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CoverStory:
Give an Hour 
Giving
the Gift of Life Back To the Troops, One Hour at
a Time By
Roy Asfar,
Special to Veterans Advantage
 In
a special new partnership, Veterans Advantage announced
it's support of Give
an Hour,
a 501c3 organization that is establishing a national
network of mental health professionals reaching
out to U.S. troops and families affected by the
military conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. Mental
health professionals give an hour of their time
each week to provide free mental health services
to military personnel and their families.
Veterans Advantage is providing marketing services
to help promote the availability of these services
to our members nationwide and to help recruit mental
health professionals to join the network. Additionally,
to lend financial support, Veterans Advantage will
be donating a portion of it's own membership profits
to Give an Hour to help defray administrative expenses.
"With specialized treatment for post-traumatic
stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injuries
(TBI), Give an Hour is a unique healthcare model
that taps into the professional therapist community.
They are delivering important therapeutic services
to our servicemen and women returning from Iraq
and Afghanistan and their families. We are pleased
to contribute to their work," said Scott
Higgins, founder and CEO of Veterans Advantage.
"As a health professional
and the daughter of one who served our country
in World War II, I know the importance of giving
our troops the respect and sense of safety they
deserve after their tour of duty," said Dr.
Barbara Romberg, founder and president of Give an Hour. "What
our troops are experiencing is exactly what we
would expect given the circumstances they're in.
By educating ourselves and the public about the
psychological consequences of war, we can diminish
the stigma and better serve those who need and
deserve our assistance," added Romberg.
With 1.6 million troops deployed to Afghanistan
and Iraq to date, there are studies that estimate
that a significant percentage of the troops, as
high as 30%, require treatment for mental health
related issues. Give an Hour is building a national
network of volunteers to respond. Health professionals
are donating a free hour of their services per
week for a minimum of one year, an average $100
per hour value, to provide support to those returning
from war and to help them find the right path back
into civilian life.
Families can also participate
and receive help. "We
agree with Veterans Advantage’s core belief
that when one person serves, the whole family also
serves," added Romberg. We are also offering
services to parents, siblings, and unmarried partners
who are not entitled to receive mental health benefits
through the military. Although these individuals
may have access to mental health services through
other means, they are less likely to seek the help
they need and deserve if that help is difficult
to find or costly."
The participating mental
health professionals will offer a wide range
of services including individual, marital, and
family therapy; substance abuse counseling; treatment
for post-traumatic stress disorder; and counseling
for individuals with traumatic brain injuries
(TBI). Whether it is a young military wife who
is anxious for her four-year-old who has had
nightmares since her husband’s deployment
or a father struggling to cope with his son’s
TBI, the goal is to deliver the assistance they
need to deal with and move through their experience.
"We have an obligation to act and the sooner
we act, the better--the costs to our economy, families,
and the U.S. military are extraordinary," Higgins
added. "The healthier the support system
for the returning troops, the lower the risk of
severe or prolonged dysfunction within these military
families."
Editors Note: Give an Hour
recently received key bipartisan Senate support
from Senators John Kerry (MA) and Chuck Hagel (NE).
Click
here for a "Dear Colleague" letter
from their offices.
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