The difference a community makes

PRINCE WILLIAM, Va. - Today, thanks to many advocates and the passing of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act in 1973 and the American with Disabilities Act in 1990, there is greater access, services and understanding for individuals with diminished or impaired capacity. We see evidence throughout our day-to-day life in parking lots with handicap parking permit spots, public restrooms with larger stalls, and restaurants with ramps and table access.
The direct application and acceptance of these adaptations and accommodations is more prevalently and easily applied to physical disabilities, less so, to mental impairments and cognitive disabilities.
Twenty years later, a social stigma persists where mental or behavioral health is concerned. Whether real or perceived, for veterans with PTSD, combat stress or traumatic brain injury, this stigma creates challenges in care — challenges the Virginia Wounded Warrior Program is working to address through public awareness and its network of community coalitions.
“Our Virginia Veterans and their families are our focus; whatever we can do to improve their quality of life and make it easier for them to access the care and services they deserve is our passion,” said Catherine Wilson, executive director of the Virginia Wounded Warrior Program. “Military men, women and their families are inherently resilient and strong and it that very strength that they need to draw upon to seek behavioral health care; it’s not always easy.”
Established in 2008, the Virginia Wounded Warrior Program (VWWP), a state program of the Virginia Commonwealth, looks to improve and expand services available to Virginia resident veterans and their families who are challenged by what have been called the War on Terror’s hidden injuries. For many Americans, particularly military veterans who pride themselves on mental strength and emotional fortitude as a tool of the trade, combat stress, PTSD and traumatic brain injury pose greater vulnerability due to the associated social and career implications. According to a 2008 Rand Corp Study, 20 percent of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan report symptoms of PTSD or depression. Only half have sought treatment. Reaching out for help is the first step, knowing they can rely and trust in the help is critical.
“I was in and out of admitting that something was wrong. ’I’ll fix it myself’, I kept thinking,” said Isaiah Schaffer. “But, I decided I had to try to get better for myself and my daughter.“
Schaffer, who suffers from flashbacks and nightmares following a brain injury and other injuries sustained in Iraq, found assistance he could count upon through the Combat Support Group located in Fredericksburg in Region I of Virginia Wounded Warrior Program’s statewide consortia. Meetings are held at Fredericksburg Baptist Church, Room PA113, located at 1019 Princess Anne Street. For more information call 540-842-2481 or log on to nwva woundedwarrior.org.
“I had tried many other groups. They didn’t work for me. It was a pain contest and a competition between wars. Highly educated people were running the groups and yet they had no combat experience, no real understanding. They tended to medicate, but not really listen,” Shaffer said. “The Combat Support Group was welcoming. I found the same camaraderie as I had in the Marine Corps. With combat vets leading combat vets, there is no agenda, no competition; just common ground. We are told it’s our group. We talk if we want, about what we want. I look forward to the Tuesdays when we meet up. We’re able to look out for and help each other. We laugh; we share, because we trust each other. I know they have my back, they know I have theirs. It keeps me coming back.”
The Combat Support Group also works to build networks and contacts through which the members can move forward in their life and sponsors outings, which members express, have been meaningful to them.
Local accessibility in a community “safe haven” is one of the hallmarks of the VWWP consortia, divided into five regions across the state of Virginia. Through a network of public and private partnerships, the VWWP is creating options for the veteran to seek and attain confidential help, free from judgment; at a level they are comfortable with and within close proximity to their home.
VWWP’s mission also extends to addressing the growing issues that arise as a result of the affects of the cognitive and mental injuries for Virginia’s more than 813,000 veterans.