News stories tagged with "ptsd"

(02/06/12) Neighbors of St. Joseph's Rehabilitation Center in Saranac Lake are concerned about plans for a new treatment facility for veterans struggling with substance abuse addiction and post-traumatic stress disorder.

St. Joseph's wants to change the zoning of a vacant, 3-acre parcel of land near its main campus to accommodate the 10,000-square foot veterans' community residence. But neighbors say the zoning change, and the uses and activities associated with the project, would impact the character of the mostly residential area.

As Chris Knight reports, the two sides met late last week to talk about a compromise. more

(12/01/10) Organizers of the Patriot Hills at Saranac Lake project are looking at a resort on Lower Saranac Lake as a possible home for their proposed retreat and reintegration center for veterans, soldiers and their families.

Patriot Hills officials have met with the owners of the Ampersand Bay Resort and Boat Club and an adjacent, undeveloped property. But a deal seems unlikely soon, as the nascent organization is still working to raise funds -- and its profile. Chris Knight reports. more

(12/01/10) Rep. Bill Owens says the Patriot Hills center for veterans and military families has his continuing support. Earlier this year, a Patriot Hills request for about $7 million in federal funding over three years was left out of the defense budget.

Owens said winning funding for real estate acquisition and construction will continue to be "very difficult" as Washington continues to struggle to cut spending, but he said operational funding is more likely. Martha Foley has more.

(07/01/10) A group in Saranac Lake is moving ahead with plans for a respite and reintegration center for active duty solders, veterans and their families.

The proposed residential center is called Patriot Hills. Supporters say it will draw on the village's long tradition as a healing community, by using innovative treatments to help soldiers settle back into civilian life after deployment to places like Iraq and Afghanistan.

Patriot Hills convened its first major public event this week, at the Trudeau Institute. On hand were top military brass, experts on post traumatic stress disorder, and Garry Trudeau, who has explored veterans issues in his Doonesbury cartoon. Chris Knight was there. more

(04/07/09) Senator Kirsten Gillibrand focused on the wellness of soldiers and their families at Fort Drum yesterday. It was the Democrat's first visit to the Army base near Watertown. Gillibrand praised Fort Drum's role in protecting the country and revitalizing the local economy. But she said soldiers need more downtime and more mental health resources. David Sommerstein reports.

(02/11/09) Last year, Fort Drum began posting the names and photos of soldiers who were arrested for drunk driving while intoxicated in the post newspaper. The unusual step was taken by Drum's commanding general when he was alerted to high DWI rates among his soldiers. Today, Major General Michael Oates says the situation has not improved. He's taken another unusual step: asking his troops for answers on his blog. Martha Foley and David Sommerstein revisit this story for our series, Story 2.0.

(02/09/09) Last week, the U.S. Army announced 2008 saw the highest soldier suicide rate on record. Now, the news is even worse. The Army believes 24 more soldiers committed suicide just last month, six times the number from January 2008. One Army official told CNN, "this is terrifying, we do not know what's going on." Inside the Army and out, experts agree back-to-back deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan are taking a devastating toll on mental health among soldiers. The Army has been trying to catch up on treating post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury. Tom Tarantino says it's still not enough. Tarantino is an Iraq veteran and is a policy associate for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. The group was lobbying Capitol Hill last week for more mental health care for veterans. Tarantino told David Sommerstein there is still a stubborn stigma among soldiers attached with seeking help.

(09/10/08) The United States Army is facing a particularly grim statistic. After a record number of soldiers killed themselves last year, the number of suicides is on pace to be even higher this year. According to the Associated Press, there are 62 confirmed suicides among active duty soldiers and Guard and Reserve troops called to active duty in 2008. Another 31 deaths appear to be suicides but are still being investigated. Army Secretary Pete Geren told the AP, "Army leaders are fully aware that repeated deployments have led to increased distress and anxiety for both soldiers and their families." Friday morning at Fort Drum, officials are drawing attention to the danger of suicide with a memorial walk at 11 am. The public is invited to attend. David Sommerstein spoke with Ralph Marcellus, the coordinator of Fort Drum's suicide awareness and prevention campaign.

(05/28/08) New Pentagon figures show 40,000 U.S. troops have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder since 2003. But Army officials believe many more are keeping their illness secret. A study released last month by the Rand Corporation puts the number much higher. It found that 300,000 - one in five veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan -- suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or major depression. Army Surgeon General Eric Schoomaker says officials are encouraging troops to get help, military or civilian. Fort Drum in Watertown has begun expanding its mental health programs. The VA is also scrambling to create new therapy methods to treat PTSD. In the May 19 issue of The New Yorker magazine, North Country writer Sue Halpern profiled one experimental new treatment called "Virtual Iraq."

Halpern told Brian Mann the story of one Marine named Travis Boyd who used the "virtual reality" computer simulation to heal from his wartime experience.

(04/17/08) Mental health advocates are asking New York's legislature to expand unlimited mental health coverage for people with post traumatic stress disorder, including returning war veterans and victims of domestic violence. Karen DeWitt reports from Albany.