Transcripts For CSPAN Healing The Wounds Of War 20130407 : c

Transcripts For CSPAN Healing The Wounds Of War 20130407



>> thank you very much. >> on the c-span network , the carnegie international nuclear policy conference been together more than 800 officials from around the world talk about nuclear energy and nonproliferation. live coverage begins at 9:00 a.m. eastern on c-span2. gov. jindal delivering his state of the state address on c-span3. on monday, president obama visiting the university of hartford in connecticut to continue his push for more federal gun-control laws. connecticut governor dan lloyd signed a new gun legislation including background checks for all gun purchases adding 100 new firearms to the state assault weapon ban and a new limits to ammunition magazines. we will bring in the president's remarks from connecticut live at 5:45 p.m. eastern on c-span. now, a discussion on the needs and challenges facing veterans returning from war. linda is a former vietnam era air force fighter and veterans activist. she heads the connecticut veteran affairs department. this is just over one hour from duke university. >> good afternoon. welcome to the 50th presentation of the duke university school of nursing event. in 1968, it became officially known as the harriet cook carter lecture. i'm dean of the school of nursing. i'm pleased to welcome all of you here today on behalf of our duke university school of nursing community. as indicated in your program, this lecture is named in honor of harriet cook carter , a compassionate and creative woman who endears herself to localiversity and the community through community activities. this year's topic holds a special place in the hearts and minds of our community. many of you are veterans of military service or are engaged in the care of our veterans. may i ask those who have served to stand up please. [applause] anil those of you who have cared for at the service or veterans -- and those of you who have cared for active service are veterans, also stand. [applause] we thank all of you. caring for military veterans represents one of the grand challenges of our time. today our veterans are returning from wars in iraq and afghanistan, facing overwhelming circumstances. not only do they have specialized medical needs, but military personnel who served war zones are also at a greater risk for alcohol abuse, marital and family conflicts, domestic violence, drug abuse, chronic pain, and suicide. they experience high rates of incarceration and make up a disproportionate part of our homeless population in the united states. nearly 33% of adults, almost men, one served in the military. these complex challenges require the support of many across disciplines. our faculties have been in dialogue for well over six months to try to identify ways in which we can make a greater difference. andt lady michelle obama dr. joe biden have enlisted the support of programs throughout the united states into a program entitled joining forces. schools that have agreed to participate, including do, have pledged to educate people to care for veterans and servicemembers facing ptsd, depressants, and other healthcare problems. implement the best practices of care and disseminate the most current information related to ptsd and two at the current body of knowledge of how to improve care. --elete, to leave the finally, to lead the healthcare community in achieving the joining forces health goal, we are committed. result, we have invited the honorable linda schwartz. commissioner of veterans affairs in the state of connecticut. whilet met dr. schwartz working at another institution of higher education. she approached me wanting my support for a project that would help her further explore long-term impacts of -- she impressed me as a determined woman, someone who would get rings done. done.ngs she is currently the commissioner of veterans affairs in the state of connecticut. the first woman to hold that position in the first nurse to hold that position. i was right in forecasting her determination. she has taken up this position as you might have expected that a nurse would. connecting people to one another and enlisting resources and advocating. please join me in welcoming commissioner linda schwartz. [applause] >> thank you. when they heard in connecticut i was coming down to do, they got real worried. [laughter] it is an honor to be here. it has been an exciting experience. i would take a moment to introduce some of my friends who have come today. i would like to introduce linda. a simpatico on asian orange, dr. harold cutler from the va. and my former boss, dr. john from the va. at me explain what commissioner is. some people thought i was -- i am responsible for thousands of veterans in the state of connecticut. my main home is rocky hill. i have over 450 veterans. 125 in the chronic disease hospital. ai have a support program. in addition to that, i'm in charge of three cemeteries and five district offices. i help veterans get their benefits. with that in mind, as a veteran who served during the vietnam war, my focus has served me well. i want to give you some idea of what we are talking about. ah, yes. the fact that we have 22 million living veterans, there are a number of women veterans. it is 2.2 million. what this bottom graph -- sorry. this graph shows you that it is almost a bell curve. at number of veterans different ages -- we are having an aging of my generation. contrast that with the number of women veterans. the younger veterans of today are more predominately women than in the past. when i was in the military in the air force, 2% of women by law. i could not be married or have a child. hadaughter was born and i to leave the military. but things have changed quite a bit. the tall one here is a vietnam population. you can see that number rise -- let me say something for the actuary table by the va. they've forecasted that the vietnam population would -- they were wrong. this should give you some idea that we see a decline of vietnam veterans a generation. largestwas the mobilization after world war ii. when you talk about a system of care and addressing the needs of people, you have to address people that are 22, all the way to world war ii veterans. my message to you is simple today. we're not doing war in same way as we did in the past. reserves,reliance on they are in every town and in every city. there needs do not go away. the concept of asking, have you ever served in the military? is a very simple question. if you look at military service as being an occupational exposure, the first, had he served in the military? the next, what did you do and where were you stationed? this is a card that the va introduces. it can pull it off of the website. i think it is too busy. it is something you can put in your pocket. you it means is that if were asked the question, have you ever served in the military? let me point out to you that there are over 60 million people in uniform during world war ii. there are some unique health exposures that they probably did not even know. when you do an assessment of an individual, they do not know, that it is something that needs to be considered when you look at a holistic approach of who they are, where they are, and what they have done. it is very interesting. this was a real poster from the va. it talks about exposure to radiation. down here regarding radiation treatment, you might say to yourself, why do i need to know about that? do you know they use that as a way? they used to shrink their sinuses while underwater. they could clear their sinuses. they do not know that. it is an important aspect. we're not having a test after this so i don't expect you to remember. but i want to be clear on what i hope you take out of this room. veterans are only 50% -- 15% using va healthcare. again, 15% use the va. where are the rest of them getting their care? >> [indiscernible] [laughter] places and maybe other like yale. i do not think we need to replicate with the va provides. we need to help veterans identify how to get into the va system if they have one of these exposures or need help. the largest system of health and care in the united states rivals hhs. changes with every congressional season. and changes with every segment of the legislative process. it is almost like a fluid thing. so lord taketh and give it, does congress. let me go back. i do a lot of speaking to veterans. i had a gentleman come up to me and say, i am a veteran, but i do not need the va. he said, because i'm healthy. i said, what did you do in the military? he said, i have this rash all over my trunk that never goes away. intoer to the va and get the system. that is the kind of can-do, macho attitude of veterans. thes not just men, but women's macho attitude as well. we're finding exposure to cold injuries in korea. you look at this and say to yourself, 5.7 million served, but it has been 60 years since the hostilities in korea. it is still considered the unknown silent war. we're all trying to do our very best to celebrate the anniversary of the hostilities against this is a generation -- we feel sorry for them because they have not gotten the recognition. the vietnam war, of course, you can see the numbers of people who served. in most important thing these numbers is the fact that i'm not telling you that there are over 9 million in uniform, but only 2.5 million are -- but there is a percentage that has been exposed to agent orange. this is the connecticut, welcome home, for veterans. he had it last year. my boss was a first governor to welcome troops home from vietnam. right now we are celebrating the anniversary of 10 years of war. 7 million veterans living on the vietnam war -- i want to to you something. the point is that these are disabilities. what does that mean? that means the individual can with the diagnosis of prostate cancer. it was agreed by the congress and by the va that this is a disability. all they had to do was show that they have the diagnosis and that they served in the country. the icu of a local hospital and he was fighting for his life. his wife called to make sure that they knew he was a veteran, so they transferred him to the va hospital at west haven. he sat for eight hours in the emergency room. his wife took him home. because i have nurses and practitioners that work for me. he has served in -- he never knew he could get care in the va system. he said, i knew i was sick, but i could not afford to go to the doctor. it had a good ending because we are able to stabilize him and get him to a home. the point is, here he was come eligible all those years for that care and no one that talk to him or asked, have you ever served in the military? yes. what did you do? i was in vietnam. you need to go to the va. they will help you with your care and there might be an opportunity to help you with some compensation. when you have a long list of those diseases, and of course, the hepatitis c virus in all the things that happened with that, the debilitating disease -- i think the most difficult. a study give us a hint. we saw that. now it is expected. did they serve in vietnam? did they have this diagnosis? and we will take care of you. women who served in vietnam for a long time, there was the suspicion that there was not a lot of data, that some of them were at risk of birth affect. ofy compensate the children women who served in vietnam. the is a good example of exposure to a hazard, environmental hazard. and the effect on the offspring. we had more difficulty with providing improving the link -- and proving the link. as we learn, things change and new evidence comes to light. operations desert storm, that was the first time that women really combat. over 41,000 women served. i will share with you that i have the opportunity to meet with a group of women who had returned from iraq. actually, it was not desert storm, but iraq. it illustrates the point. when the troops him back from iraq, it was ever a bigger than this. i was with the governor and the general. theickly saw that i was only woman standing in the room. most people were wondering if i was standing. [laughter] but we talked about when you come back, these are the services and this is what you can expect from the state of connecticut. afterwards for women came up to me. they asked me if they provided counseling services. i said, we do not do the counseling ourselves. but we can hook you up with someone who does. i said very gingerly that the issue might be military sexual trauma. they said, we were writing and a -- riding a humvee and there was a bomb and there was an arm that landed on my lap. when i go to bed at night, i see that arm and i see my buddy. don't let me minimize the fact that sexual trauma is a factor. 23%va and the da deal with of the women in iraq and afghanistan have reported that they had been sexually assaulted i a coworker -- by a co-worker. we think would happen at duke in 23% of women had reported that they were assaulted by a coworker? wouldn't that the an outcry? -- be an outcry? and yet they still continued to serve and volunteer. the heavy reliance is a very important factor. that is why we have been talking about this. when they come home from deployments, they not only have unique issues, i'm not talking about radiation. it is not necessarily that everyone is touching radioactive materials. through,ectiles goes it sharpens itself. penetratew they can armor. some people who are cast -- oh, excuse me -- i'm glad i really do not need those. ther task is to clean out tanks. some of them have inhaled the dust. it has an effect on the kidneys. the other thing is, the plummets. is anyone here have family member who has been deployed? how many times? one? two? three? four? five? peoplee deployments for coming and going back. they do not have time to decompress from the first experience before they do another experience. i bring this up at the bam now. my concern is that i have veterans who have, home -- have come home. someone comes along and tells him that all they have to do is sign this paper to stop the va benefits and they can do another tour to iraq and afghanistan. the idea that the troops are not keeping up the needs because there are recruiting this is something that'll come home to roost. we have no idea idea what the far-reaching effects of multiple deployments are. militaryust the members himself, but that tammy. americaion children in have had one or both of the parents deployed since 9/11. one million. they're not in dod schools. they are in your school system. teachers have to become aware of some of the important part of what deployment means on a family. positions in a good right now. everyone is thinking about this and is concerned about it. that is wonderful. after vietnam, this is great. this is a game changing moment for healthcare and veterans in america. you as a private people, you're going to be the first line of identifying who these people are. unfortunately the va does not take care of families yet. when you have a healthcare system designed by congress, being in the family does not seem to be politically prudent at this time. so, welcome home. i want you to know that i used to work there. we did -- some of this is coming from -- i do not think it has changed the five over the last two years. nothing prepares you for the realities of war. when you're deployed three times, you know the drill. this is what is different about this war and any of the others. millionn people or 9 people in uniform. here are people reported that a percentage of them have experienced small arms fire. this is a high percentage but have experienced hostile action. during the readjustment study in which i was an interviewer, went the extra mile to have three groups of people who served in vietnam, men and women, people in the military but did not serve in vietnam, men and women, and men and women from the civilian sector. when i was asking women who served in vietnam, have you ever served in combat and they all said, no, but the next question was, have you ever experienced hostile fire, it yes, everyone said yes. how often? every day. now we're getting a picture of the perception. i love the one answer. how far weight would just make the fire was? how far away is a football field? they're firing at each other. i was not in combat. nots a mindset that i was in combat. because of the readjustment study, we were able to illustrate that women who as nurses in vietnam experienced more death and dying care of people than the combat veterans. you had to have symptoms to be eligible for posttraumatic stress. fromat deal of this came our understanding of what goes on for those in the military. war is not for the faint of heart. 86% knew someone who was injured or killed. 65% saw a dead or seriously injured americans. and 48% admitted they had been responsible for killing somebody else you would not find that ratio in other wars. this is in your face war. so i as the commissioner had many questions about all of this. and there were no answers on google. theound the money to do connecticut veterans and needs assessment. we looked at, we asked people who had just returned to fill out a question here. and i want to show, because i think it is a sample -- it is connecticut, but at the same time it gave me -- what i did with this information in the needs assessment, i went to my legislature and i said i see these needs and we need to do something about it. being in combat is life altering. the importance of camaraderie. let me tell you that that is one of the most important characteristics of this generation. they cared deeply for each other. they did not have to be in the same unit. and many of them feel isolated a been in their own home town. they find that they are more comfortable with fellow military or veterans than they are with anybody else. thei put this one in, experiences of women are not the same as men. they need to be looked at in a very different way. this was our health -- the health concerns. it was not totally revealing, -- excuse me. this is what they actually identified as major problems of not going to the v.a. navigating the system. how do know what is available? but congress has a bill requiring that every v.a. within a state, one v.a., at least one, will have all the services. so you do not have to say, for example, in new england, if i wanted to have, if any veterans in connecticut want treatment for prostate cancer, they have to go to boston. waitinglability, long times, and i heard today -- great news -- the v.a. is going to be having a weekend and evening hours, and that is a very important thing, because this is also a generation that wants success. they are going to eat up the road until they get to the end. they are going to be doing their job. they do not want to spend an inordinate amount of time waiting to see the doctor at the v.a. haveof them already doctors, especially women when they were deployed. so this is our -- our ribbon. and the most important were that they did find terrible difficulties with connecting emotionally with their family when they return. some of them it is just too much. the people that do the work would know, they get a big party and they left because they could not take it. too much. the problems of the spouse or partner, and the absence of the military member, they've had to do with less. let me go back to children having problems adjusting. believe it or not, when veterans have on our a little someone said, it's also women. a calendar with pictures of women in in iraqand in-- and afghanistan. two had a major with pistols and it said, major so and so is a kindergarten teacher in spokane, he will have trouble, too. having served in the reserves myself, i loved when i was doing my reserve duty. it was like a re acclamation to life when you came back to reality. this was one of the things we found about traumatic brain injury. returnbeg

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