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Door open to help Connecticut vets with mental health issues

New Haven Register (CT) - 8/2/2015

Aug. 02--If a homeless veteran needs mental health services, they will find help from the VA.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, with hospitals in West Haven and Newington and dedicated mental health clinics in six other locations across the state, stands ready to help any veteran who seeks help -- and employees head out into the community to seek out those who may not know the services are available.

"There is really no wrong door" for a veteran to seek help, said Dr. David Rosenthal, medical director of the VA's Homeless Patient Aligned Care Team, based at the Errera Community Care Center. "Anywhere that a veteran identifies themselves as a veteran, whether it's within the VA system or outside the VA system, there's a process" to get them help.

That door might be at the Errera Center, 114 Boston Post Road, West Haven. Or it might be at the emergency department at the VA hospital or Yale-New Haven Hospital. Of the 250,000 veterans in Connecticut, more than 13,000 have mental health issues -- not all of whom are homeless, said Maureen Pasko, director of homeless programs for the Connecticut VA.

"The Errera Center has a lot of our recovery-centered programs," said Dr. Ismene Petrakis, chief of psychiatry services for the VA Connecticut Healthcare System. "Our footprint of mental health reaches throughout the state."

In addition to the two hospitals, the mental health clinics are located in New London, Waterbury, Danbury, Winsted, Willimantic and Stamford. Among the services offered are medication management, case management, psychotherapy and addiction therapy. They are staffed by psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers and nurses.

The same services are offered to veterans whether they are homeless or not.

"We have open-access clinics here and in Newington," Pasko said. "They can get to us any variety of ways."

Laurie Harkness, director of the Errera Center, said if "a homeless vet walks in here, they can walk in any time ... they'll get to the homeless clinic, they'll be seen by a staff person. Once eligibility is determined, we'll work on whatever issue that needs to be addressed," including legal referrals and help finding a job.

"The VA is the largest integrated health care system in the country," said Rosenthal. "We're the insurance company as well as the provider" of health care, including mental health services.

"We really meet people where they are ... and see what they need, whether it's PTSD, addiction, depression, family issues, legal issues," he said. "We have a tremendous amount of resources, much more so in my opinion than if you were a non-veteran.

"If it's not what the veteran wants, they're not going to take advantage of it," said Harkness. "It's the veteran who chooses the service."

The services go beyond medical care to include "social health care," said Harkness. "We help people get housing. We help people with jobs. We help people integrate into the community." Much of the work is in cooperation with the state Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services."

If homeless veterans don't come to the VA, the VA will go to the veteran, according to Pasko. "Oftentimes there are those individuals who are out and about in the community," some of whom "may have had a bad experience with the VA."

In that case, outreach workers will seek out veterans but won't force services on them unless wanted, Harkness said. "We'll take them sleeping bags, we'll take them coffee. We'll do whatever we have to do to keep them safe until they're ready to engage in VA services," she said. "We don't give up. We just keep engaging."

Rosenthal said one veteran had slept outdoors for 10 years before he was willing to have the VA get him into transitional housing, through a program called VA Supportive Housing, which is a joint program with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

"I think our greatest PR right now are the veterans themselves," said Harkness. "They are often the ones who help people come to access. There's still a negative sense about the VA and it's so distorted because the VA is a great place."

Petrakis said the 2014 national scandal about lengthy waits for veterans to get appointments does not apply to the West Haven VA hospital. "Our VA is much better in terms of its wait times," she said. "We have a dedicated emergency room where people can be seen 24/7." An appointment to see a doctor can be made within 14 days, she said. "You can't match that out in the private sector."

Ending homelessness is an important first step, because services are much more easily delivered if a veteran has a place to live. And it's important that it not be just housing. "It doesn't become a home until you have things to furnish that apartment," said Harkness, who oversees 150 employees and a fleet of 53 vehicles to bring staff into the community.

And while "the VA historically was isolated from her community ... we're working collaboratively with any partner that is available," she said.

That might include a civic group such as Rotary International, which may provide sheets and towels, a mop or other household item. "The partners in the community are right there marching with us with the vets," Harkness said. "It's really amazing the collaborations and partnerships that would not have been around 25 years ago."

In order to help get the word out about services for veterans, Connecticut has a pilot program of the national VA called the Community Veterans Engagement Board. According to Jessica Maki, veterans service center manager in Newington, "The board is going to integrate community services throughout the state. They're planning a public forum where they're going to have service providers" on Aug. 27 at Central Connecticut State University. "We're hoping that it's a very big event," Maki said.

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