distinguish between elevated awareness through education, and elevated awareness through traumatic-induced events," Baylis said.

Paul's House, run by the Valor Clinic, in Kunkletown. Valor runs numerous programs, including Veterans Unstoppable, to help veterans dealing with mental health issues, a major driver of suicidal behavior among those who have served in the military.

This is one of the larger difficulties that often goes unrecognized; the difference between military cultural norms and mental health issues.

"People that don't understand veteran cultural norms misdiagnose them as mental health problems, and prescribe drugs that have difficult side effects to manage them, among which is suicide. And I don't know that that's necessarily a good plan," Baylis said. "I would hope the future holds that we get more more veteran insights into the clinical research so people can understand veteran behavior norms better."

Baylis said that a prime example of this issue in practice is a relationship conflict involving a veteran. As he describes it, a significant part of military culture is "you make no mistakes, people die, and from the time you come in, if you see somebody else make a mistake, you're supposed to correct it."

"And so spouses and coworkers get sick of veterans very often, because they function on what they call an 'on-the-spot-correction' as normal," Baylis said, noting that this cultural issue can often be confused with PTSD.

But when a veteran's counselor has also experienced, or is knowledgeable of, those particular discrepancies, it can really make a difference, especially in programs like Veterans Unstoppable, which Valor runs.

Veterans Unstoppable helps individuals with "understanding your past to proactively navigate your future, identifying and coping with triggers that can interfere with reintegration, relationship building skills, gaining closure to traumatic events, (and) putting purpose and direction back in your life" through specially-tailored approaches for each individual.

The program, which is centered on peer support groups, retreats, and recreational therapy, has been a resounding success: graduates are often able to heal damaged relationship and usually see lower divorce rates and homelessness rates, while also seeing higher employment rates.

And most importantly, no Veterans Unstoppable graduate has ever committed suicide.

There is room to grow though, as Baylis notes. Even though programs like those at the Coatesville, PA Healthcare Center, there simply is not enough space to accommodate all those who need the help.

"It can sometimes be difficult to find open space for the chronic ongoing issues that need more time," Baylis said. "So I don't think there are enough spaces on the clinical side for the more long-term treatment for veterans."

Of interest:Senate passed the PACT Act. Here's how it could help Pennsylvania veterans

Additional funding for veteran programs such as the St. Luke's Hub, Valor, the Coatesville VA and other initiatives would certainly be welcome. Next weekend, Baylis will be participating in a motorcycle event to raise awareness about veterans' issues, and they will be using the opportunity to present some novel ideas that combine both experience and education to treat veterans in new ways.

"We have five 'action asks' that we're trying to get the politicians to do, one of which is to do more research on some of the veteran-centric stuff, and maybe providing grant funding to help combat veterans go through the point where they become research fellows, where they're doing the research on this topic with their insights in tow," Baylis said.

While these victories are certainly worth celebrating, with growing demand, the Poconos — and just about every other region of the nation — will have to ramp up efforts to provide targeted assistance for those that have served the country.

For veterans interested in joining the next Valor retreat, contact 570-369-3797. The retreat itself, along with all food and supplies, are provided for free, and spouses are welcome to join.

For veterans seeking immediate mental health assistance, the Veterans Crisis Line can be reached by dialing 988 and pressing 1, by texting 838255, or by live chatting on their website.