Assemblyman Rivera To Hold Public Hearing To Examine Mental Health Services

For New York State Combat Veterans Returning From Iraq And Afghanistan

ALBANY, NY (05/23/2007)(readMedia)-- Leading Authority On Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders To Testify At Forum Evaluating The State's Ability To Meet Mental Health Needs Of Veterans Not Being Adequately Served By Federal Programs

Date: Wednesday, May 23

Time: 10:30 a.m.

Location: Room 1923, 19th Floor, 250 Broadway, Manhattan

Dr. Edward B. Tick, Ph.D., a nationally recognized expert in the treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders (PTSD), will testify at an Assembly public hearing to evaluate the state's response to the increasing number of veterans returning from overseas combat who are at high-risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental-health conditions.

The Assembly Committee on Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, chaired by Assemblyman Peter Rivera will take testimony on a range of issues related to the state's ability to accurately estimate the number of veterans who may need mental-health services and how many of the former service men and women may not be served through the federal network of care.

According to Rivera, reports from news organizations, government officials and various veterans groups suggest that the mental-health care provided by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is not adequately meeting the needs of the men and women who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. The length of these combat operations have not been experienced by the United States armed forces since the Vietnam War, and there is concern that the high rates of PTSD among these veterans may exacerbate an already strained state and voluntarily operated mental-health service delivery system.

The hearing also will focus on steps the state can take to ensure that these men and women receive the treatment they need to lead healthy and productive lives. Rivera noted that without appropriate treatment, many of these veterans are vulnerable to mental-health disorders that could lead to such devastating ramifications as unemployment, substance abuse, homelessness or involvement with the criminal-justice system.

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