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GROWING HOMELESS VETERAN POPULATION STRAINS
SERVICES IN L.A. -- House Vets' Chair, Bob
Filner,
addresses forum on veterans' needs.
Rep. Bob Filner, House Vets' Chair,
addresses forum.
Story here...
http://www.surfsantamonica.com/
ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-2007/April-2007/
04_03_07_Growing_Vet_Population_Strains_Services.htm
Story below:
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Growing Veteran Population Strains Services
By Olin Ericksen
Staff Writer
The need to house and provide services for homeless veterans comes at a
time when their ranks are steadily growing as they return home from
ongoing conflicts abroad, according to Veteran Administration officials
who attended a forum in West Los Angeles Monday.
There are indications that many veterans with stress disorders are also
ending up on the streets of Los Angeles County and being under served by
a dedicated but overwhelmed staff, according to Charles Dorman, director
of the Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System.
Of the 4,150 veterans treated in greater Los Angeles since the beginning
of the Afghan and Iraqi conflicts, nearly 900 patients have been
diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) at the VA, Dorman
noted.
Of those 900 patients, 11 percent, or 200 veterans with PTSD, have used
homeless/community care programs at the facilities, he said.
Another symptom of the growing problem is that resources are stretched
thin among the hospital, with only 56 of the 900 patients "cared for in
Polytrauma," according to Dorman.
"One of the many challenges that impact our system of health care is the
large homeless population we care for," said Dorman.
"If one were to look at the top ten discharge diagnosis and top ten
reasons for outpatient care, you would see that almost half of them are
for clinical care issues related to this (homeless veteran) population."
Those clinical care issues include not only mental illness associated
with trauma, but a host of substance abuse issues, he said.
Other services at the Veteran's facilities also suffer, Dorman
acknowledged in a candid assessment of the VA's overall situation.
While some county statistics kept by the Los Angeles Homeless Services
Authority show that population is shrinking, local agencies and the VA
are seeing an increase veterans seeking assistance, said New Directions
Executive Director Toni Reinis.
"We now have another long war and we are beginning to see a totally new
population of young veterans attempting to find a way to deal with the
tragic effects of war," she said.
Further, she said, these "20 something" men and women are suffering
higher levels of PTSD associated with roadside bombs killing and maiming
soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.
They are also ending up on the street earlier, according to Reinis.
"After Vietnam, it took nine to12 years for veterans' circumstances to
deteriorate to the point of homelessness," she said.
"Today, the high incidence of PTSD and traumatic brain injury will
contribute to increased homelessness unless dramatic measures are taken
to mitigate this trend."
Other factors such as repeated deployment and the duration of the
conflict could exacerbate the situation.
Currently no timetable has been set to pull American troops out from
either Iraq or Afghanistan.
Congressman Bob Filner (D-San Diego), Chairman of the U.S . House
Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, said he intends to use his position to
focus on giving more veterans better service at their VA facilities
nationwide.
"People are angry here and all over the nation about the lack of
commitment for the VA," Filner said. "I will tell you that the new
Congress is committed to changing that situation to make it responsive."
The first step came in the form of nearly $350 billion in additional
monies appropriated for the entire VA system, according to Filner.
"You can't do it overnight,” he said. “We've had some neglect, we have
had no oversight for the past six years, and so we've got to get some
results quick so people understand which direction we are trying to go
in."
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Larry Scott --
