a guidebook for veterans incarcerated in texas - US Department of ...

If ineligible for Veteran's benefits, free or low-cost health care maybe available from the following sources:• Department of State and Health Services (DSHS) can tell you whereto find health care facilities for the homeless. Check the phone book bluepages under local, city, or county government for the number, or go tohttp://www.dshs.state.tx.us/services.shtm or dial 2-1-1.• National Health Care for the Homeless Council has a list of healthcare providers working with homeless people across the nation. For a listof providers in your state, go to http://www.nhchc.org/• Free clinics are run by many local organizations and communities. Lookin the phone book blue pages under "Public Health" to contact localgovernment office for clinics in your area.Special Health Information for Veterans:• If you think you may be at risk for AIDS and HIV infection after yourrelease, contact the nearest VA Medical Center to get tested, and seekcounseling. Those at highest risk for AIDS and HIV infection are: people who share needles or syringes to inject drugs or steroids; men who have sex with other men; those born to mothers who have HIV; people who received blood transfusions before 1985; anyone who has sex with anyone who is at risk for HIV / AIDS.• Veterans, homeless, and incarcerated people are at high risk for HepatitisC (HCV), a serious disease that can cause cirrhosis (scarring of the liver)and liver cancer. If you think you are at risk after your release, contactthe nearest VA Medical Center to get tested and seek HCV counseling.13