Oregon Health Forum Event on Veterans
This morning I attended a breakfast forum called, "Health on the Home Front: Focusing on Veterans' Needs," sponosored by the Oregon Health Forum. Commissioner Cogen was recognized at the start of the event for his leadership on taking care of our returning Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, and for his help in promoting this event as a follow-up to the "Our Veterans, Our Neighbors" event he helped organize last fall.
Jeffrey Rogers moderated today's event and did an outstanding job leading the forum, which was focused primarily on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Paula Brown, Deputy Director of the Oregon Department of Veterans' Affairs, Sidney A. Lee, CEO and Founder of the African American Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Association, Jim Sardo, PhD, Co-Manager of the Substance Abuse Treatment Program and PTSD Clinical Team at the Portland VA Medical Center, and Sgt. First Class Phillip "Vince" Jacques, Area Manager for the Oregon National Guard Reintegration Team rounded out the panel. There were some outstanding questions and comments from the audience, including several Vietnam Veterans discussing PTSD and putting today's soldier's experience in historical context, medical practicioners, education leaders, and many others. Carol Robinson, Executive Director of the Oregon Health Forum did an outstanding job organizing an event that packed a lot of great information into a short timeframe.
Paula Brown highlighted the important role played by County Veterans Service Officers (CVSO's), and I'm glad to say Multnomah County's own CVSO Katie Perault was there, in addition to key leaders from her department, Aging and Disability Services. CVSO's around the state are on the front lines with veterans who are seeking federal help for service connected disabilities and injuries, including PTSD. They are an incredibly valuable resource to veterans and veterans' families, and I was glad to hear their role recognized. However, because CVSO's are front-line service providers and there is often a significant wait for appointments, I do worry about state funding levels for that program.
I had a chance to reconnect with some of the wonderful people who helped us pull together the "Our Veterans, Our Neighbors" event, and got to discuss plans with them for some future efforts focused around Veterans Reintegration.
Posted on February 26, 2008
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