Give an Hour
“I have all these wonderful things because of the help I received.”
Jennifer Crane (Afghanistan)
Pennsylvania Army National Guard
U.S. Army Specialist (Ret.)
213th Area Support Group
Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) are unique in the history of American warfare. The distinct characteristics of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts bear directly on the behavioral health of returning soldiers and on their families as well as on the families and friends of service members whose lives have been lost. According to the National Center for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder at the Department of Veteran’s Affairs, several characteristics of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan make it uniquely difficult for those involved: absence of a clear distinction between front line and rear echelon reduces the ability to escape high-stress situations, extended and multiple tours of duty, and intensive involvement of the National Guard members and Armed Forces Reserves, many of whom are being drawn away from established careers and young families. The experiences of veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan, and other OIF or OEF deployments will result in significant predictable and unpredictable, short-term and long-term consequences that influence the emotional and physical health of returning veterans and their family members for many years to come.
In the past seven years, over 2 million service members have deployed, many of them more than once; some, as many as four or five times. Studies show that about 18 percent of those deployed suffer from severe depression or post-traumatic stress, and over 19 percent have suffered a traumatic brain injury. Symptoms of severe mental health difficulties are as high as 35 percent among OIF/OEF veterans, and only about half have sought treatment. In addition, suicide rates among soldiers are at a historic high and could continue to rise, given that lifetime risk of suicide among those who have suffered a traumatic brain injury is 3 to 4 times greater than for those who have not. The military is trying to address these issues but does not have enough resources and also cannot reach everyone in need of help, especially the Guard and Reservists. According to community leaders, a clear system or approach geared to the unique issues facing Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans needs to be developed to focus community and agency efforts. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has commented:
“Too often, Guard and Reserve members return from deployment and are thrust back into civilian life without time to adjust, often there is a pressure to return to your previous life. These servicemembers also tend to be great distances from military installations and have no mutual peer support in their schools and their communities. Given the combat situations we face, the losses, the wounds, the stress, all of those things. I think we need to be measured about that reintegration. More deliberate." Mullen added.
Give an Hour™, a civilian volunteer corps of mental health professionals, is dedicated to meeting the growing, serious and potentially devastating mental health needs of military personnel, veterans, and their families affected by the ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. While striving to lead the way toward ameliorating the mental health crisis affecting our country’s troops, Give an Hour™ has realized that behavioral health cannot exist in a vacuum and in partnership with the Whitehouse has started work on a comprehensive support system for the military community called the Community Blueprint. With this tool, communities nationwide will be able to identify their military population’s needs, assess existing services, share best practices among local organizations, coordinate and improve programs, and reach service members and families in need more directly.
The Community Blueprint will allow communities to leverage existing programs and agencies to improve their ability to coordinate care. Our ultimate goal is to provide communities with a model that will allow leaders to most effectively utilize the resources and organizations in their communities to comprehensively care for the men, women, and families who serve. Give an Hour and the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation will look to partner on the first two years of preparing and evaluating the Community Blueprint in two demonstration sites – Norfolk, VA and Fayetteville, NC - using findings from those pilot programs to further refine the Blueprint for national use, making it a nationally available and sustainable program.
Partners Profile
Give an Hour™ is a nonprofit 501(c)(3), founded in September 2005 by Dr. Barbara Van Dahlen, a psychologist in the Washington, D.C., area. The organization’s mission is to develop national networks of volunteers capable of responding to both acute and chronic conditions that arise within our society.
Currently, GAH is dedicated to meeting the mental health needs of the troops and families affected by the ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. It provides counseling to individuals, couples and families, and children and adolescents. It offers treatment for anxiety, depression, substance abuse, post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injuries, sexual health and intimacy concerns, and loss and grieving.
In addition to direct counseling services, GAH providers are working to reduce the stigma associated with mental health by participating in and leading education, training, and outreach efforts in schools and communities and around military bases.