HEALTH ISSUES FACING VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILIES IN POST WAR ENVIRONMENTS

TRAINING AND AWARENESS MATERIALS FOR TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY

"I WANT TO WORK"

     A five ton Army truck rolls down an embankment in northern Iraq.  The driver, Gary Watts, wakes up standing on his head, upside down in the cab of the truck.

     "All I had was a sore neck and a bad, bad headache," Watts reports.

     Medical personnel performed assessments on Gary and returned him to duty where he proceded to drive a truckload of supplies to the wrong place.  Gary's supervisors berated him and allowed other soldiers to make fun of him.

     Three years later medical personnel would perform additional assessments on Gary and today he carries the diagnoses of traumatic brain injury (TBI)

     What should we be doing to support the Gary Watts of the world in helping find employment?  Who is responsible?

BRIDGES OUT OF POVERTY

     HOW OUR ECCONOMY WILL IMPACT SOLDIERS COMING HOME FROM THE WARS IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN.

• Will there be jobs available for those soldiers exiting the military?
• Is there a plan to retrain those soldiers (reservists) who have been displaced from their jobs as a result of frequent deployments?
• What are we doing with corporate America to provide accomondations for disabled veterans?
• Is the United States Government preparing for the onslaught of service members re-entering the job market? 
• Will there be sufficient Rehabilitation Counselors to provide services to "wounded warriors" requiring rehabilitation services?
• Do we need additional assessment instruments to provide a higher standard of evaluations?
• Will our new administration provide new legislation in support of injured service members?  When and how much?

STEM CELL RESEARCH FOR QUADRAPLEGIC AND PARAPLEGIC VETERANS.

LIFE AFTER IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN

     This country will experience an event sometime during the year 2010 when between 125,000 and 175,000 service men and women will return from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Will the structure of rehabilitation be ready for this increase in perspective clients?  What should the support structure look like and what services need to be in place?  Life after Iraq and Afghanistan will happen.  This keystone question is what will be the quality of life?  This is our challenge.

PRE-DEPLOYMENT PTSD ASSESSMENTS

     What if we could predetermine who were likely candidates for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) before we send troops into combat?  How can we use testing istruments to better evaluate military jobs (MOS) for those entering service?  Is it possible for the US MIlitary to use pre-deployment assessments to better utilize manpower through training to talent and ability rather than to fill manpower needs?  How effective would this country perform if we had the right personnel in the right career positions? 

Alcohol and Drug Addiction in Veterans

Skills Training in the Military:

A Help or a Hinderance For Post War Veterans

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