Prayer as healing source 2:41
Dr. Sanjay Gupta looks at the effects of faith and prayer on our health.
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/health/2008/06/25/gupta.power.of.prayer.cnn
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
State VA leads the world as PTSD info resource
State VA leads the world as PTSD info resource
By BOB AUDETTE, Reformer Staff
Wednesday, June 25
WHITE RIVER JUNCTION -- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder doesn't just affect soldiers and the victims of war. It also strikes the survivors of natural disasters, childhood abuse, rape, assault and genocide.
And in subtle and not-so-subtle ways, it also hurts the families and friends of those suffering from PTSD.
"Living with someone with PTSD affects families in major ways," said Matthew J. Friedman, the executive director of the National Center for PTSD at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in White River Junction.
Many family members feel they are walking on eggs around loved ones, afraid of sparking an emotional or mental breakdown, rage, depression or even suicidal ideation. Often, it's those wives, husbands and grandparents who turn to organizations such as the VA for help when sufferers fail or refuse to recognize the despair they are subjecting themselves and their families to.
Over the years, PTSD has been called by many names including nostalgia, shell shock and battle fatigue. Those suffering from the disorder were often labeled as cowards or weaklings.
The symptoms of PTSD have been recorded as far back as the 1800s, said Friedman, especially in relation to the Civil War and the Franco-Prussian War in Europe. In the late 1970s, researchers of what was then three different fields of study -- the trauma of Nazi atrocities, rape and serving in Vietnam -- realized they were all studying the same syndrome.
go here for more
http://reformer.com/ci_9688618
By BOB AUDETTE, Reformer Staff
Wednesday, June 25
WHITE RIVER JUNCTION -- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder doesn't just affect soldiers and the victims of war. It also strikes the survivors of natural disasters, childhood abuse, rape, assault and genocide.
And in subtle and not-so-subtle ways, it also hurts the families and friends of those suffering from PTSD.
"Living with someone with PTSD affects families in major ways," said Matthew J. Friedman, the executive director of the National Center for PTSD at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in White River Junction.
Many family members feel they are walking on eggs around loved ones, afraid of sparking an emotional or mental breakdown, rage, depression or even suicidal ideation. Often, it's those wives, husbands and grandparents who turn to organizations such as the VA for help when sufferers fail or refuse to recognize the despair they are subjecting themselves and their families to.
Over the years, PTSD has been called by many names including nostalgia, shell shock and battle fatigue. Those suffering from the disorder were often labeled as cowards or weaklings.
The symptoms of PTSD have been recorded as far back as the 1800s, said Friedman, especially in relation to the Civil War and the Franco-Prussian War in Europe. In the late 1970s, researchers of what was then three different fields of study -- the trauma of Nazi atrocities, rape and serving in Vietnam -- realized they were all studying the same syndrome.
go here for more
http://reformer.com/ci_9688618
Judge let down veterans across the country-after government did
Do you think this judge could have figured out he had no power to do anything before he took the case?
It really would have been great if he figured that part out before he let all this time go by and then left the veterans out in the cold still. What's the answer? Who has the power to make sure the veterans are taken care of if the Bush Administration won't, Congress has limited itself on what it is willing to do and the rest of the American people have not taken enough interest in them to fight for them?
Paul Sullivan of Veterans for Common Sense, should be proud of the effort he put into this law suit and so should everyone else on the veteran's side. That's really all I have to say on this right now because this whole thing is really sickening. Do we care about our veterans or not? Then when are we going to prove it?
Judge dismisses suit charging VA with shoddy mental health care
Bob Egelko, Chronicle Staff Writer
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
(06-25) 11:00 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- A federal judge in San Francisco dismissed a nationwide lawsuit by veterans groups today that sought major changes in the Department of Veterans Affairs' mental health system because of long waits for treatment and benefits.
Veterans' advocates accused the VA of making mental health care virtually unavailable to thousands of discharged soldiers through perfunctory exams, delays in referrals and treatment, and a prolonged and complex system of awarding medical benefits.
They cited internal department e-mails, released in response to the suit, that reported 18 suicides a day among all veterans and 1,000 suicide attempts a month among those under VA care. About 30 percent of the nation's 24 million veterans receive medical care from the department, which is required to provide care for five years after a veteran is discharged from active duty.
go here for more
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/06/25/BAB111EUFF.DTL&tsp=1
It really would have been great if he figured that part out before he let all this time go by and then left the veterans out in the cold still. What's the answer? Who has the power to make sure the veterans are taken care of if the Bush Administration won't, Congress has limited itself on what it is willing to do and the rest of the American people have not taken enough interest in them to fight for them?
Paul Sullivan of Veterans for Common Sense, should be proud of the effort he put into this law suit and so should everyone else on the veteran's side. That's really all I have to say on this right now because this whole thing is really sickening. Do we care about our veterans or not? Then when are we going to prove it?
Against the Odds, Injured Soldier Returning to Duty
Joseph Shapiro/NPR
Army Spc. Freddy Meyers wants to return to active duty after sustaining a head injury from sniper fire in active combat.
Iraq
Against the Odds, Injured Soldier Returning to Duty
by Joseph Shapiro
Listen Now [5 min 22 sec] add to playlist
All Things Considered, June 24, 2008 · Army Spc. Freddy Meyers wants to return to active duty. The 21-year-old has been living in the outpatient barracks at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., since this May. And he's about to go to a meeting that will determine his future in the Army.
Generally, it isn't even remotely possible for someone who suffered a penetrating head injury to stay on active duty. Last year, while on patrol in Iraq, Freddy Meyers was shot in the head.
He pulls out the PDA he keeps in a pocket on the pant leg of his uniform. Meyers still has problems with his short-term memory. To compensate, he has had to learn to be very organized and write down the things he needs to remember — like questions for the doctor. He reads them from his Palm Pilot: "I'm going to ask him about my physical limitations, protective profile, my jump status, my deployability, what the effect of multiple concussions will be, Ranger school, duty restrictions, Zyrtec and my Red Cross volunteer letter."
click above for more
also on wounded going back
Q and A: Returning to Combat
In June 2003, Army Maj. David Rozelle was leading a convoy west of Baghdad when his vehicle hit a land mine. His right foot had to be amputated. Two years later, with a prosthetic foot, he returned to Iraq as a cavalry troop commander — the first amputee in this war to return to combat.
Henderson, Kentucky Plant shooter kills 5 co-workers, then self
Police: Plant shooter kills 5 co-workers, then self
Story Highlights
NEW: Two people die at scene, four pass away at nearby hospitals, police say
Police say worker "had words" with supervisor before leaving on a break
It's unclear whether the supervisor was among those killed, police say
About 35 people were working overnight shift at plastic plant in Henderson, Kentucky
(CNN) -- A worker at a plastics plant in Henderson, Kentucky, allegedly shot and killed five co-workers, then himself, after an argument with a supervisor Wednesday, police said.
The worker "had words with a supervisor" before going on a half-hour break Tuesday night, Henderson police Sgt. John Nevels said.
"He came back," Nevels said. "Witnesses saw the supervisor and the shooter walk outside together. They heard a gunshot and the shooter come back inside the plant, and he shot numerous people."
Two people died at the scene and four others died at hospitals in Henderson and nearby Evansville, Indiana, said Janet Campbell of the Henderson Police Department.
Another victim is hospitalized and is expected to survive, she said.
It is unclear if the supervisor was among those killed.
Watch authorities respond to the scene »
About 35 people were inside the Atlantis Molded Plastics Inc. plant working the overnight shift when the shooting happened, Nevels said.
Investigators were interviewing witnesses to determine the motive of the shooting and the identity of the victims, another police officer said.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/06/25/plant.shooting/index.html
Story Highlights
NEW: Two people die at scene, four pass away at nearby hospitals, police say
Police say worker "had words" with supervisor before leaving on a break
It's unclear whether the supervisor was among those killed, police say
About 35 people were working overnight shift at plastic plant in Henderson, Kentucky
(CNN) -- A worker at a plastics plant in Henderson, Kentucky, allegedly shot and killed five co-workers, then himself, after an argument with a supervisor Wednesday, police said.
The worker "had words with a supervisor" before going on a half-hour break Tuesday night, Henderson police Sgt. John Nevels said.
"He came back," Nevels said. "Witnesses saw the supervisor and the shooter walk outside together. They heard a gunshot and the shooter come back inside the plant, and he shot numerous people."
Two people died at the scene and four others died at hospitals in Henderson and nearby Evansville, Indiana, said Janet Campbell of the Henderson Police Department.
Another victim is hospitalized and is expected to survive, she said.
It is unclear if the supervisor was among those killed.
Watch authorities respond to the scene »
About 35 people were inside the Atlantis Molded Plastics Inc. plant working the overnight shift when the shooting happened, Nevels said.
Investigators were interviewing witnesses to determine the motive of the shooting and the identity of the victims, another police officer said.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/06/25/plant.shooting/index.html
Enterprise Rent-A-Car refused to help find hit and run killer of Marine
Troopers seize car suspected in Marine's death
By Jamal Thalji, Times Staff Writer
In print: Wednesday, June 25, 2008
PORT RICHEY — The Florida Highway Patrol trooper at the door was looking for a car that killed a motorcyclist on U.S. 19.
The first clue the trooper might be at the right place: Two small children came up and asked him, are you here to see the car that hit the motorcycle?
That's what happened on Saturday, according to an FHP search warrant, before troopers got a court order to seize the vehicle they think was involved in the June 18 hit-and-run crash that killed Nicholas Burns Jr.
The 22-year-old Marine reservist and Citrus County resident was set to deploy to Iraq in December. His funeral was on Tuesday.
After last week's crash, the FHP asked for help in finding the vehicle, described as a gray sedan with a spoiler on the back.
click post title for more
By Jamal Thalji, Times Staff Writer
In print: Wednesday, June 25, 2008
PORT RICHEY — The Florida Highway Patrol trooper at the door was looking for a car that killed a motorcyclist on U.S. 19.
The first clue the trooper might be at the right place: Two small children came up and asked him, are you here to see the car that hit the motorcycle?
That's what happened on Saturday, according to an FHP search warrant, before troopers got a court order to seize the vehicle they think was involved in the June 18 hit-and-run crash that killed Nicholas Burns Jr.
The 22-year-old Marine reservist and Citrus County resident was set to deploy to Iraq in December. His funeral was on Tuesday.
After last week's crash, the FHP asked for help in finding the vehicle, described as a gray sedan with a spoiler on the back.
click post title for more
Orlando mayor defends regulations for feeding the homeless
Orlando mayor defends regulations for feeding the homeless
Mark Schlueb Sentinel Staff Writer
June 25, 2008
A confident Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer took the stand in federal court Tuesday, defending the city's regulations on feeding the homeless in public parks.
It was the final day of a trial that pitted the rights of the homeless against the city's responsibility to protect its parks and citizens.The homeless advocates who are suing the city over the 2006 rules are the ones who called Dyer to testify. But that decision may have hurt their case.
Attorneys for Orlando Food Not Bombs and First Vagabonds Church of God questioned Dyer for less than five minutes, and he had no problem coming up with answers.
The city's lawyers then questioned the mayor for 20 minutes, discussing his administration's programs to help the homeless and the complaints the city had received about feedings that regularly drew dozens of transients to Lake Eola Park.
16-year-old boy, mother shot in Volusia County FL
16-year-old boy, mother shot in Volusia County
Jun 25, 2008 10:28 -0400
Updated: 10:28 a.m.
Sheriff's deputies are searching for the person who shot a 16-year-old Deltona boy in the chest and his mother in the leg this morning.
16-year-old boy, mother shot in Deltona Photos
Jun 25, 2008 10:28 -0400
Updated: 10:28 a.m.
Sheriff's deputies are searching for the person who shot a 16-year-old Deltona boy in the chest and his mother in the leg this morning.
16-year-old boy, mother shot in Deltona Photos
NH VA hospital unlikely to be made full-service
NH VA hospital unlikely to be made full-service
By Clare Trapasso
Associated Press Writer / June 24, 2008
MANCHESTER, N.H.—Despite requests from members of the congressional delegation, the head of the Department of Veterans Affairs said Tuesday he does not foresee returning the state's VA hospital to full service.
After touring the Manchester VA Medical Center, VA Secretary James Peake also said he is against giving veterans cards to let them receive treatment at non-VA facilities.
"That's called Yellow-Page medicine," Peake said. "I think that potentially is dangerous, because I'm not sure the individual is necessarily the best consumer. It's hard to be an educated consumer of health care."
He said keeping veterans in the system improves care by keeping it coordinated.
Peake commented hours after being asked by Sen. John Sununu, who invited him on the tour, to return the hospital to full service.
"When Granite State veterans are forced to travel out of the state to receive medical care, it can be a hardship for them and their families," Sununu said in a statement.
Reps. Carol Shea-Porter and Paul Hodes also support making the hospital full-service, and Sununu said veterans should be able to use local non-VA hospitals.
click post title for more
By Clare Trapasso
Associated Press Writer / June 24, 2008
MANCHESTER, N.H.—Despite requests from members of the congressional delegation, the head of the Department of Veterans Affairs said Tuesday he does not foresee returning the state's VA hospital to full service.
After touring the Manchester VA Medical Center, VA Secretary James Peake also said he is against giving veterans cards to let them receive treatment at non-VA facilities.
"That's called Yellow-Page medicine," Peake said. "I think that potentially is dangerous, because I'm not sure the individual is necessarily the best consumer. It's hard to be an educated consumer of health care."
He said keeping veterans in the system improves care by keeping it coordinated.
Peake commented hours after being asked by Sen. John Sununu, who invited him on the tour, to return the hospital to full service.
"When Granite State veterans are forced to travel out of the state to receive medical care, it can be a hardship for them and their families," Sununu said in a statement.
Reps. Carol Shea-Porter and Paul Hodes also support making the hospital full-service, and Sununu said veterans should be able to use local non-VA hospitals.
click post title for more
VA Can Help Veterans Avoid Foreclosure
VA Can Help Veterans Avoid Foreclosure
Wednesday June 25, 2008
The Veterans Administration (VA) is making a special effort to assist veterans who are having trouble making their home mortgage payments.
"VA is reaching out to veterans -- both those who use our home-loan guaranty program and those who don’t take advantage of our guaranties -- to keep people in their homes," said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. James B. Peake in a press release. "I’m proud of our solid record of success in helping veterans and active-duty personnel deal with financial crises."
By beefing up the staff at its regional loan centers, VA can now provide financial counselors to personally offer advice and even work out special financing arrangements to help veterans and active duty personnel with VA-guarantied loans avoid foreclosure.
The VA can work directly with the lenders on the veteran’s behalf to establish repayment plans, forbearance, and loan modifications that can help veterans keep their homes.
To obtain help from a VA financial counselor, veterans can call VA toll-free at 1-877-827-3702 or visit the VA's home loan guaranty program Web site.
Also See:
VA Releases 2008 Veterans Benefits Booklet
Veteran's Suicide Prevention Hotline Begins Operation
http://usgovinfo.about.com/b/2008/06/25/va-can-help-veterans-avoid-foreclosure.htm
Wednesday June 25, 2008
The Veterans Administration (VA) is making a special effort to assist veterans who are having trouble making their home mortgage payments.
"VA is reaching out to veterans -- both those who use our home-loan guaranty program and those who don’t take advantage of our guaranties -- to keep people in their homes," said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. James B. Peake in a press release. "I’m proud of our solid record of success in helping veterans and active-duty personnel deal with financial crises."
By beefing up the staff at its regional loan centers, VA can now provide financial counselors to personally offer advice and even work out special financing arrangements to help veterans and active duty personnel with VA-guarantied loans avoid foreclosure.
The VA can work directly with the lenders on the veteran’s behalf to establish repayment plans, forbearance, and loan modifications that can help veterans keep their homes.
To obtain help from a VA financial counselor, veterans can call VA toll-free at 1-877-827-3702 or visit the VA's home loan guaranty program Web site.
Also See:
VA Releases 2008 Veterans Benefits Booklet
Veteran's Suicide Prevention Hotline Begins Operation
http://usgovinfo.about.com/b/2008/06/25/va-can-help-veterans-avoid-foreclosure.htm
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