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RETIRED JUSTICE EVELYN LUNDBERG STRATTON'S VETERANS' CRIMINAL JUSTICE & MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES NEWS
“Sharing Information to Benefit All Veterans”
JULY 23, 2017
Justice Evelyn Lundberg Stratton, Retired Veterans in the Courts Initiative
Evelyn Lundberg Stratton retired from the Ohio Supreme Court at the end of 2012 so as to pursue more fully criminal justice reforms with a particular emphasis on veterans who become involved with the justice system. She
established the Veterans in the Courts Initiative in 2009. Video http://bit.ly/1glCXZ0
Subscribe to this free weekly, all volunteer-generated, news summary by joining our Veterans in The Courts Initiative Group http://bit.ly/1DZ3esD
5,060 providers of veterans’ services just like you, nationwide & internationally, receive this free
newsletter every week. Another 18,000+ can see it on 5 social media sites. Over 5,900 people in 61 countries have viewed my blog over 11,000 times. Thank you for sharing!
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TOPIC PAGE TOPIC PAGE
FEATURED STORIES 1 COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES 14
OPPORTUNITIES 2 GENERAL NEWS 18
GOVERNMENT 3 "VETERANS IN JUSTICE" LINKEDIN GROUP 20
OHIO 4 OTHER LINKEDIN GROUPS 20
STEPPING UP INITIATIVE 8 VETERANS IN THE COURTS INITIATIVE BLOG 20
VETERANS TREATMENT COURTS 10 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 21
PTS/TBI/MST 13 HOW TO JOIN OUR NEWSLETTER 21
SUICIDE 14
FEATURED STORIES
Veterans start to lose Choice health care options as VA funds run dry http://bit.ly/2uTAbJT
Marine Corps veteran Nancy Brown qualifies for a program that allows her to see a private
doctor because she lives about 60 miles from the nearest VA hospital in Richmond, Virginia,
but she was turned down recently when she sought an appointment to treat her ailing knee.
“There are no more referrals,” said Ms. Brown, 57, of Fredericksburg, Virginia. “They’re
denying it now, telling people they can’t see you. What are veterans to do?”
The popular Veterans Choice Program, created after the 2014 health care scandal in the
Department of Veterans Affairs, is designed to give veterans more treatment options if they
can’t get an appointment at a VA facility within 30 days or they live more than 40 miles
from the nearest VA hospital. But the program is running out of money.
The VA initially projected that Veterans Choice would be running a surplus of $1.1 billion by
Aug. 7. But VA Secretary David J. Shulkin surprised lawmakers last month when he
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revealed that the money is expected to run dry by mid-August because of unexpectedly
high demand.
“On financial projections, we have to do better,” he said. “We do not want to see veterans
impacted at all by our inability to manage budgets.”
Mr. Shulkin has ditched a proposal to shift money from an account funding disability
benefits for about 225,000 elderly and disabled veterans after an outcry from veterans
groups, and Congress is preparing an emergency spending measure to make up the budget
shortfall in the Choice program.
House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Phil Roe, Tennessee Republican, plans to
introduce legislation next week that would extend funding for six months, with offsets
elsewhere in the VA budget.
OPPORTUNITIES
William & Mary Law School: ONLINE CERTIFICATE IN MILITARY AND VETERANS HEALTH, POLICY AND ADVOCACY, First Classes start August 21st http://conta.cc/2s6r07L
William & Mary Law School's Lewis B. Puller, Jr. Veterans Benefits Clinic is now offering the
first-of-its-kind online Certificate in Military and Veterans Health, Policy and Advocacy
(MVHPA), and is currently accepting registrations for its inaugural classes in 2017-2018.
The curriculum can be helpful to a variety of individuals, including attorneys, advocates, law
students, veterans, service members, transition personnel, legal officers, veteran services
officers, family members and caregivers. There is a discount for veterans and active duty
service members.
Benefits of the Certificate:
Learn from William & Mary Law School experts about the legal and psychological
challenges facing service members and veterans today, and how to help them as a
volunteer, or in veteran-serving employment.
Develop persuasive writing skills in order to effectively advocate for service members
and veterans in the disability and discharge upgrade systems.
Gain the necessary knowledge and skills, and the education required, for accreditation
by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), in order to successfully represent veterans
in the disability compensation process.
Obtain a distinguishing credential demonstrating intensive training in veterans benefits
law, skill in persuasive advocacy, knowledge of separations and discharges and how to
address them, legislative policy work, and the psychological challenges our service members and veterans face.
Ohio Request for Proposals: $3 Million Dollars in Grants for Ohio Law Enforcement Diversion Programs, Proposal Due Date August 18th http://bit.ly/2uUaKYu
Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine’s Office (AGO) is currently accepting proposals to
replicate or expand successful law enforcement diversion programs that address the opioid
epidemic that are similar to the Drug Abuse Response Team in Lucas County and the Quick
Response Teams in Hamilton and Summit Counties.
The total allocation for this grant program is $3 million, over two years (FY 2018 and FY
2019). The AGO anticipates approving an average award of $150,000 over two
years. There is no minimum award request amount.
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Request for Proposals: Law Enforcement Diversion Programs Application
Law Enforcement Diversion Programs Budget Worksheet
All proposals in response to this RFP are due no later than 5 p.m. EST on Friday, August
18, 2017.
To submit an application or for technical assistance with any requirements of this
solicitation, contact [email protected].
Applications will be accepted by e-mail at [email protected].
Ohio Training Classes: Ohio Crime Victim Justice Center offers free cross-disciplinary victims' rights training http://bit.ly/2vMDFu8
Ohio Crime Victim Justice Center offers free cross-disciplinary victims' rights training to
SANE nurses and medical personnel, law enforcement officers, prosecutors, attorneys,
judges, victim advocates, and victim service providers in counties and regions across Ohio.
These trainings serve to provide the education and tools necessary to protect victims' rights
in Ohio. As part of the training, OCVJC hopes to bring together varying perspectives within a
county or region to begin a conversation on crime victims' rights.
4 Hour Training
3.5 CLE (including 2.5 ethics) and 3.5 CPE Credits Available!
Please see flyer at link above for convenient locations, dates and times for the training
sessions which will be held in Richland, Stark, Lucas and Hamilton Counties.
Ohio Scholarships: Central Ohio MILVETS Veterans Day Scholarships – Applications due November 1st www.milvetsohio.org
Five (5) scholarships of $1,000.00 will be awarded to a veteran, or their child or
grandchild. These scholarships are awarded annually at the City of Columbus ceremony
preceding the annual Veterans Day Parade. Recipients will be guests of the Veterans Day
parade. Applications must be received by November 1, 2017.
For more information, download the Scholarship Application and additional information can
be found on the MILVETS Web Site.
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
Congress GI Bill expansion, identical to House legislation, introduced in Senate
House to consider GI expansion bill next week
Bipartisanship? Look at House Veterans Committee
Committee sends 6 VA appointees to Senate floor for a vote
Department of Defense (DoD) Get Psyched! DHCC Psychologists to Present at APA Annual Meeting
Mom, Psychologist Shares How Laughter Can Strengthen Relationships
Service Pups in Training Help PTSD, TBI Patients Heal
VA Programs
Veterans Affairs secretary promises "brand new" review of Manchester hospital
(Subscription may be needed)
VA secretary, VSOs: Changing the VA culture together
VA has fired 500 employees since Trump took office, report shows.
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VA Apprenticeship Program To Train, Employ Veterans To Assist Other Veterans In Properly
Filing For VA benefits
VA partners with state coordinators to better serve women Veterans
Veteran sets world record while working to break stigma surrounding mental health
VA recognized for its IT innovations: merging technology and health care for life-changing
improvements
MakeTheConnection.net: Connecting Veterans with caregivers like you
True North: Newsletter of the VA National Center for Ethics in Health Care July/August 2017
Veterans Compete in National Wheelchair Games
VA Research
VA to study health effects of Gulf War, Iraq and Afghanistan on vets' families
VA PTSD Research Quarterly: (Patient Engagement in PTSD Treatment
VA Facilities
Black Hills VAHCS Veteran Stand Down, July 25th
Northern Indiana VAHCS Town Hall, July 27th
Community Mental Health Summit Returns to WRJ VAMC, July 28th
Roseburg VA Health Care System Announces the Ribbon Cutting of the new Domiciliary for
Residential Treatment of PTSD and Substance Abuse, August 4th
Houston VAMC Tomball VA Outpatient Clinic Veterans Benefits Fair, August 5th
Jesse Brown VA Medical Center Veterans Town Hall meeting, August 8th
Dayton VA Director to retire in October VA Greater Los Angeles HCS New $10M Patient Monitoring System Installed
VA West LA Gets New CAT Scan
Minneapolis VAHCS Clinic Offers Advantages for Veterans and New MDs
Roseburg Health Care System Relay Newsletter - July 2017
VA OIG Reports
Audit of Alleged Inappropriate Scheduling of Electromyography Consults at the Memphis VA
Medical Center
Clinical Assessment Program Review of the Lexington VA Medical Center Lexington,
Kentucky
Healthcare Inspection – Quality of Care and Other Concerns Robert J. Dole VA Medical
Center, Wichita, Kansas
Administrative Investigation - Conflicting Interests and Misuse of Government Equipment,
Overton Brooks VA Medical Center, Shreveport, Louisiana
Healthcare Inspection—Quality of Care Concerns at Two Veterans Integrated Service
Network 23 Facilities and a Veterans Readjustment Counseling Center, St. Cloud VA Health
Care System, St. Cloud, Minnesota; the Minneapolis VA Health Care System, Minneapolis
Clinical Assessment Program Review of the El Paso VA Health Care System, El Paso, Texas
Clinical Assessment Program Review of the Aleda E. Lutz VA Medical Center, Saginaw,
Michigan Additional resources from my blog
LIST OF VA TOWN HALLS & OTHER MEETINGS NATIONWIDE: http://bit.ly/1Gg1DN6
OHIO
Membership Open: Veterans Courts & Military Affairs Subcommittee (VCMAS) of the Ohio Attorney General’s Task Force on Criminal Justice and Mental Illness http://bit.ly/1A4PoOQ
VCMAS assists the justice system in dealing with the civil and criminal justice needs of our
military and veterans, with emphasis on the physical and emotional causes that led to
involvement in the criminal justice system.
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Special focus is on: development of veterans treatment courts; raising awareness of various
community programming for veterans; creating political and legal environments to best
serve veterans through the V.A. and community partners; fostering pro-bono programming
for civil needs of veterans; and supplying a forum for Ohio courts and agencies to exchange
ideas, resources, and best practices for serving veterans.
Bi-monthly meetings are held via telephone’conference on the 4 th Wednesday of the month
at 4:00 p.m.
NEXT MEETING: Wednesday, July 26, 2017, at 4:00 p.m.
CALL: 1-(800)-555- 2350 Pin# 312116
AGENDA ITEMS:
Justice for Vets’ Vet Court Conference Recap
Hon. Taryn L. Heath, Lisa Williams, Melissa Knopp
Presentation by Warrior Beat Therapeutic Drumming
Trevor Meyer, CEO, Co-Founder
Veterans Treatment Court Survey
Hon. Gary A. Loxley
Update on ABA’s Project for Pro Bono Services
Former Ohio Supreme Court Justice Evelyn Stratton
Contact Co-Chair Tammy Puff (North Central Ohio Regional Director of Veterans Outreach—
Ohio Attorney General’s Office) at 1-567- 231-6719 or at
[email protected] if you are interested in joining this committee or call
in on Wednesday!
Cleveland judge gets national award for veterans treatment court http://bit.ly/2vJRHN6
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court judge was honored by a
national group this week in Washington D.C. for starting a drug and mental health court
docket that serves veterans.
Judge Michael Jackson, himself a decorated Marine Corps veteran, accepted the 2017 Hank
Pirowski Award from Justice For Vets at the end of the National Association of Drug Court
Professional's annual training conference on Wednesday, the court announced in a news
release.
The award is given to those "who have exemplified courage and perseverance in the mission
to connect justice-involved veterans with the benefits and treatment they have earned," the
release said.
Jackson began work to create the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court Veterans
Treatment Court soon after he was elected to the bench in 2013. He presided over the first
cases in 2015.
Cincinnati Hosts National Wheelchair Games http://bit.ly/2vK62JA
Last year, Navy Veteran Jeff Deleon of Salem, Oregon, signed up for seven events and
announced that he planned on taking home seven gold medals.
That’s the spirit of competition that hundreds of Veterans bring each year to the National
Veterans Wheelchair Games.
It’s the 37th year for the event, being held this year in Cincinnati July 17 – 22.
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The purpose of the National Veterans Wheelchair Games is to provide Veterans with physical
disabilities an introductory experience to a variety of wheelchair sports and expose them to
the numerous organized wheelchair sports and recreation activities available nationwide.
The games serve to encourage Veterans to become aware of their abilities and potential
while promoting a spirit of healthy activity and camaraderie.
The games are presented each year by the Department of Veterans Affairs and Paralyzed
Veterans of America with additional support from numerous corporate and community
sponsors.
Request for Proposals: $3 Million Dollars in Grants for Ohio Law Enforcement Diversion Programs, Proposal Due Date August 18th http://bit.ly/2uUaKYu
Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine’s Office (AGO) is currently accepting proposals to
replicate or expand successful law enforcement diversion programs that address the opioid
epidemic that are similar to the Drug Abuse Response Team in Lucas County and the Quick
Response Teams in Hamilton and Summit Counties.
The total allocation for this grant program is $3 million, over two years (FY 2018 and FY
2019). The AGO anticipates approving an average award of $150,000 over two
years. There is no minimum award request amount.
Request for Proposals: Law Enforcement Diversion Programs Application
Law Enforcement Diversion Programs Budget Worksheet
All proposals in response to this RFP are due no later than 5 p.m. EST on Friday, August
18, 2017.
To submit an application or for technical assistance with any requirements of this
solicitation, contact [email protected].
Applications will be accepted by e-mail at [email protected].
EVENT: The 2017 Ohio Women Veterans Conference, Columbus. August 12th , Advanced Registration Deadline including lunch August 3rd http://bit.ly/2uQMGWv
Celebrating Generations of Service - 67,000 Veterans Strong Saturday, August 12th at The
Ohio Union at The Ohio State University.
Don’t miss the Ohio Women Veterans Conference, one of the largest gatherings of women
veterans in the nation. This year’s conference is August 12, 2017 from 9am - 4pm at The
Ohio Union on the campus of The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio.
Meet your sisters in military service of all eras from WWII to present day Iraq and
Afghanistan.
Network with fellow veterans — Ohio is home to 67,000 women veterans — and learn about
the benefits, resources and opportunities you have earned with your military service. You
will find information about Ohio’s new fast track to jobs and education for veterans, services
available locally through 88 County Veterans Service Offices, and the U.S. Department of
Veterans Affairs will share information on its Women Veterans programs and benefits.
More importantly, you will be empowered by Ohio women veterans' strength in numbers.
We look forward to seeing you in August!
Note: Lunch option is not available with onsite registration. All attendees must have a ticket
to attend.
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Ohio Crime Victim Justice Center offers free cross-disciplinary victims' rights training http://bit.ly/2vMDFu8
Ohio Crime Victim Justice Center offers free cross-disciplinary victims' rights training to
SANE nurses and medical personnel, law enforcement officers, prosecutors, attorneys,
judges, victim advocates, and victim service providers in counties and regions across Ohio.
These trainings serve to provide the education and tools necessary to protect victims' rights
in Ohio. As part of the training, OCVJC hopes to bring together varying perspectives within a
county or region to begin a conversation on crime victims' rights.
4 Hour Training
3.5 CLE (including 2.5 ethics) and 3.5 CPE Credits Available!
Please see flyer at link above for convenient locations, dates and times for the training
sessions which will be held in Richland, Stark, Lucas and Hamilton Counties.
Scholarships: Central Ohio MILVETS Veterans Day Scholarships – Applications due November 1st www.milvetsohio.org
Five (5) scholarships of $1,000.00 will be awarded to a veteran, or their child or
grandchild. These scholarships are awarded annually at the City of Columbus ceremony
preceding the annual Veterans Day Parade. Recipients will be guests of the Veterans Day
parade. Applications must be received by November 1, 2017.
For more information, download the Scholarship Application and additional information can
be found on the MILVETS Web Site.
Dayton VA Director to retire in October http://bit.ly/2uQTL9Q DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — The CEO/Director of the Dayton VA Medical Center is retiring in
October.
Glenn Costie will step aside on October 28th. Costie says he’s making the announcement
now in order to give the VA time to find his replacement.
Costie says the advance notice will also allow the VA to train his successor in day-to-day
management of the Dayton VA.
The 400-acre facility serves 40,000 veterans each year.
Costie has served as the Director/CEO of the Dayton VA Medical Center since December,
2011.
Ohio veteran can keep ducks to relieve PTSD, depression http://bit.ly/2vJQtS0 COLUMBUS, Ohio — An Ohio veteran who sought to defy local law and keep pet ducks,
that he says help relieve his post-traumatic stress disorder and depression, can now keep
them.
The Coshocton Tribune reports the West Lafayette Village Council this week granted Darin
Welker a variance to an ordinance prohibiting farm animals in the village, about 80 miles
east of Columbus.
Welker was convicted in 2014 of a misdemeanor for violating the ban on farm animals. A
state appeals court later upheld his conviction and the Ohio Supreme Court declined to hear
his appeal.
Welker argued his six ducks have been therapeutic. He served in Iraq with the Army and
was medically discharged from the Ohio National Guard. His doctor says the ducks have
helped.
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Vietnam experience helped shape Brunswick, Ohio soldier's mission to aid other vets http://bit.ly/2uRbldN
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Death followed Willie Springer home from combat in Vietnam in 1969.
That's the bad part of its impact on his life since then.
And the good part.
He still has nightmares of nightly rocket attacks and of the blood smeared on the tracks of
his bulldozer as it pulverized Viet Cong bunkers.
Once, the memories nearly killed him.
But the experience also gave him the conviction that God is guiding him as a chaplain and
bereavement counselor with Pathways Hospice to help other veterans deal with their "last
journey," as he calls it.
Additional resources from my blog
OPERATION LEGAL HELP OHIO http://bit.ly/1Gg0HbK
RESOURCES FOR VETERANS http://bit.ly/1Gg21LH
OHIO JOBS FOR VETERANS http://bit.ly/1CL3Ay0
RESURRECTING LIVES FOUNDATION http://bit.ly/1R9toOV
EVENTS FOR OHIO VETERANS http://bit.ly/1Tx7tix
EVENTS FOR LAWYERS & OTHER SERVICE PROVIDERS FOR OHIO VETERANS http://bit.ly/2fQHYN7
RESOURCES FOR OHIO VETERANS http://bit.ly/2fQNEql
STEPPING UP INITIATIVE Editor’s Note: Closely associated with Veterans Treatment Courts and other specialty docket courts dealing with mental illness is the new STEEPING UP INITIATIVE. Stepping Up is a national initiative to reduce the number of people with mental illness in Jails. Stepping Up and similar initiatives are an important evolution in the treatment of veterans and others incarcerated with mental illness. Supreme Court of Ohio Justice Evelyn Lundeberg Stratton (Retired) is the Director of Stepping Up Ohio. We have decided to create this new section of Retired Justice Stratton’s News Clips, rather than bury the stories somewhere else. We particularly wish to thank County Court Judge Ginger Lerner-Wren in The Criminal Division of the 17th Judicial Circuit, Broward County of Florida, a Pioneer and Creator of America's first mental health court dedicated to the decriminalization of people with mental illness, for sending us news articles to share with you.
*****************************
AL: Dwindling mental health care resources put strain on first responders http://bit.ly/2uQjqPN
(WIAT) — Members of law enforcement across Alabama are calling for better access to
mental health care.
“It’s a subject that we’ve talked about many times. It makes me angry,” said Cullman
County Sheriff Matt Gentry Tuesday, as he told reporters that a man with a history of
mental illness came into a prominent attorney’s home and killed him.
Later Tuesday night, a spokesman for the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office suggested that
mental illness may have played a role in a situation that ended with a deputy fatally
shooting a man in Clay.
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“The number of community health beds in the State of Alabama are not adequate for the
amount of patients that we have,” said Lt. Cody Sumners with the Shelby County Sheriff’s
Office. “And law enforcement is encountering the mentally ill on a more regular basis.”
Allison Boyd is the Mental Health Coordinator and a legal counsel in Shelby County, who
says she often has to tell families that there is no bed space available for their loved one in
a state mental health facility.
AR: Arkansas Mental Health Court Act law goes into effect Aug. 1st http://bit.ly/2tONJkK
A three-pronged strategy to decrease the strain on local county jails includes crisis
intervention training for police officers, crisis stabilization units and mental health specialty
courts.
Electronic monitoring programs for nonviolent misdemeanor offenders are also being used
by county jails to decrease both the number of inmates and costs associated with housing
inmates.
State Rep. Justin Boyd, R-Fort Smith, pointed out in a recent phone interview that he and
state Sen. Terry Rice, R-Waldron, co-sponsored a bill earlier this year that provides a
framework for Arkansas judicial districts to set up a mental health court program.
The Mental Health Specialty Court Act of 2017 becomes law Aug. 1 and aims to reduce
recidivism rates using “evidence-based practices of supervision, policies, procedures and
practices.” Recidivism is the tendency of a person to reoffend.
Mental health court programs were being done in Craighead and Crittenden counties
already, Boyd noted, but the bill gives judicial districts “more structure” for statewide
implementation. The courts are not mandated for judicial districts, but encouraged, Boyd
added.
IA: Scott County Mental Health Court secures funding for second year http://bit.ly/2tOtWlB
DAVENPORT, Iowa -- The Scott County Mental Health Court will get another year to help
participants on the road to recovery.
On Friday, June 30, Genesis Philanthropy pledged $75,000 to continue the program through
its second year. The group originally donated $50,000 for first-year costs.
Mental health court helps non-violent offenders manage their mental health symptoms,
rather than put them behind bars.
"To be able to work with people who are really dedicated to recovery and to bettering and
improving their lives, their families' lives, their children's lives, is an honor, and it's really
exciting to see that happening," said Courtney Stenzel, care coordinator for the Scott
County Mental Health Court.
MA: State Senate OKs mental health education http://bit.ly/2vJUKVG
BOSTON — Three women from north central Massachusetts were on hand Thursday to
watch as the Senate passed a bill they wrote to give high schools the option of adding
mental health education to their health courses.
The Senate’s approval of the bill marked a milestone for the college-aged women, who
began their quest to add a mental health component to health education while attending
Leominster High School.
The bill, filed by Sen. Jennifer Flanagan, would expressly state that public high schools may
supplement their physical health education with mental health education in areas including
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mental illness, teenage brain development, stress management, physical health, violence
prevention, ecological and community health and overcoming mental illness stigma.
Though the bill is only a few lines long, the women spearheading the effort — Kyrah Altman,
Lauren Wilkins and Alex Buckman — also developed more than 900 pages of curriculum for
a course to teach physical and mental health to high schoolers in one course.
“It has been designed to meet all of the Massachusetts health education standards and the
national health education standards,” said Altman, who now serves as president of Let’s
Empower, Advocate and Do (LEAD), the nonprofit that grew out of their advocacy. “So our
vision is for a school to literally incorporate our curriculum as our health class because it
teaches both physical and mental health equally and it meets all the standards.”
MS: Mental health court pilot could save lives http://bit.ly/2uRdeXE
A pilot mental health court enabled in Neshoba County but not funded by the Legislature
would, among other things, test offenders to make sure they’re taking their medications.
Circuit Court Judge Chris Collins has a heart for the mentally ill having spent two decades in
private practice representing many of them and recognizing the clash that comes between
the law and order of the criminal justice system and the needs of the mentally ill.
For him, seeing a woman who is eight months pregnant and now drug free and productive is
highly rewarding.
With the noted success of the Drug Court, Collins now hopes that the proposed Mental
Health Court can have the same impact and fill a void in many people’s lives.
“There is nothing that I do, day in and day out, more rewarding than my work with Drug
Court,” Collins said. “When I walk into Drug Court on Thursday morning, I see a lady sitting
right here that is eight months pregnant and she is having a drug free baby.”
Collins had an idea for a Mental Health Court in the state of Mississippi, an idea, thanks to
his Drug Court Coordinator Marcus Ellis, is set to come to fruition over the next couple
months.
TAC RESEARCH WEEKLY
RESEARCH WEEKLY: Minorities with Mental Illness and Diabetes
VETERANS TREATMENT COURTS William & Mary Law School: ONLINE CERTIFICATE IN MILITARY AND VETERANS HEALTH, POLICY AND ADVOCACY, First Classes start August 21st http://conta.cc/2s6r07L
William & Mary Law School's Lewis B. Puller, Jr. Veterans Benefits Clinic is now offering the
first-of-its-kind online Certificate in Military and Veterans Health, Policy and Advocacy
(MVHPA), and is currently accepting registrations for its inaugural classes in 2017-2018.
The curriculum can be helpful to a variety of individuals, including attorneys, advocates, law
students, veterans, service members, transition personnel, legal officers, veteran services
officers, family members and caregivers. There is a discount for veterans and active duty
service members.
Benefits of the Certificate:
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Learn from William & Mary Law School experts about the legal and psychological
challenges facing service members and veterans today, and how to help them as a
volunteer, or in veteran-serving employment.
Develop persuasive writing skills in order to effectively advocate for service members
and veterans in the disability and discharge upgrade systems.
Gain the necessary knowledge and skills, and the education required, for accreditation
by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), in order to successfully represent veterans
in the disability compensation process.
Obtain a distinguishing credential demonstrating intensive training in veterans benefits
law, skill in persuasive advocacy, knowledge of separations and discharges and how to
address them, legislative policy work, and the psychological challenges our service members and veterans face.
IN: Veterans get past minor, post-military brushes with law in program http://bit.ly/2uRgjqC
Four veterans are the first graduates from a local court program specifically designed to
help them turn their lives around from low-level criminal behavior.
They were honored Tuesday at an evening ceremony at YES Cinema for completing
requirements of the Bartholomew County Veterans Court program, established last year as
an intensive program geared toward helping veterans turn away from the lingering after-
effects of combat, which sometimes manifests itself in committing crimes.
. . . Bartholomew County’s Veterans Court was established in February 2016 as an 18- to
24-month second-chance program for offenders who have served in the military and have
been adversely affected by long-term combat conditions.
The program initially started as an all-volunteer effort with county employees taking on
additional responsibilities, said Brad Barnes, director of Bartholomew County Court Services
and chief probation officer. The Indiana Judicial Center appropriated $44,751 for the
program last year and has received about $60,000 to offset operational expenses, Barnes
said.
Other funding comes into the program from various fees paid by participants. Veterans
charged with misdemeanors pay $100 upfront in initial and administrative fees as well as
$20 per month for up to 18 months. For veterans charged with felonies, it is $200 in upfront
fees, followed by $30 a month.
Bartholomew County’s program is one of 84 problem-solving courts offered around the state
which have different areas of focus — courts for domestic violence, family dependency,
drugs and mental health, among others, said Indiana Supreme Court Justice Steven David,
a Columbus native.
MI: Kent Co. veterans court celebrates major milestone http://bit.ly/2uJu4XQ
WYOMING, Mich. (WOOD) – The Kent County Veterans Treatment Court celebrated a major
milestone Friday.
For the first time, the program held a multi-generational graduation.
For the two graduates — Dennis Johnson and another who asked that 24 Hour News 8 not
to identify him — their age and when they served are separated by decades.
But their stories are incredibly similar.
“I came home and I didn’t realize what I had pent up inside me,” Johnson, a Vietnam
veteran, said.
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The other veteran served in Iraq in the early 2000s, but shared a similar story.
“The circumstances that got me here, unfortunately, are something that most vets deal
with,” he said. “Unfortunately, it got the better of me.”
Both Johnson and the other graduate served in the U.S. Marine Corps and were diagnosed
with post-traumatic stress disorder after returning home from combat. They both turned to
the bottle to cope.
It was alcohol use landed them in trouble — and eventually brought them to the veterans’
program in Wyoming District Court.
Now, they’re sharing something yet again — as the program’s newest graduates.
Veterans court, which was new to Kent County about two years ago, was spearheaded by
district court Judge Pablo Cortes and is supported by Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker.
Before the graduation, Cortes welcomed a handful of veterans who were just joining the
program.
NE: Programs offers second chances for veterans http://bit.ly/2uU6lVI DOUGLAS COUNTY, Neb. (WOWT) -- The legal system in Douglas County is taking a new
approach when it comes to keeping inmates from ever returning to prison. The defendants
all have something in common: they are veterans.
Douglas County District Court Judge Mark Ashford oversees the courtroom proceedings
twice a month.
Since November, 15 veterans have admitted guilt to their respective felonies and have been
recommended to take part in Veterans Treatment Court.
Here, it’s not about punishment, but second chances.
. . . “They do get special treatment here,” said Judge Ashford. “There’s no question about
that. In my opinion, they are a special class in this country. And the reason for that is now
we have a volunteer army, these are the folks who are willing to sign their name on the
dotted line to give up their lives for the rest of us.”
TX: Veterans treatment program to expand into Starr County http://bit.ly/2vJVp9g
RIO GRANDE CITY – Veterans who have found themselves in trouble with the law will have
a new recourse through a veterans treatment program that will be expanding into Starr
County.
County commissioners authorized their two judicial districts, the 229th and 381st, to join
the Webb County Veterans Treatment Program, a voluntary three-phased program which
identifies veterans who have criminal cases and provides them with counseling for
substance abuse and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
“If they meet and agree to certain requirements, they are pulled out of the regular dockets
and placed into an intense program through this veterans treatment program,” County
Attorney Victor Canales told the commissioners on Monday. “They check in with them on a
weekly basis and if they’re successful, after 18 months they are released from their
prosecution often times.”
The program was created in Webb County in 2013 and was recently awarded a grant from
the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration totaling nearly $1 million to
expand services, the San Antonio Express-News reported in April.
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The hope is to create a regional treatment court program, Canales said. Jim Hogg County
Commissioners also considered whether to join the program during their regular meeting on
Monday, according to the meeting agenda, with the expectation that Duval and Zapata
County will follow suit.
Additional resources from my blog
1. LIST OF NATIONAL AND STATE LEGAL ASSISTANCE RESOURCES FOR VETERANS http://bit.ly/19DC5zu
2. U.S. VETERANS TREATMENT COURTS LOCATIONS http://bit.ly/1Lf1VX5
PTS/TBI/MST 5 Symptoms Of PTSD After Brain Injury http://bit.ly/2vJVsSF
. . . While I am not a therapist, I have found five common symptoms that I—and my fellow
TBI survivors— have experienced.
1. Anxiety at the scene of the initial accident. I am almost three years out from my
accident and I still have a hard time walking down that same driveway, even on a
dry, sunny summer day. Once snow and ice cover it, I actually cry when I have to
walk down it and I become paralyzed with fear.
2. Fear of hurting oneself again. I go through periods of time where I have an
irrational fear of accidentally hurting myself again (not just from a fall in the
driveway). These thoughts usually creep in as our temperatures start to drop and the
threat of snow and ice comes into the forecast. I worry about hitting my head on the
cupboard, or of being in a car accident, or any other scenario my brain works up.
3. Flashbacks or nightmares. In the beginning I regularly had flashbacks of my fall.
They have subsided, but still surface when we start to get ice and snow. I notice I
also have more nightmares during this time of year, and they mostly involve getting
hurt. I occasionally startle myself awake when I hear my skull impacting with the
pavement.
4. Difficulty talking about the traumatic event. Early on I had a very hard time
opening up about my accident, but have since found it quite therapeutic to write and
speak about it—and I know that I am helping others through my work. Many
survivors find that those who have not experienced a brain injury or any form of
anxiety just simply can’t understand what we are dealing with, and will often dismiss
our feelings, which certainly causes even more anxiety.
5. Self-Isolation. Because many survivors feel misunderstood, we choose not to
attend social gatherings. I also find I don’t want to leave the comfort of my home
when there is ice and snow covering the sidewalks and roads. It is as if we go into
self-protection mode…and hibernate.
After N.F.L. Concussion Settlement, Feeding Frenzy of Lawyers and Lenders http://nyti.ms/2vMyFp8
The sales pitches were filled with urgency and emphasized familiarity. Act now or risk
missing out on millions of dollars. Trust us because we are part of the “N.F.L. brotherhood.”
“You have nothing to lose,” a former N.F.L. quarterback implored in one, “but money you’re
entitled to and that you earned the hard way.”
The pleadings are aimed at former N.F.L. players who stand to receive checks from the
largest legal settlement in sports history, a pool of money that may top $1 billion for
retirees who sued the league for lying to them about the dangers of concussions as they got
their heads pounded on the field.
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Research: EEG and fMRI May Detect Consciousness in Patients With Acute, Severe TBI http://bit.ly/2vNv2zv
Summary: Providing patients with acute TBI access to early fMRI and EEG testing will allow
medical professionals greater ability to detect levels of consciousness. A new Brain study
reports bedside exams may miss critical information about neurophysiological damage.
Source: Mass General.
Massachusetts General study the first to search for covert consciousness in ICU patients.
Additional resources from my blog
RESURRECTING LIVES FOUNDATION http://bit.ly/1R9toOV
EVENTS FOR VETERANS & VETERAN SERVICE PROVIDERS http://bit.ly/1Gg1nOi
SUICIDE
SPRC: The Weekly Spark http://bit.ly/2uQMVAT Suicidal Ideation and Behavior among Young Adults
MICHIGAN: Online Screening Helps Michigan Men Gauge Mental Health
UNITED KINGDOM: British Samaritans Train 15,000 Railway Staff in Suicide Prevention
INTERNATIONAL: Lack of Follow-Up Visits a Factor in Increase in Suicide Rates, Study
Shows
Assessment of Suicidal Ideation and Behavior: Report of the International Society for
CNS Clinical Trials and Methodology Consensus Meeting
Suicide Postvention: The Role of the School Community After a Suicide
Developing Successful and Positive Suicide Prevention Messaging – Planning Ahead for
Suicide Prevention Month
ADDITIONAL MENTAL HEALTH NEWS IS POSTED IN THE SECTIONS BELOW.
COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES
Website helps military and veterans get a handle on college costs http://bit.ly/2uQMx5z The Veterans Affairs (VA) website has a good tool for determining school costs at most
colleges and universities.
The website is called the GI Bill Comparison Tool at www.vets.gov/gi-bill-comparison-tool.
The site is available for everyone to use. It provides an annual cost for tuition, gives a
benchmark of living costs and for veterans it provides the actual living stipend paid per
semester or quarter.
The website provides other useful information such as the number of students currently
enrolled using the GI Bill, retention rates, graduation rates, average salaries, the presence
of a student veterans group, and even the number of veteran complaints. Veterans can
tailor the data to show what their educational specific GI Bill plan will cover and how much
they will receive if they attend online.
Boston University: Walmart Donates $469,000 to the Women Veteran’s Network http://bit.ly/2uQRQlE
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A major grant in the amount of $469,000 from the Walmart Foundation will fund the first 15
months of a program organized by two Boston University (BU) School of Medicine associate
professors of psychiatry.
The goal of the program, called the Women Veteran’s Network (WoVeN), is to help female
vets more successfully reintegrate into civilian life that will bring together women veterans
for learning, conversation, and mutual support.
University of Birmingham Research: New biomarker shows promise for pitch (playing field) -side brain injury test http://bit.ly/2vLUuVS
Researchers at the University of Birmingham have identified inflammatory biomarkers which
indicate whether the brain has suffered injury.
The team, led by Professor Antonio Belli, at the University’s College of Medical and Dental
Sciences, now hopes to use these new biomarkers to develop a test which can be used on
the side of a sports pitch or by paramedics to detect brain injury at the scene of an incident.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Research: When your body becomes eligible for an upgrade http://bbc.in/2vMq1ax
We all like to joke about what might happen if robots, powered by artificial intelligence,
decide they want to overthrow humans.
That scenario is, at best, decades away. But this week I’ve been pondering something much
more immediate, and in my view, more likely. What will happen when humans decide to
become robots?
"We’re at a key transition in human history,” says Prof Hugh Herr, who heads
the Biomechatronics Group at the famed Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
He says the group’s aim is to establish the scientific and technological conditions that will
eventually eliminate disability, whether through paralysis or amputation.
But when that incredible goal has been achieved, then what?
"We’re fusing the nervous system with the built world,” he says.
"We’re transitioning from a relationship where we use technology that is separate from our
nervous system, to a new epoch of integration, of human physiology."
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Research: The Emerging Science of Computational Psychiatry http://bit.ly/2vNraP2
Machine learning, data mining, and artificial intelligence are revolutionizing the study and
understanding of mental illness.
Psychiatry, the study and prevention of mental disorders, is currently undergoing a quiet
revolution. For decades, even centuries, this discipline has been based largely on subjective
observation. Large-scale studies have been hampered by the difficulty of objectively
assessing human behavior and comparing it with a well-established norm. Just as tricky,
there are few well-founded models of neural circuitry or brain biochemistry, and it is difficult
to link this science with real-world behavior.
That has begun to change thanks to the emerging discipline of computational psychiatry,
which uses powerful data analysis, machine learning, and artificial intelligence to tease
apart the underlying factors behind extreme and unusual behaviors.
Computational psychiatry has suddenly made it possible to mine data from long-standing
observations and link it to mathematical theories of cognition. It’s also become possible to
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develop computer-based experiments that carefully control environments so that specific
behaviors can be studied in detail.
University of Nevada, Las Vegas: At UNLV job fair, veterans look for second chance http://bit.ly/2vOcqiR
. . . Work for Warriors Nevada was just one of the veterans service agencies and employers
taking part in the Veteran and Family Career Fair and Workshop. U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez
Masto partnered with the UNLV Military and Veterans Services Center to host the
semiannual event.
Employers including state agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security and
private companies such as Northwestern Mutual set up booths to answer questions and
distribute job applications to inquiring veterans.
Down the hall, a variety of career-focused workshops offered information and tips for job
seekers.
Texas A&M University: Texas A&M bootcamp helps veterans launch new businesses http://bit.ly/2vO4rSP
Ten years ago, the Texas A&M Mays Business School started the Entrepreneurship
Bootcamp for Veterans. The intensive educational and networking program, free for a select
group of veterans across the country, had its largest class this year, and on Saturday, the
24 participants -- who each developed intricate plans for successful businesses -- presented
their ideas.
"This is the largest class we've ever had," said Blake Petty, director of the Texas A&M
Center for New Ventures and Entrepreneurship. "They would say they're the best class ever.
But most importantly, we have an underwriter this year. Reynolds and Reynolds' corporate
office has underwritten this program so that we can have EBV every year."
Petty explained that it costs the university, partners and donors $5,000 to sponsor each
participant. With this new partnership, Mays Business School can guarantee the
continuation of the program for years to come.
Petty noted the bootcamp can be extremely beneficial for participants, as most service
members transitioning out of the military don't have the same training and opportunities as
civilians to create and manage a business of their own.
University of Texas San Antonio: UT Health S.A. launches programs to help veterans, military caregivers http://bit.ly/2uTJ9a3
SAN ANTONIO - This Independence Day week, UT Health San Antonio is announcing two
major initiatives that will help both veterans and their caregivers get counseling and other
services they may need.
According to some studies, up to 15 percent of service members who return from
deployments to Iraq or Afghanistan are diagnosed with some form of Post Traumatic Stress
Disorder.
PTSD has affected hundreds of thousands of veterans since 9/11. All too often, these
veterans aren't able to get the help they need simply because they don't have access to
military-trained providers, and many civilian psychologists aren't trained in dealing with
combat-related PTSD.
"The problem is many of our patients are going to be seen in the civilian setting. To date,
there's been very limited programs to train our civilian providers," said Dr. Alan Peterson,
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director of Strong Star, a nationwide research consortium that looks into PTSD-related
issues.
UT Health San Antonio and Strong Star are launching a program that will train 200 civilian
mental health providers across Texas who will commit to treat at least five veterans the first
year. The program will benefit at least 1000 veterans across the state.
"The majority of veterans that are out there actually probably need to be seen by a civilian
provider," said Peterson.
The training initiative is being funded by a grant from the Texas Health and Human Services
Commission and a grant from the Bob Woodruff Foundation.
If you are a civilian mental health provider interested in getting training to help veterans
dealing with PTSD, you can register for the training at www.strongstartraining.org and email
[email protected] for more information.
Another group of psychologists from UT Health San Antonio are preparing to embark on
their own pilot program for what they call the "hidden heroes" in our military. The program
will provide "telehealth" counseling online for twelve weeks to 50 military caregivers across
the state.
"These caregivers are juggling the medical and psychiatric needs of our wounded and ill
vetearns. They're dealing with a lot of feelings of grief," said Dawn Velligan, a psychologist
with UT Health San Antonio.
The pilot program is being funded by USAA. If you are a military caregiver interested in
joining the twelve-week program, you can contact Cynthia Sierra at [email protected] or
call 210 562 5215.
William & Mary Law School: ONLINE CERTIFICATE IN MILITARY AND VETERANS HEALTH, POLICY AND ADVOCACY, First Classes start August 21st http://conta.cc/2s6r07L
William & Mary Law School's Lewis B. Puller, Jr. Veterans Benefits Clinic is now offering the
first-of-its-kind online Certificate in Military and Veterans Health, Policy and Advocacy
(MVHPA), and is currently accepting registrations for its inaugural classes in 2017-2018.
The curriculum can be helpful to a variety of individuals, including attorneys, advocates, law
students, veterans, service members, transition personnel, legal officers, veteran services
officers, family members and caregivers. There is a discount for veterans and active duty
service members.
Benefits of the Certificate:
Learn from William & Mary Law School experts about the legal and psychological
challenges facing service members and veterans today, and how to help them as a
volunteer, or in veteran-serving employment.
Develop persuasive writing skills in order to effectively advocate for service members
and veterans in the disability and discharge upgrade systems.
Gain the necessary knowledge and skills, and the education required, for accreditation
by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), in order to successfully represent veterans
in the disability compensation process.
Obtain a distinguishing credential demonstrating intensive training in veterans benefits
law, skill in persuasive advocacy, knowledge of separations and discharges and how to
address them, legislative policy work, and the psychological challenges our service
members and veterans face.
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GENERAL NEWS EVENT: The American Legion Conference For Women, Reno, NV, August 21st http://bit.ly/2uQLliu
The American Legion will hold it’s 99th Annual National Convention in Reno, Nevada,
August 2017. Please join us at The Conference For Women; developed by women who
have discovered the keys to success-presented by women who will inspire and
invigorate you-and designed with your success in mind:
Career coaching/mentorship
Financial literacy
Professional growth and development
And more!
Mayo Clinic Begins Launch of $1.5B Integrated Epic EHR System http://bit.ly/2vMnDQR
Mayo Clinic is set to begin transitioning its Wisconsin sites to a single integrated Epic EHR
system as part of billion-dollar project.
July 14, 2017 - Mayo Clinic recently started work on launching a $1.5-billion project to
integrate all of its patient health records into a single Epic EHR.
The healthcare organization contracted Epic Systems to provide a single system to house
more than 200,000 patient health records for sites in Wisconsin cities including La Crosse,
Onalaska, Prairie du Chien, and Sparta.
"For Mayo Clinic, this is absolutely a huge milestone,” Regional Vice President for Mayo
Clinic Health System Timothy Johnson, MD, told The Post-Bulletin. “This is the first
implementation of us all being on a single electronic record system. While it is the historical
record, it is also the workhorse. All of our workflows center around the movement of
information, whether it's a prescription or ordering a lab or getting a result back to the right
person.”
Vets-2-Chefs program inspires Suncoast veterans to test their skills in the kitchen http://bit.ly/2uReiL4
SARASOTA CO., FL (WWSB) - A chef training program on the Suncoast is hoping to give
veterans who are struggling a fresh start.
. . . In 2012, Jacobs enrolled in USF Sarasota-Manatee's hospitality management program.
That's when his love for cooking took off.
He started the Vets-2-Chefs program in hopes of helping others just like him.
"When I got out, I had a little bit of a struggle, you know coming home," said veteran Beau
Highland.
"Depression, anxiety...I hadn't seen my family in like five years," added Collin Mapps.
Jacobs partnered with numerous organizations like Goodwill Manasota and USF SM's
culinary innovation lab to help veterans find a place and purpose after serving.
"I wrote a curriculum, I put this brain child together and was like what are the basic needs
and essentials of culinary? What is going to give them the best education the fastest to get
them the fastest job?" said Jacobs.
And the Vets-2-Chefs program is accomplishing just that.
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Canceled $30K wedding becomes dinner for Indiana homeless, veterans http://bit.ly/2vMgosh
INDIANAPOLIS — An Indiana woman didn't want her canceled $30,000 wedding to go to
waste, so she threw a dinner party for the homeless.
A bus pulled up to the swanky event center on Saturday that Sarah Cummins had booked
for the reception in Carmel, a suburb north of Indianapolis. About a dozen veterans from a
local organization were among the guests who dined on bourbon-glazed meatballs, roasted
garlic bruschetta and wedding cake.
Cummins told the Indianapolis Star that she and her fiance called off the wedding a week
ago. She declined to give a reason, but she said they were left with a nonrefundable
contract for the Ritz Charles in Carmel and a plated dinner for 170 guests.
"For me, it was an opportunity to let these people know they deserved to be at a place like
this just as much as everyone else does," Cummins said.
The Smartphone Psychiatrist http://theatln.tc/2vNtXb5 Frustrated by the failures in his field, Tom Insel, a former director of the National Institute
of Mental Health, is now trying to reduce the world’s anguish through the devices in people’s
pockets.
. . . Insel was in his mid-60s. Many people would have been thinking about retirement. But
five months later, he had traded a kingdom of some 3,000 NIMH-funded researchers for a
staff of one assistant, and he began working out of Google’s headquarters. He found in
California’s digital culture a freedom he could previously only dream of.
“We are wildly ambitious,” he says. Insel hopes to use data—especially the rich, ongoing
streams of data that a smartphone can provide—to detect a deteriorating state of mind
faster and more reliably than we can now, and then to respond and turn things around more
quickly. He believes a smartphone can be both a diagnostic instrument and, through the
links it gives us to others, a life-saving mode of connection and treatment.
At any given moment, roughly one in seven of the world’s 7.5 billion people is struggling
with mental illness. “We’re not going to reach all those people by hiring more psychiatrists,”
says Insel. But we might reach them with smartphones.
Already, some 5 billion people worldwide have mobile phones. By 2020, it’s expected that 6
billion will use smartphones with the capability of capturing mental-health data and apps
that can provide a form of treatment.
Insel wants to make those phones the central hub in a new way of delivering mental-health
care. Former longtime colleagues speak of him the way baseball players speak of an ace
pitcher who just signed with a rising franchise: I’m eager to see what he does.
Additional resources from my blog ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR SERVICE PROVIDERS http://bit.ly/1Gg21LH
EVENTS FOR VETERANS & VETERANS SERVICE PROVIDERS http://bit.ly/1Gg1nOi
VETERANS JOB LISTINGS AND HIRING FAIRS WEBSITES http://bit.ly/19Dz2ay NEWSLETTERS & BLOG FOR VETERANS http://bit.ly/1GQzKjf
"VETERANS IN JUSTICE" LinkedIn Professional Group (VIJ)
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Please join us on LinkedIn or Facebook for networking and discussions on the issues regarding
veterans in the criminal justice system. This group's mission is to connect professionals and
advocates who work with and for justice-involved veterans and to share ideas and practices for
assisting those veterans -- from the conditions that lead to justice involvement, through initial
police contact, arrest, criminal case processing, conviction, sentencing, incarceration, and
release. Access our group at http://linkd.in/1947vfS Facebook:
www.facebook.com/veteransinjustice
Join The National Discussion - 1,346 Professionals in VIJ Group
Active Topics
Webinar: New Research on Women Veterans and Intimate Partner Violence (Jul
27, 1-2:30PM Central)
New online tool helps veterans identify legal issues and take action to resolve them
Webcast -- A Guide to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) for Advocates: How to
Effectively Address PTSD in Matters Involving Veterans and Others Affected by Trauma
(9:00-12:30 Pacific, Jul 19th)
California bill would allow troops and vets to avoid conviction on DUI offenses
Pain Management and Opioid Use with Veterans and Service Members
PTSD/TBI and Discharges
Sexual Assaults in Military Drop, Reporting Goes Up, Annual Report Reveals
ADDRESSING THE FLOW OF VETERANS INTO PRISON
LINKEDIN GROUPS
Military and Veteran Benefit Forum Veteran Mentor Network http://linkd.in/1fOlgOt 28,933 members Institute for Veteran Cultural Studies http://linkd.in/1cz3gq1 NAMI http://linkd.in/1cz3Gg7 BI-IFEA (Brain injury-Ideas for Education & Advocacy) http://linkd.in/1cz4e5V Military-Civilian: Hot Jobs and Careers for Veterans and Their Families http://linkd.in/1c59DkM VETERANS IN JUSTICE GROUP http://linkd.in/12APdMS Cuyahoga County Ohio Veterans and Supporters (Bryan A. McGown "Gunny") http://linkd.in/Zxwx1f Veteran Employment Representatives http://linkd.in/ZxwUcc MILITARY MENTAL HEALTH DISORDERS POST DEPLOYMENT FOR PROVIDERS, COMBAT VETERANS & THEIR FAMILIES http://bit.ly/1RVPLFl Midwest Military Outreach, Inc. http://linkd.in/1eiMTkJ Military Veteran Job Fairs & Hiring Conferences http://linkd.in/Zxx4jS Wounded Warrior Resources http://linkd.in/17TMNhJ The Value of a Veteran http://linkd.in/15vD7H4 MILITARY MENTAL HEALTH DISORDERS POST DEPLOYMENT FOR PROVIDERS, COMBAT VETERANS & THEIR FAMILIES http://linkd.in/1fkQLA8 (Please email us other groups that you find and think would be informative and useful for our audience)
VETERANS IN THE COURTS INITIATIVE BLOG estrattonconsulting.wordpress.com
To focus this newsletter on veterans-related criminal justice and mental illness issues and to shorten it to a more
manageable size, we have moved our tables & lists of reference materials and other longer term information to retired Justice Stratton's blog. Please follow the links below for that information.
Operation Legal Help Ohio http://bit.ly/1Gg0HbK
National Legal Assistance http://bit.ly/19DC5zu
VA Town Halls & Events http://bit.ly/1Gg1DN6
Jobs & Hiring Fairs Listings http://bit.ly/19Dz2ay
Events: Conferences, Webinars, etc.
http://bit.ly/1Gg1nOi
Additional Resources http://bit.ly/1Gg21LH
Current Newsletter http://bit.ly/19ovER5
2015 Newsletters http://bit.ly/1FKASAC
Ohio Resources For Veterans http://bit.ly/19ouWn0
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Editor's Note: Thank you to all of the individuals and organizations that provide articles for these news clips
every week. I would especially like to thank and urge you to follow: Marco Bongioanni, MSE Readjustment Counseling Therapist, U.S. Army Veteran,Bronx Vet Center, Bronx, NY Lily Casura, journalist, author and founder of Healing Combat Trauma - the award-winning, first website to
address the issue of combat veterans and PTSD (established February 2006). Lily is also apublic policy grad student, IWMF grantee and NASW award winner.
U.S. Army Colonel (Ret.) Wayne Gatewood, of Quality Support Inc. Wayne disseminates a daily Veterans News e-mail to an international audience
Dr. Ingrid Herrera-Yee, Project Manager, Military Spouse Mental Health Pipeline, National Military Family Association. Dr. Herrera-Yee is currently a Board Member for the Association of the United States Army (AUSA), Military Spouses of Strength, Military Mental Health Project and the National Guard Suicide and Resiliency Council among others. She has also been a special contributor to NBC News, Military Times, Air Force Times, Military Spouse Magazine and BuzzFeed. She spends her free time mentoring spouses through eMentor and Joining Forces. Dr. Herrera-Yee received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and was a Clinical Fellow at Harvard University.
U.S. Army Colonel (Ret.) James Hutton, Dep Assistant Secretary (Acting), U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Col. US Army (Ret) - Iraq War Veteran.
Justice for Vets, Justice For Vets is a professional services division of the National Association of Drug Court professionals, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization based in Alexandria, VA. Justice for Vets believes that no veteran or military service member should suffer from gaps in service, or the judicial system when they return to their communities. As the stewards of the Veterans Treatment Court movement
Judge Ginger Lerner-Wren, Pioneer, America's first mental health court dedicated to the decriminalization of people with mental illness
Kathy Platoni, Psy.D., DAAPM, FAIS, Clinical Psychologist, COL (RET), US Army, COL. Ohio Militia, www.drplatoni.com, Veteran ~ Operation Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, (Joint Task Force Guantanamo Bay and Afghanistan), Co-Author and Co-Editor, Fort Hood Massacre Survivor, National Combat Trauma Expert
Mary Ellen Salzano, founder facilitator of the CA Statewide Collaborative for our Military and Families Patrick W. Welch, PhD, U.S. Marine Corps (Ret), Veterans Advocate & Educator, Buffalo Veterans Treatment
Court - Senior Mentor
HOW TO JOIN OUR NEWSLETTER There are three ways to join my newsletter:
Join my Veterans In The Courts Initiative Google Group at http://bit.ly/1DZ3esD or,
Subscribe to my Veterans In The Courts Initiative Blog for immediate news and for my weekly newsletter at http://bit.ly/1DP1TCi or,
Please contact my editor Pete Miller at [email protected] and request to be added. 1. Please send us a little info about yourselves as we like to introduce our new sign-ups to others for networking purposes. (See our transmittal email page for examples.) If you do NOT wish to be recognized, please let Pete know, otherwise we will list you. 2. We provide these news clips summaries as a way to share information of a general nature and it is not intended as a substitute for professional consultation and advice in a particular matter. The opinions and interpretations expressed within are those of the author of the individual news stories only and may not reflect those of other identified parties.
3. We do not guarantee the accuracy and completeness of these news clips, nor do we endorse or make any representations about their content. We only pass them through to our readers and rely on you to check out their content. We don't intend to make any editorial judgment about their content or politics. 4. In no event will I, EStratton Consulting, or my Editor Pete Miller, be liable for any damages whatsoever arising out of the use of or reliance on the contents of this news clips summary. How you chose to use them is strictly up to you. 5. Please feel free to pass the news clips on to any of your networks, so that we may get the word out as far as possible. You may also send in information similar in content to what we pass on. While we may occasionally pass on such information, we don't intend to promote commercial or for profit products nor be a substitute for your own efforts to promote your own entity or website. We especially welcome information about national funding or training opportunities. 6. If you pass on our clips, please also pass on our Disclaimer. EDITOR/CONTACT
Pete Miller, [email protected], @OHCircuitRider
Ohio Attorney General's Task Force on Criminal Justice & Mental Illness
Veterans In The Courts Initiative
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Editor/Publisher - Veterans Treatment Court News Daily
Editor/Publisher - Traumatic Brain Injury News Daily