Here we are in April and tax time! Lots of positive activities are occurring throughout the veteran community, so check out our calendar of events below.
On Thursday, April 13 we will be having our monthly Warrior Partnerships of Eastern Oklahoma from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at the CSC Offices. You are invited. We will have two special and exciting announcements to make concerning Habitat for Humanity and The Mayor's Office concerning additional support for our veterans. Please join us!
If you ever want to submit an article highlighting your organization, just send it to me. Thanks
These discouraging suicide statistics for the state of Oklahoma were compiled by John Wilson, Veterans Mental Health Program Administrator, Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs. We have a huge challenge still in front of us.
VA REACH VET Initiative Helps Save Veterans Lives:Program Signals When More Help Is Needed for At-risk Veterans
Suicide prevention is one of the Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) highest priorities. As part of VA's commitment to put resources, services and all technology available to reduce Veteran suicide, VA has launched an innovative program called Recovery Engagement and Coordination for Health - Veterans Enhanced Treatment (REACH VET).
Recent research suggests that 20 Veterans die by suicide each day, putting Veterans at even greater risk than the general public.
VA in Eastern Oklahoma Considering New Program for Homeless Families
The Veterans Administration (VA) has a new national program - Adopt a VA - which is a supplemental plan involving faith-based organizations and other non-profits to provide needed supplies to homeless families. Melanie Goldman at the VA is involved in the planning and evaluation of this program and if you have any questions, contact her at
melanie.goldman@va.gov.
Can Spiritual Therapy Ease Moral Injury for Veterans?
How big a role might spirituality play in helping Veterans cope with the ravages of post-traumatic stress? The VA would like to know.
"Young people go into combat and see their friends getting killed," said Dr. Nagy Youssef, a psychiatrist with full clinical privileges at the Augusta VA in Georgia and an associate professor of psychiatry at Augusta University. "They might have to kill enemy combatants. They face very difficult decisions, sometimes life and death decisions that must be made in fractions of a second. This can take an enormous toll on them. Some feel they've done something terrible for which they can never be forgiven. We call it moral injury."
OK Legislature Attempting to Create New Predatory Loan Product
Last month, the Oklahoma House of Representatives passed HB 1913 - a bill that would allow small installment loans to be offered with annual interest of 204 percent. If HB 1913 becomes law, a $1,500 loan could have interest charges as high as $2,108! This bill is bad for Oklahoma - but it could be especially bad for veterans.
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Suicide prevention is one of the Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) highest priorities. As part of VA's commitment to put resources, services and all technology available to reduce Veteran suicide, VA has launched an innovative program called Recovery Engagement and Coordination for Health - Veterans Enhanced Treatment (REACH VET).
cope with the ravages of post-traumatic stress? The VA would like to know.
