Conference eyes services for vets

Most mental health professionals in the north country are aware of how to access services for active-duty soldiers. Now that same group will learn how to better serve the veterans in the area.

To do that, Jefferson County Community Services and the Fort Drum Regional Health Planning Organization are teaming with the Institute for Professional Development in the Addictions to host a conference that will help local professionals learn how to help veterans access federal and state services.

"There is a difference in care. Active-duty soldiers can access services in the system," said Roger J. Ambrose, Jefferson County Community Services director. "This is really about those people who have been discharged and are civilians with veterans benefits. From our perspective we want to make sure we provide them with every opportunity to give them the front-of-the-line access."

The event will be held April 29 and 30 at the Fort Drum Commons. There will be seminars on ways to navigate the Department of Veterans Affairs and ensure that veterans have access to federal services. Mental health professionals in attendance will hear from veterans and about general issues such as traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder.

"The benefit of this is how it gives us the tools to focus on veterans and access those services," said Denise K. Young, the Health Planning Organization's executive director. "There is a growing veteran population across the nation and it's just concentrated here so we need to know how to address those needs."

The round-table at Fort Drum will be the second of its kind in the state. The first was held last year in Manhattan. A third event will be hosted in Buffalo this summer. Michele N. Cleary, executive director of the Institute for Professional Development in the Addictions, said the two-day event will be very similar to what happened last year.

"One of the things that I found is that our work force is not well versed with what is available at the federal level. It's just such a maze," she said. "We wanted to make sure there is an opportunity for them to hear what resources are available and what some of the barriers and common misconceptions are."

Mr. Ambrose estimated that about 10 percent of the area population is former service members.

He said it's important, especially with the proximity to Fort Drum, to know how to access services beyond what is provided locally.

"We are a little more enriched in services in this area than in others," he said. "The fact that we have a little bit higher percentage and we deal with veterans more often is why the round-table is coming here. It increases the need for our professionals to know what's going on."

Mrs. Cleary said there also will be a concentration on issues pertaining directly to women who served in the military. While preparing for the upcoming conference, she said, she found there was little research on the female experience, and this concerned her.

"It is such a different issue with women on the front lines and experiencing things that women haven't experienced before," she said. "When they come back they are having a lot of difficulty. We need to better understand the needs of a woman returning home from war."

Registration for the event is ongoing and costs $30. For more information on how to register, call Kelly Regan at the institute, 1 (518) 690-0660.