Some interesting info from our friends at NASW.....

>>> <[log in to unmask]> 6/18/2007 8:53 PM >>>
Dear NASW Members:

While watching the Denver local news the other night, I heard about a
report 
from the Department of Defense Task Force on Mental Health.  One of
their key 
recommendations was that the military needed to "hire more
psychiatrists, 
psychologists and social workers"......

It's impossible to see some of war's deepest wounds. The twice-deployed

soldier plagued by nightmares. The military wife who suffers in silence
while her 
husband rages. The child who grieves for her father - gone to Iraq one
day, 
gone forever the next.  According to the report, "The military faces a
worsening 
mental health crisis it needs to address now, or risk paying an even
bigger 
price later in human suffering". Up to half of active duty soldiers and

reservists reported emotional or relationship problems, depression and
symptoms of 
post-traumatic stress disorder, but fewer than 40 percent of those have
sought 
help, according to the Department of Defense Task Force on Mental
Health, which 
released its findings late last week.

 The 14-member committee spent a year visiting military installations
and 
issued a scathing, 100-page indictment of a desperately underfunded,
understaffed 
system beset by barriers to care and overwhelmed with cases. Families
suffer 
from lack of access to care,  particularly teens with substance abuse
problems 
and special needs children. One soldier told the panel he worried about

leaving his wife to struggle with their child with Down syndrome, who
would not be 
seen for an initial therapy appointment for another six months, four
months 
after the father's departure for Iraq. 

The task force praised the Army and Marines for embedding mental health

professionals with combat units. But it also showed how inadequate
staffing 
actually is. "Evidence from site visits suggested that the Army's ratio
of one 
psychologist or social worker and one psychiatric technician per 5,000
service 
members is probably not sufficient," the task force wrote. 

 Key findings From the report by the Department of Defense Task Force
on 
Mental Health:

 ● Stigma in the military remains pervasive and often prevents
service 
members from seeking needed care. 

● The military system does not have enough fiscal or personnel
resources to 
support the psychological health of service members and their families
in peace 
and during conflict. Additional psychiatrists, psychologists and social

workers are desperately needed. 

 ● Mental health professionals aren't easily accessible to service
members 
and their families, and the number of active-duty mental health
professionals is 
insufficient and likely to decrease.

 ● Leaders, family members and medical personnel are insufficiently
trained 
in matters relating to psychological health. 

● Some Department of Defense policies, including those related to
command 
notification or self-disclosure of psychological health issues, are
overly 
conservative. 
 WV Developmental Disabilities Council  Seeking Partners in
Policymaking 
Applicants

The West Virginia Developmental Disabilities Council is currently
seeking 
applications from adults with developmental disabilities and parents of
young 
children with developmental disabilities to participate in the Partners
in 
Policymaking series. 

We are seeking highly motivated men and women who represent different
ethnic 
backgrounds, different geographic regions of the state, and a variety
of  
developmental disabilities.

Partners in Policymaking (PIP) is a leadership training program for 
self-advocates and parents.   Partners learn about current issues and 
state-of-the-art 
practices and become familiar with the policymaking and legislative
process 
at the local, state, and federal level.  

The program teaches the competencies necessary for individuals to
become 
advocates who can influence the system of services for people with
developmental 
disabilities.

Partners attend 2-day training sessions eight times a year with each
session 
beginning on Friday at noon and ending on late Saturday afternoon. 
National 
and state leaders in the disability movement present on various topics
and 
current issues related to the disability
community.

The program covers the cost of lodging, meals, and travel.  In
addition, 
stipends are available for respite care services or personal assistance
services. 
All sessions will be held in the Charleston area. 


For more information or to obtain a PIP application please contact Jan

Lilly-Stewart, Advocacy Specialist/PIP Coordinator at 304-558-0416, or
download the 
application from our website at:   www.wvddc.org 

All applications must be postmarked by July 15, 2007


Thank you!

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THE POWER OF SOCIAL WORK!

Membership dues support the work that we do.  Thank you!  Your
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very important to us.  If your membership is about to expire, you can
renew 
online and continue receiving the benefits of NASW membership by
visiting:  
naswwv.org.

Susan Sobkoviak
Government Relations Director
WV- National Association of Social Workers
Website: www.NASWWV.org 
345-6279
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