Sunday, June 29, 2014
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Sunday, June 15, 2014
Thursday, June 12, 2014
Don't Drink and Drive Coaster Initiative!
on this initiative and agreed to have their numbers placed on the coasters! Community prevention! If YOU are a Putnam County business interested in having coasters, please contact me (Elaine) at putnamdfcgrantee@gmail.com
June is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Month
June is here and it is PTSD Awareness Month! What is PTSD you ask? PTSD
stands for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and can occur after enduring a
traumatic experience. Traumatic events are something that is emotionally
traumatizing that you hear about, visually witness, or physically endure. For
example, combat exposure or a victim of a terrorist attack can lead to PTSD.
There are four symptoms of PTSD: 1) relieving the event and re-experiencing the
symptoms through flashbacks; 2) avoiding situations that remind you of the
event because they trigger memories of the traumatic experience; 3) Negative
changes in attitude towards interests and/or activities that were once
enjoyable to you; and 4) Feeling “keyed up,” known as hyperarousal. You may be
jittery, on high alert, and/or having trouble concentrating or sleeping.1
According to the National Vietnam Veterans’ Readjustment Study
commissioned in 1980, at the time of the study 15% of veterans had PSTD and 30%
had PTSD at some point in their life. The 2003 re-analysis revealed that 4 out
5 Vietnam veterans reported recent PTSD symptoms when being interviewed 20-25
years after the Vietnam War since starting in 1955 and ending in 1975!2 Similarly,
there are over 2.3 million American veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars
and about 11-20% have PTSD and about 10% of Gulf War (Desert Storm) Veterans
have PTSD.3
In order to temporarily alleviate the symptoms associated with PTSD,
many turn to the use of alcohol or other potentially abusive substance such as
prescription drugs. According to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, 10-32%
of Vietnam veterans seeking PTSD have alcohol use disorders.4 On the
other hand, the use of prescription drugs has almost tripled between 2005 and
2008!5 Although prescription drug use has increased dramatically
since 2002, alcohol abuse is most prevalent and poses a significant health
risk. According to a study, 27% of Army soldiers screened 3 to 4 months after
returning from Iraq deployment, met the criteria for alcohol abuse.5
If you or someone suffers from PTSD, there are several services available
within your community. Please contact Chauntel Wright, VetCorps Prevention
Coordinator, at 845-225-4646 or putnamvetcorp@gmail.com;
or Elaine Santos, VetCorps Supervisor, at putnamdfcgrantee@gmail.com to obtain information of
services that are specific to you and/or your family’s needs. Also, contacting
your local VA would be another beneficial way to seek help for PTSD symptoms.
Just remember, PTSD is treatable and relatively common so you are not alone. Do
not feel ashamed to ask for help!
Additionally, to help raise more awareness about PTSD, the Mental
Health Association (MHA) will be displaying an information board at Putnam
Hospital Center on Friday, June 27, 2014 to advertise their new program,
Vet2Vet Peer Networking. Vet2Vet
Peer Networking is led by Veterans, for all Veterans and members of the Armed
Forces. Vet2Vet participation is free, anonymous and confidential. Each
Vet2Vet gathering provides a place for peers (fellow Veterans and members of
the Armed Forces) to network with one another via telephone or in person in a
safe and nonjudgmental environment. They provide services to all Veterans
and families from all eras without restrictions to service dates, discharge or
dependency status. Please be sure to stop by to take a look at the display! If
you would like more information about the Vet2Vet program, please contact
Jessica Mazzucco, Vet2Vet Coordinator, at 845-278-7600 or email at jessica.mazzucco@yahoo.com
Thursday, May 29, 2014
Vetcorps Program begins in Putnam County!
 |
| Chauntel Wright |
In
April 2014, the Putnam County Communities That Care Coalition started an
exciting new program called Putnam County Vetcorps! Putnam County Vetcorps is
being implemented in partnership with the Community Anti-Drug Coalition of
America and AmeriCorps. Vetcorps is designed to help Veterans access key
services and support in efforts to prevent substance abuse among this
population and military families.
There
are over 100 Vetcorps program across the United States. Currently, Putnam
County Vetcorps is the only Vetcorps program in New York State. Nationally, the VetCorps VISTA project is
being conducted by AmeriCorps in partnership with the National Guard Bureau's
Prevention, Treatment and Outreach (PTO) Program, and the Corporation for National
and Community Service. The program’s main focus areas include access to
healthcare, employment, and substance abuse prevention.
The focus over the next year will be outreach,
awareness, referral to services, and volunteer recruitment. To start this process,
the Coalition will be conducting a needs assessment survey for the Veteran
community in Putnam County. The results of this ANONYMOUS survey will be
used to guide development of programs, outreach, and advocacy for Veterans and
military families. Hard copies can be provided to veterans who do not have
internet access by the VetCorps Program.
The direct link
to the anonymous Veteran Needs Assessment Survey is: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/H7QF6L8
Chauntel
Wright is the Vetcorps Prevention Coordinator for the program. For more
information, please contact either Ms. Wright at 845-225-4646 x12 or putnamvetcorp@gmail.com or Vetcorps
Supervisor Elaine Santos at 845-225-4646 x13 putnamdfcgrantee@gmail.com. Please
visit and join us on Facebook by searching “Putnam County Vetcorps” or on
Twitter at https://twitter.com/PutnamVetCorps.
Wednesday, May 21, 2014
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