More Mental Health Services For America’s Warriors (NAPSA)—Anew initiative has been created to better meet the mental health needs of this country’s combat veterans. Experts say many military service members returning from armed conflicts are affected by financial and fam- a ily issues, anxiety, substance abuse and depression, as well as more serious problems such as post-traumatic stress disorder. In addition, many warriors with traumatic brain injuries will require support through their recovery. The federal partnership enables officers in the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) Commissioned Corps to serve in Depart- ment of Defense (DOD) military medical treatmentfacilities across the United States to treat service members whoare returning from overseas deployment, as well as retirees and family members. At the DOD facilities, PHS officers are providing psychiatric ser- vices, counseling, and family and group therapy. According to Lieutenant Commander David Thompson, a clinical psychologist who treats returning warriors and their families at Eglin Air Force Base, “We help them adjust to being stateside and work through their problems. Being able to help our military men and women deal with the stress of deploymentis very satisfying.” Recruitment Under Way The Commissioned Corps is a uniformed service of approximately 6,200 well-trained, highly America’s veterans are getting help dealing with their return home. qualified public health professionals. They work to promote and protect the nation’s health and safety and respond to public health emergencies. The Commissioned Corps recently launched a recruitment effort with the goal of hiring mental health/behavioral health professionals from across the country, including psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers and behavioral health nurses. Lieutenant Commander Nicole Frazer is a clinical and health psychologist at the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury. She says, “It takes courage for someone to seek help and take those steps and I feel fortunate to help people in that way.It’s a privilege to help someone on an individual level and on a grouplevel.” To learn more about these opportunities, call (800) 279-1605 or visit www.usphs.gov. This article was produced by the U.S. Department of Health and HumanServices.
