AHEC Project for the Behavioral Health of Veterans, Service ...

Enhancing Services for South
Dakota Military Personnel
and Their Families: Yankton
Rural AHEC, Veterans
Affairs, and South Dakota
National Guard Join Forces
Chauntel Wright, MPA; and Sandy Korkow Stockholm, MPA
“He who did well in war, earns the right to do well in peace.”
-Robert Browning
A recent study indicates one in three service members
returning from Afghanistan or Iraq have suffered a brain
injury or are now battling a mental health condition. Key
findings of this RAND Corporation study note nearly half
who need treatment seek it and just more than half who are
treated get “minimally adequate care” (American Medical
Association, 2012). Adding to these issues, a majority of
South Dakota (SD) service members are returning home
to rural and remote communities where services are very
limited or not available.
Aimed at improving combat veterans’ healthcare in rural
medically underserved areas, the Yankton Rural Area
Health Education Center (YRAHEC) joined forces with
the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Sioux Falls and
the SD Army National Guard to organize two conferences
in 2012. With more than 72,000 SD veterans spanning
generations, front-line caregivers have a high level of
interest in providing effective treatment for this population.
On May 30, 2012 in Sioux Falls, 63 providers attended
the Second Annual Improving Combat Veterans Care: Post
Deployment. This free conference featured Retired Major
General Robert T. Bray with 41 years of experience in Fire
Service and the Army National Guard. Conference topics
included learning how to ask questions to identify veterans
and their families, gaining a better understanding of military
culture, and discussing mental/behavioral issues concerning
veterans and their families.
The second conference, “Working with Service Members &
Veterans: Clinical & Cultural Competencies for Mental Health
Providers,” was also held in Sioux Falls August 22-23,
2012. More than 100 healthcare providers participated in
this two-day continuing education conference focused on
improving the care for service members and veterans. Holly
O’Reilly, PhD, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Trainer,
of the Center for Deployment Psychology, provided
attendees with information concerning sleep problems
related to deployment (insomnia), military culture/
deployment cycle, and etiology, assessment and treatment
of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). After attending
the session, one participant commented, “I have a better
understanding of their culture, therefore my approach will
be different.”
To capture a large audience of providers, both conferences
were offered at affordable rates. Registration for the
one-day conference was free and offered 6.25 continuing
education credits (CEUs). There was a minimal $15 fee
for the two-day conference which offered 10.75 CEUs for
psychologists, counselors, marriage and family therapists,
social workers, and alcohol and drug abuse professionals.
Echoing the continuing education needs for practitioners
caring for veterans, the YRAHEC, VA, and SD Army
National Guard will coordinate two additional conferences
in 2013. The location, speakers, and details are in the
process of being established and will be posted on the
YRAHEC website, www.yrahec.org.
REFERENCES
Invisible Wounds, American Medical Association Wire, March 21, 2012.
Chauntel Wright, MPA, is in charge of Special
Projects at the YRAHEC.
Sandy Stockholm, MPA, serves as Data
Coordinator of the YRAHEC.
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