AMERICAN LEFT HISTORY

This space is dedicated to the proposition that we need to know the history of the struggles on the left and of earlier progressive movements here and world-wide. If we can learn from the mistakes made in the past (as well as what went right) we can move forward in the future to create a more just and equitable society. We will be reviewing books, CDs, and movies we believe everyone needs to read, hear and look at as well as making commentary from time to time. Greg Green, site manager

Monday, August 26, 2019

Veterans, firearms, and suicide. VeteransPolicy.org

VeteransPolicy.org<execdirector@veteranspolicy.org>

5:45 PM

To alfredjohnson34@comcast.net

The importance of lethal means safety as a prevention strategy
The Veterans Healthcare Policy Institute has released a new analysis on veterans, firearms, and suicide. From the paper by senior policy analyst Russell Lemle, Ph.D.:

United States veterans die by suicide, and by suicide using a firearm, at much higher rates than non-veterans. There is a growing body of research indicating that increasing the time and space needed for at-risk veteran to access a firearm saves lives in the short and long run.

This document reviews the background data on veterans, firearms, and suicide, and the emerging Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) suicide prevention efforts to encourage at-risk veterans to voluntarily store their firearms more safely. It concludes with suggestions for policy and research initiatives that could further diminish these tragic deaths. Click here to get a copy of the paper.

Just a few (of many) startling facts from the paper:

Firearms are, by far, the most common means for suicide among veterans. Approximately 70% of male veteran suicide deaths and 41% of female veteran suicide deaths are caused by self-inflicted firearm injury, (rates that exceed their non-veteran counterparts).
There is increased risk of suicide among persons with access to firearms at home. People with any firearm at home are at least twice as likely to die by suicide as people without firearms at home. The risk of suicide is far higher if firearms are stored loaded and unlocked. The elevated suicide risk applies not only to the firearm owner but to all other household members as well.
Survivors of suicide attempts using firearms report that the availability of firearms in their home was usually the reason for using firearms rather than another method.
When the Israeli Defense Forces began requiring soldiers to store their firearms on base before going on weekend leave, the overall suicide rate dropped 40%, led by significant decreases in weekend suicides.
While some suicides are considered and planned over an extended period, for many individuals the decision to attempt suicide is often impulsive and fleeting. Surveys have found that a large percentage of people who survived suicide attempts began their attempt within minutes or hours after making the decision. The high-risk, acute phase of many suicidal crises is brief.

Download the paper to read the recommendations.

Lawsuit zeroes in on Mar-a-Lago trio’s influence
From Nikki Wentling at Stars and Stripes:

A lawsuit filed Wednesday against the Department of Veterans Affairs alleges the agency failed to preserve private emails that could reveal the extent of the influence three members of President Donald Trump’s private club in Palm Beach, Fla., exerted over decisions affecting veterans.

Democracy Forward, an activist organization that often challenges Trump’s actions, filed the complaint in U.S. district court, along with American Oversight, an activist and litigation organization founded in 2017 with the goal of uncovering misconduct and conflicts of interest in Trump’s administration.

The suit alleges former VA Secretary David Shulkin used a private, non-official email account to communicate with Marvel Entertainment Chairman Ike Perlmutter, lawyer Marc Sherman and Bruce Moskowitz, a Palm Beach doctor – a trio dubbed the “Mar-a-Lago Crowd.” None of the men have served in the U.S. military or government, yet they instructed VA officials to steer policies affecting millions of Americans, according to an investigation last year by ProPublica, a nonprofit news agency.
…
“Members of the Trump administration have routinely used private email and backchannels to conceal their work from scrutiny,” Austin Evers, executive director of American Oversight, said in a statement. “The VA has an obligation to recover Secretary Shulkin’s emails to determine what he tried to keep out of the public eye."

Unions and VA privatization
The union that represents the majority of VA employees is at the bargaining table. From ABC9 Tucson:

Henry Trejo of the Alliance for Retired Americans doesn't want to lose the doctor who cared for him for eleven years.

"My doctor has immediate access to my records and she knows all about me and it's easy to go there and be treated by her. Now in the private sector, we don't know what kind of treatment we're going to get."

Congressman Raul Grijalva says if the administration cuts the bargaining power of unions there's no organized voice to speak up for workers and veterans.

In statements, the VA denies it's trying to break up or privatize the system . It says it's trying to renegotiate it's union contracts ; "... to improve medical care, customer service, and staff accountability while maximizing value for Veterans and taxpayers.”

Has your doctor asked if you’re a veteran?
From ConnectingVets Radio:

[The Warrior Centric Healthcare Foundation] was established in 2013 when Lewis and a research team discovered the problem with veteran identification in the civilian healthcare system.

"The largest misconception among the general public, and indeed those that run hospitals in other healthcare facilities, is that all veterans get their care at the VA. That is not true," Lewis said.

And the way that civilian doctors typically identify veterans has some major flaws, according to Lewis.

Lewis explained that civilian doctors tend to count on insurance, attire and connected services to identify veterans. Veterans who come through the civilian medical system typically have Tricare, wear tattoos or apparel that identify them as veterans, or are receiving certain services through the VA. She uses herself — as a veteran who qualifies for all of her medical services to be taken care of at VA facilities — as an example to show the gaps in the current civilian approach.

"You would not have seen Tricare on my record, there's nothing in my record from the VA, I don't have tattoos, I don't wear pins on my clothes that say I'm a veteran — so how would you recognize me if you're not asking me if I'm a veteran? If you're not asking those questions, you are not recognizing all the veterans in your footprint," Lewis said.

“Seeking care for mental health a top frustration for vets”
Even with the private sector’s VA Community Care Network operating in much of the country, veterans are having trouble finding mental health providers who are well-versed in veterans-specific culture or conditions. Read more at The Columbian.

Quick Clicks

Politico: Johnson & Johnson to pay Oklahoma $572 million for role in opioid epidemic.
Legion.org: The American Legion held a panel to discuss drug-free treatments for PTSD and traumatic brain injury.
The Southern Maryland Chronicle: Yes, the smoking ban at VA facilities applies to employees, too.
NextGov: The VA health records digitization project is really, really, really behind.

“VA Maine has no beds” for long-term mental health care
From WAGM-TV Maine:

Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Angus King (I-ME), and Representatives Chellie Pingree (ME-01) and Jared Golden (ME-02) urged Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Robert Wilkie to address the absence of long-term mental health and substance abuse treatment care for veterans at VA facilities in Maine. VA Maine has no beds for such care.

“This lack of local mental health services presents an exceptionally difficult choice for Maine veterans who seek mental health and substance abuse treatment: either receive care far away from their family and support networks or forego evaluation and treatment out of concern for having to leave their communities,” wrote the delegation. “Togus urgently needs the ability to provide veterans with long-term care for mental health or substance abuse issues. This unacceptable situation for Maine veterans has continued for too long."

The delegation’s letter supports a request made by VA Maine to establish a permanent unit to provide long-term beds dedicated to mental health and substance abuse treatment. VA providers are trained specifically to help veterans overcome their unique challenges, which normal health care facilities can not provide.

The Maine delegation has made improving mental health care for our state’s veterans a high priority. Last month, Golden successfully passed a provision through the House to increase the amount of funding provided for long-term mental health care beds at VA facilities as part of the Military Construction/Veterans Affairs appropriations bill. In June, Golden pressed Dr. Richard Stone, the Executive in Charge of the Veterans Health Administration, for a plan to address the lack of long-term mental health and substance abuse treatment services at Togus.

A Vietnam Veteran handed a copy of VHPI Senior Policy Analyst Suzanne Gordon’s book, Wounds of War, to Senator Cory Booker, during a presidential campaign stop in New Hampshire. The Veteran and member of Veterans for Peace shared his concerns about VA privatization. Click here to watch the video.