1 of 33

RETIRED JUSTICE EVELYN LUNDBERG STRATTON'S VETERANS' CRIMINAL JUSTICE & MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES NEWS

“Sharing Information to Benefit All Veterans”

APRIL 9, 2017

Justice Evelyn Lundberg Stratton, Retired Veterans in the Courts Initiative

Evelyn Lundberg Stratton retired from the Ohio Supreme Court at the end of 2012 so as to pursue more fully criminal justice reforms with a particular emphasis on veterans who become involved with the justice system. She

established the Veterans in the Courts Initiative in 2009. Video http://bit.ly/1glCXZ0

Subscribe to this free weekly, all volunteer-generated, news summary by joining our Veterans in The Courts Initiative Group http://bit.ly/1DZ3esD

4,809 providers of veterans’ services just like you, nationwide & internationally, receive this free

newsletter every week. Another 13,000+ can see it on 5 social media sites. Over 5,300 people in 57 countries have viewed my blog over 10,000 times. Thank you for sharing!

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TOPIC PAGE TOPIC PAGE

FEATURED STORIES 1 COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES 25

OPPORTUNITIES 3 GENERAL NEWS 30

GOVERNMENT 4 "VETERANS IN JUSTICE" LINKEDIN GROUP 31

OHIO 6 OTHER LINKEDIN GROUPS 32

STEPPING UP INITIATIVE 10 VETERANS IN THE COURTS INITIATIVE BLOG 32

VETERANS TREATMENT COURTS 16 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 32

PTS/TBI/MST 19 HOW TO JOIN OUR NEWSLETTER 33

SUICIDE 22

FEATURED STORIES

Four veterans courts to serve as nationwide mentors http://bit.ly/2oawLhf A specialized court for veterans in El Paso County Colorado has been selected to serve as

one of four "mentor" programs in the country for court systems hoping to duplicate its

successes.

The 4th Judicial District Veterans Trauma Court will be recognized on Tuesday by the

National Association of Drug Court Professionals' Justice for Vets program.

It joins similar problem-solving courts in Billings, Mont., Buffalo, N.Y., and Jacksonville,

Fla., as models of sound practices, the nonprofit said.

EVENT: Cohen Veterans Bioscience Webinar: The Treatment of PTSD and the Warrior Care Network, April 19th http://bit.ly/2oNZv0R

Join us for our upcoming webinar on Wednesday, April 19th at 12 pm ET.

The Warrior Care Network (WCN) was established by a grant from the Wounded Warrior

Project (WWP) to treat the invisible wounds of war in post-9/11 veterans.

2 of 33

The WCN includes the Emory Healthcare Veterans Program in Atlanta, the Home Base

Program at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, the Road Home Program at Rush in

Chicago, and Operation Mend at the University of California in Los Angeles.

In this webinar, Dr. Barbara Rothbaum, who leads the Emory Veterans Program, will discuss

posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and its treatment both in general and within the WCN.

The various Intensive Outpatient Programs across the WCN will be briefly described. The

PTSD treatments covered in this webinar will include prolonged imaginal exposure (PE),

virtual reality exposure (VRE), including VRE for military sexual trauma (MST), and

pharmacotherapy.

Dr. Rothbaum will conclude with a discussion around the need for biomarkers in PTSD to

further our understanding of PTSD and its treatment. We hope you can join us for this

informative webinar presentation!

EVENT: The Greater Philadelphia Conference on Veterans’ Mental Health, MAY 5TH http://bit.ly/2oNSYU3

Editor’s Note: Dr. Katherine Platoni, Psy.D., DAAPM, FAIS, Clinical Psychologist, COL (RET), US Army COL, Ohio Military Reserve/State Defense Forces, Dayton SWAT/Dayton HNT Psychologist, Adjunct Clinical Faculty, Wright State University SOPP, is a regular contributor to this newsletter.

This full day conference features some of the nation’s leading experts in military and

Veteran behavioral health providing critical training for mental health providers.

Homelessness, service members impacted by PTSD and other psychological issues

associated with deployment, as well as devastating rates of suicide among Veterans prove

that specialized treatment for our nation’s armed forces, and their families, is imperative.

Presentations will cover alternative approaches to treatment of PTSD as well the gaps in the

most commonly used techniques. Also we’ll discuss the often overlooked role of the military

family in Veterans mental health, the latest techniques and theories around suicide risk and

prevention; the misconceptions and realities of reintegration including the lack of access to

adequately trained counselors and mental health resources. In addition to mental health

professionals, Veterans, military families, or VSO’s are also welcome.

Sponsorship opportunities are available. Please download pricing and benefit

information here. Interested parties can

email veterans@councilforrrelationships.org with registration questions.

About Council for Relationships: Council for Relationships is a nonprofit organization with a

mission to help people from all walks of life improve their important relationships by

providing exemplary therapy, educating and training clinicians in the family systems

approach, and advancing the behavioral health field through research.

Council is one of only 13% of counseling agencies nationwide meeting the standard for

Military Culture Competency, set by the Department of Defense/Veteran’s Administration

guidelines on providing mental health services to Veterans, and placing this organization at

the forefront of military culturally competent counseling services.

Presenters include: Dr. Charles Hogue, MD., U.S. Army (Retired), Author Once a Warrior–Always a Warrior Dr. Katherine Platoni, Psy.D., DAAPM, FAIS, Clinical Psychologist, COL (RET), US Army COL, Ohio Military Reserve/State Defense Forces, Dayton SWAT/Dayton HNT Psychologist, Adjunct Clinical Faculty, Wright State University SOPP

3 of 33

Dr. Augusto Ruiz, Psy.D., U.S. Navy (veteran), Deployment Behavioral Health Psychologist, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and Center for Deployment Psychology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

OPPORTUNITIES

SAMHSA Grants: Up to $110 Million Available in Grants Promoting Integration of Primary and Behavioral Health Care, Application Deadline May 17th http://bit.ly/2oazrLX

The purpose of this program is to promote full integration and collaboration in clinical

practice between primary and behavioral health care.

The grants will also help promote services related to screening, diagnosis, prevention, and

treatment of mental and substance use disorders as well as related physical conditions and

chronic diseases.

SAMHSA Grants: Up to $10 Million Available for Resiliency in Communities After Stress and Trauma Grants, Application Deadline May 17th http://bit.ly/2oavFCc

The purpose of this program is to assist high-risk youth and families and promote resilience

and equity in communities that have recently faced civil unrest through implementation of

evidence-based, violence prevention, and community youth engagement programs.

The grants will also help promote access to trauma-informed behavioral health services. SAMHSA Training: Assisted Outpatient Treatment Program, May 16-17, 2017 – Las Vegas, NV June 1-2, 2017 – Rockville, MD June 28-29, 2017 – Detroit, MI http://bit.ly/2oaqJgP

New guidelines offer behavioral health providers recommended supportive approaches to

help people transition from prison successfully.

Mercy College New York Training: From the Military to Mercy College to Math Teacher - Earn a tuition-free Master of Science Degree in Mathematics Education http://bit.ly/2omdvOm

Join Mercy College for a unique career and scholarship opportunity. Earn a tuition-free

Master of Science degree in Mathematics Education funded by the National Science

Foundation. Mercy is looking for ten veterans with strong math backgrounds to qualify for a

full scholarship in a 14-month master's degree program.

Program Components

$32,800 in scholarship support to cover the full cost of tuition

36 graduate credits graduate coursework at Mercy College, Dobbs Ferry, NY

140 days of clinical internship in a Yonkers public secondary school under the

mentorship of an experienced math secondary school teacher

A Mercy College faculty member to provide professional mentoring and onsite

classroom support for the academic year

Professional support to prepare for teacher certification examinations

On-site Mentoring and online follow-up support during the first and second years of

teaching

Job Training Grants (NYC): Workforce 1: Individual Training Grants (New York City) http://on.nyc.gov/2om1MiK; NYC Training Guide http://on.nyc.gov/2omgDdc

Workforce 1: Individual Training Grants are now back in effect at the Workforce1 Career

Centers. If you have a veteran or a spouse of a veteran seeking training, please have them

4 of 33

come down to our center and apply for an ITG. Click here for more information:

http://bit.ly/2omf4fc

Saint Joseph's University Training: SJU No Charge Veterans Entrepreneurial Jumpstart (VEJ), Application Deadline July 1st http://bit.ly/2odYZIA

The Veterans Entrepreneurial Jumpstart (VEJ) program is designed specifically to provide

the tools, education and mentorship necessary to allow all qualified veterans the opportunity

to start their own businesses.

We offer the latest training in business and entrepreneurship, utilizing the breadth of

experience available through the renowned Haub School of Business, experienced faculty,

and industry practitioners.

THIS PROGRAM IS PROVIDED AT NO CHARGE TO ACCEPTED QUALIFIED VETERANS.

VETERANS MUST HAVE AN HONORABLE DISCHARGE.

Applications are due by July 1, 2017. Veterans accepted into the program will be able to

begin Phase I in September 2017.

NYS Program for Guide Dog Food: Grants of Assistance for Guide Dogs (GAGD) http://bit.ly/2omd4nn

NYS Program for Guide Dog Food: Grants of Assistance for Guide Dogs (GAGD) are provided

to eligible blind, hearing impaired, or disabled persons who maintain guide/service dogs.

Eligibility is determined based information contained in the "Application/Recertification

Guide Dog Food Program" form and further details at the link above.

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Congressional Headlines

HOUSE PANEL PASSES EXPANSION OF WORKERS COMPENSATION FOR MENTAL HEALTH

INJURIES INCLUDING PTSD

Montana Senator TESTER INTRODUCES BILL TO HELP SURVIVORS OF MILITARY SEXUAL

TRAUMA

Brown, Tressel Tout Bill Expanding Higher Ed Benefits for Vets

Bill seeks to ensure counseling access for victims of military's nude-photo scandal (MST)

CT Sen. Chris Murphy introduces act to help get mental health care for veterans SAMHSA Headlines

Up to $110 Million Available in Grants Promoting Integration of Primary and Behavioral

Health Care

Up to $10 Million Available for Resiliency in Communities After Stress and Trauma Grants

Webinar Series: Relationships Matter!

Conference Calls: SOARing Over Lunch

Now Accepting Nominations for the 2017 SAMHSA Voice Awards

Webcast Series: The Power of Language and Portrayals: What We Hear, What We See

Training Opportunity: Assisted Outpatient Treatment Programs

Transitioning From Prison to Community Research: Cigarette Smoking Rates Significantly Higher Among Adults Experiencing Mental

Illness

5 of 33

DoD Headlines Celebrating Milestones through 25 Years of DVBIC

Servicemembers Group Life Insurance Program Receives Online Portal

Keesler surgeons perform first robotic surgery in Air Force

WBAMC provides newborn blanket to minimize SIDS

New Air Force clinic to offer interdisciplinary approach to treating TBI and other invisible

wounds

Military Children’s Health Month: Taking care of our youngest beneficiaries

Military blood program conducts first blood drive at U.S. Senate

VA Facilities News

VA Philadelphia Town Hall, April 12th

VA Central Western Massachusetts HCS Town Hall, April 12th

VA Altoona MC Town Hall, April 18th

Alaska VA Healthcare System North Pole Veterans Listening Session, April 18th

Houston VA Town Hall, April 26th

VA Nebraska – West Iowa HCS Town Hall, April 20th

VA Salt Lake City Recreation Fair, May 12th

Harry S. Truman Memorial Veterans’ Hospital VA Cares about Military Sexual Trauma

Colorado: VA appoints director of Grand Junction Veterans Affairs Medical Center

Minneapolis VA Opens Primary Care ‘Super Clinic’

Veterans Administration Opens New Outpatient Clinic in Knoxville

Cheyenne VA honors military sexual trauma survivors

Richard W. Salgueiro, FACHE has been selected as the Associate Director for the

Canandaigua VA Medical Center

Lisa Lehning, RN, MSN, CNS joined the management team at the Canandaigua VA

Medical Center as the New Associate Director for Patient and Nursing Services

Battle Creek VA Medical Center Veteran and Family Advisory Council

VA Program News

VA Secretary Praises Congress for Extending Choice Program: Calls legislation major

step toward increasing access to care

VA Defending Work to Fix Troubled Veteran Suicide Hotline

Suicide Prevention: VA REACH VET Initiative Helps Save Veterans Lives: Program

Signals When More Help Is Needed for At-risk Veterans

Sexual Assault Awareness Month: Getting Veterans connected with appropriate VA

care

April is Alcohol Awareness Month

Volunteerism leaves lasting legacy at National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic

ICYMI: Looking back on VA’s month-long celebration of women Veterans and their

contributions to the nation

Warrior training program helps Veterans serve Veterans through VA careers

Veterans Calling VA's Crisis Line Can Finally Get Through. Here's Why.

Veterans Affairs Has a New Chief Customer Officer

VA Experiments with Real-Time Dashboard of Vets' Feedback

VA Secretary Makes Strides to Improve Veterans Experience: Selects Lynda Davis, PhD,

as Chief Veterans Experience Officer

VA Research News Reuters names VA among world’s most innovative research institutions

VA Awards Grants to Develop Technology to Help Veterans, Service Members Modify

Homes

VA surgeon researching cell-based tools to create artificial kidney

Cutting-edge work is underway at VA’s Parkinson’s disease centers

Reuters names VA among world’s most innovative research institutions

Waco Veteran gets a second chance at life after participating in a VA TBI study.

6 of 33

VA funded research to estimate, assess air pollution exposure & lung health of 4,500

Iraq and Afghanistan veterans

VA Statement regarding animal testing

VA OIG Reports OIG February Monthly Highlights

VA Office of Inspector General Enhances Healthcare Inspection Program

Review of Unauthorized System Interconnection at the VA Regional Office in Wichita,

Kansas

Statement Of Michael J. Missal, Inspector General, Department of Veterans Affairs,

Before The Committee On Veterans’ Affairs, United States House Of Representatives,

Hearing On “An Assessment Of Ongoing Concerns At The Veterans Crisis Line” April 4,

2017

Additional resources from my blog

LIST OF VA TOWN HALLS & OTHER MEETINGS NATIONWIDE: http://bit.ly/1Gg1DN6

OHIO

Brown, Tressel Tout Bill Expanding Higher Ed Benefits for Vets http://bit.ly/2oNZ8n2 Youngstown State University (YSU) President and former Ohio State football head coach Jim

Tressel joined U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) in a conference call with reporters on

Wednesday to bring attention to Brown’s new bill, the Veterans Priority Enrollment Act of

2017, designed to allow veterans to finish their degrees before their GI education benefits

expire.

Co-sponsored with Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), Brown said the bipartisan bill would help

alleviate some of the burdens of returning soldiers transitioning back to civilian life.

“Veterans have a limited time before their GI benefits expire, and waiting for a spot in a

required course is a luxury veterans don’t have,” said Brown, who sits on the U.S. Senate

Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. “If they are focused on pressing concerns coming home

from overseas, like their children, they might end up having to pay thousands out of

pocket.”

Tressel added that the cost of a degree can increase significantly when students aren’t able

to complete all their classes in four years, but giving priority registration to veterans will

help ensure their degrees are completed on time.

“We were a pioneer when offering student veteran services on campus in 2009, and we

continue to provide and upgrade our services to veterans in 2017. Priority registration is

one of many benefits offered student veterans at YSU,” Tressel said.

Brown also discussed the Yellow Ribbon Improvement Act of 2017, co-sponsored by Sens.

Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Tillis, which would allow relatives of service members who died in

combat to participate in the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) Yellow Ribbon Program,

which helps pay the cost of higher education. Mansfield Veterans' Court graduates seek a brighter future http://bit.ly/2oNijNq

MANSFIELD -- Every good story has a beginning, a middle and an end.

Taking time to navigate those chapters and understanding one's place in them is the

philosophy of Mansfield Municipal Court Judges Frank Ardis Jr. and Jerry Ault's are following.

7 of 33

The two judges believe their Veterans Court program betters the lives of graduates and

offers a great resource for those trying to handle the tough times.

"We've done a study of over 60 people who have gone through Veterans Court," Ault said.

"Of those who have graduated, 82 percent have not reoffend(ed), which is incredible.

"We lost eight who didn't make it through the program and didn't graduate. Ninety-one

percent of them have reoffended. I think that says it all about the program."

The program usually lasts about 12 months, Ardis said, and is paid for with grants,

probation fees and fines.

To keep someone in jail for one year costs the county $30,000, Ardis said. With the people

that have completed this program and been successful, it amounts to about $124,000 a

year.

Niles judicial candidate proposes establishing a municipal veterans court http://bit.ly/2oQwhOA

Since the City of Niles is struggling financially, each candidate has a different idea of how to

reduce costs so the building can be repaired

. . . Terry Shaker would like to add specialized dockets, like drug court.

“The Ohio Supreme Court, through the specialized section, helps you set up that and I also

think we should have a veterans court attached or bootstrapped to the drug court,” he said.

Federal Judge/Federal Bar President sets up first Federal Veterans Court in the Southern District of Ohio http://bit.ly/2oO9kMp Federal Bio http://bit.ly/2oOguA2

. . . The FBA has been working on a civic engagement project that introduces grade school,

middle school, and high school students to how the federal court system operates and what

it is like to be a federal judge in the United States.

At the head of the initiative sits Judge Michael Newman, a United States magistrate judge in

the southern district of Ohio.

HONORABLE JUDGE NEWMAN

Judge Newman became president of the Federal Bar in October of last year and has made it

his top priority to work with students across the nation to teach them the importance of the

court system. Following a conversation with the Director of Administrative Office (AO) of

U.S. Courts, Jim Duff, Judge Newman was tasked with assisting the AO with civics efforts to

benefit students.

. . . In addition to the Civics and Service to Others initiative, the Federal Bar also has a

history of working with the homeless as well as assisting veterans with things like creating

wills.

Alongside working with students, Judge Newman has implemented a Federal Veterans Court

that helps veterans who may need legal assistance for one reason or another.

From Judge Newman’s Federal Bio: Judge Newman is a mentor to many and is known for

his diversity and inclusion efforts. He has been recognized by the Black Lawyers Association

of Cincinnati (BLAC) and the Summer Work Experience in Law program (SWEL), and sits on

the statewide board of directors for the Law & Leadership Institute (LLI).

He was a mentor in the Supreme Court of Ohio’s mentoring program. In 2014, he chaired

the national essay contest, What a Fair and Impartial Federal Judiciary Means to Me and to

8 of 33

the United States, sponsored by the Federal Bar Association and the Federal Judges

Association.

Judge Newman is involved in a wide array of community activities and access-to-justice

efforts. In 2010, he was honored to receive the Boots Fisher Public Service Award, given

annually to one lawyer in the United States for “exemplary community, public and charitable

service.”

Such involvement continues; in 2014, he was instrumental in creating a lawyer referral

program for military personnel at Wright Patterson Air Force Base.

He now presides over the first Federal Veterans Court in the Southern District of Ohio and is

active in Re-Entry Court and the Restored Citizens Project, two Federal Court efforts

designed to help formerly incarcerated individuals successfully return to society.

Hamilton County Mom: Prison for mentally ill son ' isn’t justice. This is another tragedy' http://cin.ci/2oNj1u4

A mentally ill man who shot and killed his teen sisters and seriously wounded a third teen

was sentenced Wednesday to 56 years to life in prison. His parents spoke in Hamilton

County Judge Robert Winkler's courtroom.

. . . The 23-year-old’s mental health has been a focus of the case from the beginning. He

has been undergoing treatment and taking medication, including drugs for psychosis.

Last year, a psychiatrist and a forensic psychologist determined he didn’t meet the criteria

for a not-guilty-by-reason-of-insanity defense. Both found that Hayden understood the

wrongfulness of what he did. He pleaded guilty in February to two counts of aggravated

murder and one count of attempted murder.

Hamilton County Assistant Prosecutor Mark Piepmeier said Wednesday that Hayden’s mental

illness is the reason his office didn’t seek the death penalty. He told Winkler that Hayden

should stay behind bars for the rest of his life.

“He is the most dangerous combination you can have in the justice system," Piepmeier said.

"He’s mentally unstable and he’s violent.”

. . . Hayden’s parents have forgiven him. They said they didn't want prosecutors to pursue

charges in the deaths of their daughters.

"We don’t feel this is a criminal act. This was an act of insanity," his mother, Angela

Hayden, said in an interview.

She said she was led to believe the sentence would fall between 20 and 30 years –

something she had come to accept.

"This isn’t justice. This is another tragedy," she said. "And our family already has been

through so much."

Hayden's father, Douglas Hayden, said his son was never violent and had no criminal

record. He described him as “a normal boy, growing up.”

. . . Angela Hayden said she visited her son every week at a mental health facility where he

was held. There also were times she had to visit him in the county jail.

"Looking at a child in a cage who you know is ill – that is beyond description," she said. "No,

I don't have any words for that."

9 of 33

Hamilton County veterans court gets recertification http://cin.ci/2oOckrR Hamilton County’s veterans court program will continue to help military veterans, after

earning recertification from the Ohio Supreme Court.

The Felony Veterans Treatment Court is a comprehensive program that helps address the

kinds of issues veterans in the criminal justice system face, such as addiction and post-

traumatic stress disorder.

It employs services and other tools to treat and rehabilitate an offender, holding them

accountable while also addressing the underlying causes of the criminal behavior.

Common Pleas Judge Ethna Cooper has presided over the court since it started in 2011. It

includes a treatment team made up of licensed providers, law enforcement and court

personnel.

The program “gives the citizens of Hamilton County the ability to serve veterans who put

their lives on the line to protect our country,” Cooper said in a statement.

To be recertified, it had to undergo a site visit and provide specific materials responding to

certification standards that became effective in 2014.

Wright State University Research: 1st Scientific Analysis of Suicide Notes Lends Insights into the Heartbreaking Act http://bit.ly/2oN6yGP

For decades, the mortality rate across the US was in decline. That’s why the results of a

2015 report were so shocking. For the first time in generations, middle-aged white people

saw their death rate increase. Husband and wife economists Anne Case and Angus Deaton

discovered this disturbing trend, which began back in 1999. The researchers labeled these

“deaths of despair,” resulting from suicide, drug or alcohol abuse.

Approximately 40,000 people take their own lives each year in the US. A new book tries to

isolate the origins of the uptick, currently at a 30-year high, and what can be done. The

upward trend was found in all age groups, absent the elderly. Now a new book is lending

greater insights into this most personal of tragic acts. It’s entitled Explaining Suicide:

Patterns, Motivations and What Notes Reveal. The authors say this is the first sweeping,

analytical attempt to understand the motivations behind the act, across different age

groups.

A multidisciplinary team of academics was involved in this study. They were psychology

professor Cheryl Meyer at Wright State University, psychologist Taronish Irani at SUNY-

Buffalo State, historian Katherine Hermes at Central Connecticut University, and the late

Betty Yung, who was an associate professor of psychology at Wright State University. They

wanted to obtain a holistic view using psychology, history, and the social sciences to tackle

suicide. After 18-month closure, Middletown veterans office open http://bit.ly/2oaxKhu

MIDDLETOWN The Butler County Veterans Services board has reopened a satellite office in

Middletown and is again seeing clients there.

Executive Director Caroline Bier says they started taking clients in the new location at 78 N.

Breiel Blvd. on April 3. The veterans board closed that office about 18 months ago because

the service officer who staffed that office retired, causing manpower issues.

. . . The new space has three offices – one for a service officer, a benefits coordinator, a

receptionist/transportation scheduler and Bier — who will be there a couple days a week.

10 of 33

There is also a conference room so the commissioners can periodically hold their meetings

there. They spent about $3,000 to outfit the new space, and rent will run about $14,000

annually.

EVENT: Central Ohio's "Fallen Comrade Ceremony: Honor the Living" Columbus, May 7th http://bit.ly/2ombOAD by Lt.Col. (Ret.) Kathy Lowrey Gallowitz & host committee of veterans, clergy and healthcare professionals.

This special Fallen Comrade Ceremony honors living warriors and the resulting "soul

injuries" that occurred from their military service and/or combat experiences.

We thank them for their service and offer a safe place to remember those lost. Family

members affected by their loved ones' service are provided a safe place to remember.

Caregivers and other civilians have the opportunity to show support.

Military currently serving, veterans, families and all civilian community members are

encouraged to partipate.

Please join us and help honor the sacrifices of our warriors and their families.

Child care will be provided.

A time of gathering and fellowship will follow.

All are welcome. Additional resources from my blog

OPERATION LEGAL HELP OHIO http://bit.ly/1Gg0HbK

RESOURCES FOR VETERANS http://bit.ly/1Gg21LH

OHIO JOBS FOR VETERANS http://bit.ly/1CL3Ay0

RESURRECTING LIVES FOUNDATION http://bit.ly/1R9toOV

EVENTS FOR OHIO VETERANS http://bit.ly/1Tx7tix

EVENTS FOR LAWYERS & OTHER SERVICE PROVIDERS FOR OHIO VETERANS http://bit.ly/2fQHYN7

RESOURCES FOR OHIO VETERANS http://bit.ly/2fQNEql

STEPPING UP INITIATIVE Editor’s Note: Closely associated with Veterans Treatment Courts and other specialty docket courts dealing with mental illness is the new STEEPING UP INITIATIVE. Stepping Up is a national initiative to reduce the number of people with mental illness in Jails. Stepping Up and similar initiatives are an important evolution in the treatment of veterans and others incarcerated with mental illness. Supreme Court of Ohio Justice Evelyn Lundeberg Stratton (Retired) is the Director of Stepping Up Ohio. We have decided to create this new section of Retired Justice Stratton’s News Clips, rather than bury the stories somewhere else. We particularly wish to thank County Court Judge Ginger Lerner-Wren in The Criminal Division of the 17th Judicial Circuit, Broward County of Florida, a Pioneer and Creator of America's first mental health court dedicated to the

decriminalization of people with mental illness, for sending us news articles to share with you.

SAMHSA: Transitioning from Prison to Community http://bit.ly/2oawXgs Experts in the justice, behavioral health, and public policy fields agree that by providing

behavioral health support services to these people in transition they can increase their

chances of returning to healthy and productive lives in the community.

To support this goal, SAMHSA recently released Guidelines for Successful Transition of

People with Mental or Substance Use Disorders from Jail and Prison: Implementation Guide.

11 of 33

The guide provides behavioral health, correctional, and community stakeholders with

approaches for effectively transitioning people with mental or substance use disorders from

institutional correctional settings into the community. The guide also promotes the Assess,

Plan, Identify, and Coordinate (APIC) approach to identifying various successful evidence-

based strategies that work across jurisdictional systems, and describes 10 guidelines. These

include –

1. Conduct universal screening.

2. Follow up positive screens with comprehensive assessments.

3. Design individual treatment plans.

4. Develop collaborative responses that match need and risk.

5. Identify interventions in transition planning practices.

6. Establish policies to facilitate continuity of care.

7. Coordinate justice system and community services.

8. Share information to advance cross-system goals.

9. Encourage cross training.

10. Collect and analyze data.

These APIC approaches have been successfully implemented in communities throughout the

nation such as

1. Allegheny County, PA.;

2. Franklin County, MA;

3. Gwinnett County, GA.;

4. Hampden County, MA;

5. Hancock Count, OH;

6. Montgomery County, MD.; and

7. Pima County, AZ.

8. It has also been adopted on a statewide basis in Hawaii, North Carolina, and New

York.

UVA PROFESSORS USE BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY TO IMPROVE PRISONER RE-ENTRY OUTCOMES HTTP://BIT.LY/2OQDKF2

The National Institute of Justice says two-thirds of released inmates will be rearrested

within three years. A new University of Virginia program is aiming to change that.

Two UVA professors, in partnership with Edovo, a Chicago-based education technology firm,

are launching a program that will develop, implement and evaluate a tablet-based re-entry

module to strengthen inmates’ transitions back into society after they complete their

sentences.

. . . “This high recidivism rate signals our collective failure to help formerly incarcerated

individuals build stable lives after prison,” Doleac said. “By leveraging interactive

technologies and behavioral insights, we can provide prisoners with more personalized

information and supports during this often-challenging transition, and reduce the probability

of recidivism.”

Before release, the module will help inmates create a personalized transition plan. Post-

release, it will provide ongoing information to inmates to keep them on track.

Castleman and Doleac will pilot the intervention in two county jails, and in subsequent years

plan to expand the intervention to additional facilities across the country.

The individuals participating in the study will create a personalized transition plan that is

customized and adapts to their areas of concern, and after release will be provided with

ongoing information to maintain stability and help fulfill their personalized plan.

12 of 33

How 16 insurance policies stack up for substance use disorder benefits http://bit.ly/2oQe6Zf Unfortunately, a chasm has separated primary care and behavioral health for many years in

the U.S. This division is being repaired as the healthcare field recognizes the importance of

behavioral health.

Dr. Itai Danovitch, chairman and associate professor of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center’s

department of psychiatry and behavioral neurosciences, agrees.

“It’s now broadly recognized that in order for people to have good health outcomes, it’s not

sufficient to pay attention to medical health,” he told MedCity in a phone interview.

“You have to also address their mental health, which includes substance abuse.” CA: No License Plates Here: Using Art to Transcend Prison Walls http://nyti.ms/2o2ztWr

SOLEDAD, Calif. — More than most artists, the men who gather twice a week for mural

class in the B Facility are accustomed to darkness.

But the scene they are creating — a tropical rain forest — requires color and light, elements

in short supply at Salinas Valley State Prison.

“I don’t have much of a legacy,” Jeffrey Sutton, who is serving 41 years for armed robbery,

said of his life. “This is something positive that helps me focus on getting out,” he added,

daubing flecks of green onto the leaves of a jungle vine.

The mural class for high-level offenders is part of a new initiative by the State of California

to bring the arts — including Native American beadwork, improvisational theater, graphic

novels and songwriting — to all 35 of its adult prisons, from the Richard J. Donovan

Correctional Facility near the Mexican border to Pelican Bay, the infamous supermax just

shy of the Oregon line.

In a political climate in which federal arts agencies are under siege, the state has allocated

$6 million annually for the Arts in Corrections program, a figure set to rise to $8 million next

year.

FL: Pre-arrest diversion bill offers defendants a second chance http://hrld.us/2oQcuyK . . . HB 367 would make available “pre-arrest diversion” to people 18 or over who commit

certain misdemeanors.

Two Florida counties already implement the program, covering offenses such as possession

of small amounts of marijuana, underage drinking, shoplifting up to $50, disorderly conduct,

trespass, and non-domestic battery.

To qualify, the person must have a previously clean record, or at least no serious offenses,

a threshold to be set by the individual jurisdiction.

The person would receive a civil citation, be required to pay restitution to victims and any

program fees, undergo behavioral intervention such as drug counseling, and do community

service.

Those completing the program would avoid an arrest record in state and federal files. Such

records can keep young people from getting jobs or student aid and have adversely affected

minority youth in particular. The program resembles the less punitive, cost-saving

procedures successfully adopted across Florida in recent years in dealing with juveniles.

13 of 33

FL: FLORIDA: Broward County Mental Health Court http://bit.ly/2oNGTOy Editor’s Note: Judge Ginger Lerner-Wren, Pioneer, America's first mental health court judge

dedicated to the decriminalization of people with mental illness, is a regular contributor to

this newsletter.

. . . In response to this finding, a county circuit court judge convened a Criminal Justice

Mental Health Task Force that included representatives from the public defender’s office,

state attorney’s office, sheriff’s office, county government, social service organizations, and

the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

The work of this task force led to the creation of the Broward County Mental Health Court,

the nation’s first mental health court, which was established by an administrative order from

the chief circuit judge in 1997.

The mental health court received no funding, but drew on existing resources from the court

and social service systems. Judges who were already serving in the 17th circuit volunteered

to preside on the mental health court over and above their regular duties.

The Broward County Mental Health Court is a voluntary program that allows people with

mental illnesses or developmental disabilities to be diverted to treatment rather than tried

and, if found guilty, fined or sent to jail.

People arrested for misdemeanors are screened by advanced clinical doctoral students from

Nova Southeastern University, who are assigned to the Broward County public defender’s

office. Judges from other Broward County courts can also refer defendants to the mental

health court.

The court’s goal is to break the cycle of crime, court involvement, and imprisonment—which

is costly for the public, defendants, and the community.

As of this writing, the mental health court has diverted more than 20,000 people from

county jails and significantly decreased recidivism, compared to people arrested and jailed.

It has also inspired many other court systems to establish similar diversionary programs.

Judge Ginger Lerner-Wren, the first judge to preside over the mental health court,

understood the association between mental illness, involvement in the criminal justice

system, and suicide.

She began to integrate suicide prevention activities into the program, eventually adapting

the Zero Suicide approach as a core component of the court.

In 2016, Judge Lerner-Wren became a member of the Executive Committee of the National

Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention.

FL: PBC Fire Rescue has social solution to frequent 911 callers http://bit.ly/2ombUbw Just 112 people accounted for more than 2,600 calls to a Palm Beach County Fire Rescue

911 operator over a year — an average of 23 calls each. Many of the callers were elderly

and indigent.

One man called 70 times in that period, mainly because of complications from not properly

taking medication for diabetes.

“Nobody should call 911 … 30 times a year,” said Richard Ellis, the department’s division

chief of medical services.

14 of 33

To reduce those so-called “frequent callers,” Fire Rescue is making a change that is rare in

the first-responder industry: It has hired a social worker.

Lauren Young, who started in February, wears a white uniform, drives a fire-rescue vehicle

and often works at the scenes of car crashes, heart attacks and drownings.

But she doesn’t treat emergency patients with needles, bandages or medication. She treats

them with comfort, advice and emotional support.

It’s the kind of approach Ellis says is needed when rescue crews find themselves responding

to “the same people over and over.” They often find that many of those patients dialed 911

because they can’t reach their doctor, aren’t sure how to take their medication or are

unable to drive.

. . . By next spring, Fire Rescue Chief Jeff Collins hopes to give Young more help with up to

eight social worker interns from master’s programs at Florida State, Florida Atlantic and

Barry universities.

The addition of the social workers will help paramedics focus on life-saving duties without

worrying about other issues the patient is facing, such as poor living conditions or a lack of

wheelchair.

. . . She went to Florida State University and earned a bachelor’s degree in counseling with

a specialization in adjustment to illness and disability. She also has a master’s from FSU in

social work, with specialization in medical trauma and bereavement.

“Now, Palm Beach County Fire Rescue created this position that brings all of that together.

They’re hand in hand, mind and body,” she said.

“It is empowering crews to feel like there is an aftercare component to their call. What they

do is critical — they save lives and their focus is making sure their needs are met from the

medical aspect. For them to know there’s an after-component to provide emotional support,

crisis intervention and resources I think is a burden lifted.”

IL: Rate of suicides among Chicago Police a badge of high-stress job http://bit.ly/2oN6Vkw

Buried among the facts and figures in the Justice Department’s recent book-length report on

the failings of the Chicago Police Department was a telling statistic: The rate of suicide

among CPD officers is 60 percent higher than other departments across the U.S. KS: Mental health crisis center saving local hospitals millions http://bit.ly/2oN9MtP

KANSAS CITY - The Kansas City Assessment and Triage Center is expanding in the face of a

glaring mental health problem in Kansas City.

People with mental illnesses or substance abuse disorders go to the emergency room

multiple times a year. For some people, it's more than 100 times a year. Many of those

same people have multiple run-ins with the law and often go to jail.

City leaders believe those people should not be in the ER or jail.

"That case management to be the bridge from inpatient, or [emergency department], or

jail, to the outpatient world is really what our community doesn't have at times," Vice

President of ReDiscover Lauren Moyer said.

The KC-ATC has seen more than 700 people since October. The Missouri Hospital

Association said that's more than $1.5 million in savings for local emergency departments.

15 of 33

MI: Michigan mental health hospital sued over tired employees http://bit.ly/2oNdoMf LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A lawsuit filed on behalf of hundreds of involuntary patients at a

Michigan mental health hospital says mandatory overtime for employees is endangering

patients.

The federal complaint argues the rules lead to exhausted employees who are unable to

control some patients’ violent behavior, The Detroit News (http://detne.ws/2p0RxgQ )

reported. Lawyers are seeking class-action status to cover the center’s more than 600

patients, and say changes would also protect employees.

A spokesman for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, which runs the

center, said the agency couldn’t comment on pending litigation.

NY: Kalief Browder Re-entry Success Act aims to give mental health aid to inmates leaving jail http://nydn.us/2o3ty3i

New federal legislation named for Kalief Browder would give mental health aid to inmates

leaving jail, Rep. Joe Crowley announced Monday.

Crowley’s bill would create a pilot program to assess the mental health of prisoners before

they’re released, and then provide treatment to those deemed to need it.

It’s dubbed the Kalief Browder Re-entry Success Act, after the Bronx man who killed himself

after spending nearly three years at Rikers Island on charges that were eventually dropped,

much of it in solitary confinement.

“There’s a serious need for better services to assist those who have mental health problems

while behind bars, and there’s an even greater need to help those whose experience in jail

or prison led to further deterioration of their mental health,” said Crowley (D-Queens).

OK: Cycle of crisis: Stillwater City leaders decry lack of mental health treatment options http://bit.ly/2oN9cfP

They might be handcuffed, shackled, masked, boiling with an uncontrolled rage or

simmering with an inconsolable fear. They might hurt themselves. They might hurt other

people. They’re made to wait in this state for an unknown amount of time before someone

can come and make a decision about them.

It’s the extreme side of how mentally ill people could be treated during a crisis law

enforcement has responded to. It’s unfair, and everyone knows it. But for places like Payne

County, there isn’t much being done about it.

“There are not enough treatment services in Payne County and in the state of Oklahoma to

take care of people who have serious mental illness,” Stillwater City Manager Norman

McNickle told a crowd last week as a panelist during the Oklahoma Commission on the

Status of Women. “I have for the last 25 or 30 years screamed and hollered … about the

way we treat people who come to the attention of law enforcement who are simply having a

severe mental health episode.”

McNickle speaks not only as a city administrator, but as a man who has spent a lengthy

career in law enforcement from beat cop to chief of police.

OR: Grant will help county’s jail diversion program http://bit.ly/2oNmkBv

The Center for Human Development was recently awarded a two-year grant in the amount

of $710,432 from the Oregon Health Authority to provide jail diversion services to

individuals with mental illness.

The jail diversion program was created to address a growing healthcare problem — inmates

with mental health issues — within the inmate population, with a contributing risk factor for

repeat incarceration.

16 of 33

The trend is seen both nationally and in rural areas like Union County, where there is an

increasing number of inmates who have a dual diagnosis, in which they are struggling with

mental illness and substance use disorders.

TN: Mental health court offers justice outside jail in Rutherford County http://on.dnj.com/2onxn4w

Michon-Graves is one of the 10 people in Rutherford County facing charges who requested

Mental Health Court conditions since this form of justice for adults started in February, and

six more cases should be added soon, said Trey King, director of Recovery Court and

Probation services for the county.

"The demand has far surpassed what we anticipated," said King, who is working with

General Sessions Judge Barry Tidwell in offering Mental Health Court conditions to eligible

participants instead of the more expensive cost to incarcerate them.

King said about 45 percent of a county jail that sometimes has served 900-plus inmates

have mental health disorders.

"A majority of the inmates have a higher likelihood of having a mental health or substance

use disorder," King said.

Recovery Court services include Drug Court, DUI Court and Veterans Court.

VT: EVENT: Register for Webinar: Vermont Department of Corrections' Four-Step Process for Effective Policy Development, April 20th http://bit.ly/2oe4mYg

In order to cultivate system-wide buy in, correctional agencies must effectively

communicate policies and directives to stakeholders, staff, and people returning to

communities after incarceration. Effective policies set expectations for staff, affirm the

administration’s role, and are grounded in evidence-based principles.

In this webinar, presenters will discuss the four steps involved in the Vermont Department

of Corrections’ (DOC) policy-development process: identifying and approving the concept,

drafting the policy, gathering comments from staff and the public, and finalizing the policy.

Presenters will also use Vermont’s recent case-management directive as a case study and

discuss how the policy-development process can be applied to recidivism-reduction efforts.

VETERANS TREATMENT COURTS

Federal Judge/Federal Bar President sets up first Federal Veterans Court in the Southern District of Ohio http://bit.ly/2oO9kMp Federal Bio http://bit.ly/2oOguA2

. . . The FBA has been working on a civic engagement project that introduces grade school,

middle school, and high school students to how the federal court system operates and what

it is like to be a federal judge in the United States.

At the head of the initiative sits Judge Michael Newman, a United States magistrate judge in

the southern district of Ohio.

HONORABLE JUDGE NEWMAN

Judge Newman became president of the Federal Bar in October of last year and has made it

his top priority to work with students across the nation to teach them the importance of the

court system. Following a conversation with the Director of Administrative Office (AO) of

U.S. Courts, Jim Duff, Judge Newman was tasked with assisting the AO with civics efforts to

benefit students.

17 of 33

. . . In addition to the Civics and Service to Others initiative, the Federal Bar also has a

history of working with the homeless as well as assisting veterans with things like creating

wills.

Alongside working with students, Judge Newman has implemented a Federal Veterans Court

that helps veterans who may need legal assistance for one reason or another.

From Judge Newman’s Federal Bio: Judge Newman is a mentor to many and is known for

his diversity and inclusion efforts. He has been recognized by the Black Lawyers Association

of Cincinnati (BLAC) and the Summer Work Experience in Law program (SWEL), and sits on

the statewide board of directors for the Law & Leadership Institute (LLI).

He was a mentor in the Supreme Court of Ohio’s mentoring program. In 2014, he chaired

the national essay contest, What a Fair and Impartial Federal Judiciary Means to Me and to

the United States, sponsored by the Federal Bar Association and the Federal Judges

Association.

Judge Newman is involved in a wide array of community activities and access-to-justice

efforts. In 2010, he was honored to receive the Boots Fisher Public Service Award, given

annually to one lawyer in the United States for “exemplary community, public and charitable

service.”

Such involvement continues; in 2014, he was instrumental in creating a lawyer referral

program for military personnel at Wright Patterson Air Force Base.

He now presides over the first Federal Veterans Court in the Southern District of Ohio and is

active in Re-Entry Court and the Restored Citizens Project, two Federal Court efforts

designed to help formerly incarcerated individuals successfully return to society.

CA: San Joaquin County Court Program Allows Veterans To Choose Treatment Instead Of Jail Time http://bit.ly/2oOcwY7

“Their service frequently creates their problem. They come out and they self-medicate with

drugs and or alcohol for PTSD that should be properly treated then they’ll pick up DUI’s or

some other criminal behavior,” says San Joaquin County Superior Court Judge Barbara

Kronlund.

Capital Public Radio: Treatment Program Helps Veterans Struggling With PTSD

Stay Away From Jail

Veterans coming home often struggle with PTSD, and that can lead to arrest and jail. A

court in Stockton has a unique way of dealing with the problem.

San Joaquin County Superior Court Judge Barbara Kronlund presided over the graduation of

6 veterans who completed Veterans Treatment Court. All were arrested on various charges

but instead of fines or jail time, they chose probation and treatment which lasted from one

to two years, says Kronlund. (Ibarra, 4/3)

This is part of the California Healthline Daily Edition, a summary of health policy coverage

from major news organizations. CO: El Paso County veterans court to serve as nationwide mentor http://bit.ly/2oawLhf

A specialized court for veterans in El Paso County has been selected to serve as one of four

"mentor" programs in the country for court systems hoping to duplicate its successes.

The 4th Judicial District Veterans Trauma Court will be recognized on Tuesday by the

National Association of Drug Court Professionals' Justice for Vets program. It joins similar

18 of 33

problem-solving courts in Billings, Mont., Buffalo, N.Y., and Jacksonville, Fla., as models of

sound practices, the nonprofit said.

. . . The program involves the El Paso County District Attorneys Office, the Public Defender's

Office and a variety of other agencies and nonprofits, including the Department of Veterans

Affairs, Family Care Center, Operation TBI Freedom of Colorado Springs, Rocky Mountain

Human Services, Peak Research, UCCS Trauma Health and Hazards Clinic, the Army Warrior

Transition Program and the Pikes Peak Workforce Center.

FL: Monday Editorial: Veterans Treatment Court receives national recognition http://bit.ly/2oQwnpa

Let’s applaud the Fourth Judicial Circuit Court and Chief Justice Mark Mahon for backing a

worthy program that has earned a national honor.

The circuit court’s Veterans Treatment Court has been named as one of four “mentor”

courts by the National Association of Drug Court Professionals, Justice for Vets and the U.S.

Department of Justice.

The honor means that for the next three years, Fourth Judicial Circuit’s Veterans Court will

serve as a national model for developing and refining programs and practices to help at-risk

vets address their issues — such as addiction or mental health challenges — and deter them

from potential lives of crime and jail time.

But one major reason why it has been able to make such a difference is because of the

support Mahon and other judges on the Fourth Circuit have provided it, which has given the

veterans court the resources and credibility that are essential to being an effective program.

So bravo to the Veterans Treatment Court for winning national recognition and to everyone

who has made it possible.

NC: Moore County Considers Special Court for Veterans http://bit.ly/2oO2xCc The director of a statewide program for military veterans convicted of criminal offenses

hopes to bring the “holistic treatment court” to Moore County.

Mark Teachey, a retired lieutenant colonel who helps oversee the Veterans Treatment Court,

met with county officials Monday at the Rick Rhyne Public Safety Center in Carthage. The

court, which is based in Harnett County, was founded in 2013 through a $66,000 grant from

the Governor’s Crime Commission.

Instead of sending veterans to jail for misdemeanor offenses, the court connects them with

treatment for mental health and substance abuse issues.

“It’s a treatment program with intensive supervision,” Teachey said during the meeting.

“We’re building them a roadmap to success.”

Encouraged by the program’s success in Hoke County, officials are exploring the possibility

of establishing a Veterans Treatment Court in Judicial District 19-B, which encompasses

Moore, Randolph and Montgomery counties.

NY: Judge Patricia Marks named Interim Executive Director of Rochester Veterans Outreach Center http://bit.ly/2oQns7l

The Veterans Outreach Center has named an Interim Executive Director.

Judge Patricia Marks will take over as interim Executive Director on April 15. Executive

Director Todd Baxter is resigning on April 14.

19 of 33

Judge Marks was a Monroe County Court Judge for 26 years before her retirement in

January 2011. She was founder and presiding Judge of the Monroe County Mental Health

Court in 2003 and the Monroe County Veterans Court in 2009 as well as presiding judge for

the Rochester Drug Treatment court from 2007 to 2009 and the felony Judicial Diversion

Drug Court 2009 to 2011.

Judge Marks has served on the board of directors of Veterans Outreach Center since 2011,

on the veterans committee of the Monroe County Bar Association, and as a consultant on

national projects related to the training and development of Veterans treatment courts

throughout the country.

OH Veterans' Court graduates seek a brighter future http://bit.ly/2oNijNq

MANSFIELD -- Every good story has a beginning, a middle and an end.

Taking time to navigate those chapters and understanding one's place in them is the

philosophy of Mansfield Municipal Court Judges Frank Ardis Jr. and Jerry Ault's are following.

The two judges believe their Veterans Court program betters the lives of graduates and

offers a great resource for those trying to handle the tough times.

"We've done a study of over 60 people who have gone through Veterans Court," Ault said.

"Of those who have graduated, 82 percent have not reoffend(ed), which is incredible.

"We lost eight who didn't make it through the program and didn't graduate. Ninety-one

percent of them have reoffended. I think that says it all about the program."

The program usually lasts about 12 months, Ardis said, and is paid for with grants,

probation fees and fines.

To keep someone in jail for one year costs the county $30,000, Ardis said. With the people

that have completed this program and been successful, it amounts to about $124,000 a

year.

Additional resources from my blog

1. LIST OF NATIONAL AND STATE LEGAL ASSISTANCE RESOURCES FOR VETERANS http://bit.ly/19DC5zu

2. U.S. VETERANS TREATMENT COURTS LOCATIONS http://bit.ly/1Lf1VX5

PTS/TBI/MST

Texas Nonprofit provides therapeutic retreats to active and former military http://bit.ly/2oapVsg

ODESSA -- For five days the women participated in story-telling activities, practiced yoga

and walked with horses in an equine-assisted mental and behavioral therapy program.

The eight female active-duty military members and veterans were at the retreat to share

fears, successes and goals while finding common ground beyond the post-traumatic stress

disorder (PTSD) that brought them together.

"I was raped in Afghanistan by a military member," said one 33-year-old participant, a 14-

year Navy veteran who asked to remain anonymous. "It happens more than you ever

know."

Last week's retreat was one of several offered through Quantum Leap Farm, a nonprofit that

uses Equine-Assisted Self-Exploration (At E.A.S.E.) therapy. Other programs are for male

20 of 33

military members, spouses of military members, children and adults with disabilities and

children with cancer and their families.

In each case, licensed mental health counselors work with the attendees to gain trust,

comfort and security through the farm's horses. They also use Accelerated Resolution

Therapy (ART), neurofeedback and craniosacral massage.

South Carolina war veterans use poetry for healing in new reading group http://bit.ly/2oQiMOX

It's a story as old as human conflict. Odysseus returns from war and senses that a gulf has

opened between him and the people he loves.

"Strange woman!" he says when he first sees his wife in Book 23 of Homer's ancient Greek

epic poem The Odyssey.

"Strange man," Penelope replies.

A new reading group for Charleston-area veterans and their families is skimming through

thousands of years' worth of war poetry hoping to find connections with each other and with

soldiers across history.

The Bridging Between program launched March 15 with participants reading sections of

Homer's Iliad and Odyssey. It will conclude April 26 with a discussion of Iraq War veteran

Brian Turner's poetry. The group is free to attend.

Football Research: Brain Abnormalities Linked To Head Impacts After Just One Season Of High School Football http://bit.ly/2oNiEj9

Based on a new study to be presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological

Society of North America (RSNA), specialized MRI scans performed on high school football

players--after just one season--revealed changes in brain tissue which correlated with

exposure to head impacts.

"It's important to understand the potential changes occurring in the brain related to youth

contact sports," said Elizabeth Moody Davenport, Ph.D., a postdoctoral researcher at UT

Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, who led this analysis.

"We know that some professional football players suffer from a serious condition called

chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE. We are attempting to find out when and how

that process starts, so that we can keep sports a healthy activity for millions of children and

adolescents."

The study evaluated 24 players from a North Carolina high school football team who wore a

helmet equipped with the Head Impact Telemetry System (HITS) during all practices and

games.

The specially designed helmets were internally equipped with six specialized sensors known

as accelerometers that measure the magnitude, location and direction of a hit.

A computer then analyzed uploaded data from the helmets.

"We saw changes in these young players' brains on both structural and functional imaging

after a single season of football," said Davenport.

PsychHub announced by Patrick Kennedy (Video) https://t.co/cDvEXbSB6H

Patrick Kennedy, “We're proud to announce PsychHub, a program to educate & connect

providers & patients—launching this summer.”

21 of 33

MST: Women taught at boot camp to endure sexual harassment from male Marines, veteran says http://bit.ly/2oaEiNa

As a Marine recruit at Parris Island, Erika Butner learned from her drill instructors that her

supposed brothers in arms would treat her as one of three stereotypes: “A bitch; you’re a

whore or you’re a lesbian,” she told lawmakers on Wednesday.

“I’m not blaming the drill instructors,” she said at a Democratic Women’s Working Group

hearing. “They were preparing us to have thick skin because it is so ingrained in this culture

that they don’t know how to change it, so they go with the grain.”

Wednesday’s hearing focused on allegations that male service members and veterans have

posted nude pictures of female troops, veterans and civilians on the “Marines United”

Facebook page and other websites. Moreover, some members have allegedly threatened to

kill and rape women who are clearly identified in those pictures, lawmakers said.

CT Editorial: Female veterans finally getting the attention they deserve http://bit.ly/2oQcEWF

The VA Connecticut Healthcare System is taking additional steps to help female veterans

cope with Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome after a national study — Barriers to Care for

Women Veterans — showed PTSD is the leading diagnosis for female veterans but many

were not being treated for it.

The study, commissioned by the VA, found 52 percent of female veterans said they needed

mental health care, but only 24 percent sought treatment. That’s a puzzle considering an

additional survey by the nonprofit Service Women’s Action Network showed female veterans

considered mental health to be their biggest challenge.

In the Barriers to Care study, female veterans who didn’t receive mental health treatment

said they feared the stigma of mental illness would hurt their jobs and relationships. They

also cited concerns about taking psychiatric medications and being uncomfortable in the

male-dominated VA culture.

Here in Connecticut, we have more than 16,000 female veterans.

World Health Organization (WHO): Stories on mental health http://bit.ly/2oQbqe9 These feature stories provide examples of the establishment or scaling-up of mental health services

Helping Syrians cope with depression

Addressing the silent impact of war: WHO expands mental health care services across

Syria

March 2017

Mental Health Hospital in Liberia: striving to help people with mental illness get well

April 2016

Mental health services in Liberia: building back better

March 2016

Mental health care in India: restoring hope and dignity

October 2015

Reducing suicide in rural India by limiting access to pesticides

September 2015

As Syria’s armed conflict grows, WHO aid to the region is unrelenting

September 2015

Syrian Arab Republic builds capacity for mental health care during conflict

May 2015

Mobile health clinics help tackle post-earthquake mental health problems in Nepal

May 2015

Turning crisis into opportunity: Typhoon Haiyan one year on

November 2014

22 of 33

Shell-shocked Gazans seek to expand mental health services in wake of conflict

September 2014

World Health Organization (WHO): Depression and Other Common Mental Disorders Global Health Estimates http://bit.ly/2oQhiUL

Reliable, up-to-date estimates of the proportion of a general population affected by different

diseases or health conditions is a key ingredient of effective health policy, planning and

evaluation.

This booklet provides latest available estimates of the prevalence of depression and other

common mental disorders at the global and regional level, together with data concerning

the consequences of these disorders in terms of lost health.

Globally, the total number of people with depression was estimated to exceed 300 million in

2015. Nearly that number again suffers from a range of anxiety disorders.

Since many people experience both conditions simultaneously (comorbidity), it is

inappropriate to simply add these two figures together to arrive at a total for common

mental disorders.

The consequences of these disorders in terms of lost health are huge. Depression is ranked

by WHO as the single largest contributor to global disability (7.5% of all years lived with

disability in 2015); anxiety disorders are ranked 6th (3.4%).

Depression is also the major contributor to suicide deaths, which number close to 800 000

per year.

Additional resources from my blog

RESURRECTING LIVES FOUNDATION http://bit.ly/1R9toOV

EVENTS FOR VETERANS & VETERAN SERVICE PROVIDERS http://bit.ly/1Gg1nOi

SUICIDE Suicide among female veterans up 85% over 25 years http://bit.ly/2oQtapI

RENO, Nev. (KOLO) - Since 9/11 it’s not uncommon to see women in conflict areas around

the world. Their numbers in the military have increased, and a new study shows their

problems associated with war, too, have increased.

A comprehensive study from the Department of Veterans Affairs shows the suicide rate

among women vets has increased 85 percent over the last 25 years.

“You had to be really tough, you know. You couldn't take anything less than excellence,”

says Dawn Lafferty.

Lafferty says in her 13 years as a corpsman in the Navy she experienced and saw a lot. It

impacted her, just like all her female colleagues.

While they had a common bond in the military, Lafferty believes those bonds untie, and

looking for understanding in the outside world gets difficult.

“Just think about it. You know if you are sitting with a group of women who have never

been in the military, they don't understand what type of experiences have really taken

place,” says Lafferty.

There could be something to Lafferty's theory. Even though female veterans commit suicide

at lower rates than their male counterparts, it is six times higher when compared to women

23 of 33

in the civilian world. And those female veterans are more likely to use firearms in their

suicide attempts.

“Veterans in general, both men and women, are obviously going to be more comfortable

with firearms than the civilian population.

About 67% of veterans die of self-inflicted gunshot wounds,” says Marlyn Scholl, a suicide

prevention coordinator with the VA.

Scholl says there is help out there for veterans within the system. In recent years there's

been an increase in mental health staff, an expansion of the suicide crisis hotline, and trying

to ensure same-day treatment. But the bigger challenge, she says, is getting veterans to

take advantage of the programs.

The study also showed this: “20 veterans die of suicide every day. It is huge. About 6 of

them only, 6 of them are in the VA system. So there is this other 14 that are not associated

with VA care,” says Scholl.

Burden, Belonging, and Capability: An Interpersonal View of Military Suicides (Feature Article) (Psychiatric Times) http://bit.ly/2oOfw75

Several months ago a statement was released by the military that a 2-star General in the

Army had taken his own life. Prior to his loss he had spoken with great concern about the

incidence of suicides within the Armed Forces.

His rank and stature make his suicide unique; however, his death also poignantly illustrates

the complexity of the problem of suicide within the military and the need to find greater

understanding about this phenomenon.

Part of this understanding must come from a look at the personal narratives and beliefs that

may contribute to suicides within the military.

Research: 1st Scientific Analysis of Suicide Notes Lends Insights into the Heartbreaking Act http://bit.ly/2oN6yGP

For decades, the mortality rate across the US was in decline. That’s why the results of a

2015 report were so shocking. For the first time in generations, middle-aged white people

saw their death rate increase. Husband and wife economists Anne Case and Angus Deaton

discovered this disturbing trend, which began back in 1999. The researchers labeled these

“deaths of despair,” resulting from suicide, drug or alcohol abuse.

Approximately 40,000 people take their own lives each year in the US. A new book tries to

isolate the origins of the uptick, currently at a 30-year high, and what can be done. The

upward trend was found in all age groups, absent the elderly. Now a new book is lending

greater insights into this most personal of tragic acts. It’s entitled Explaining Suicide:

Patterns, Motivations and What Notes Reveal. The authors say this is the first sweeping,

analytical attempt to understand the motivations behind the act, across different age

groups.

A multidisciplinary team of academics was involved in this study. They were psychology

professor Cheryl Meyer at Wright State University, psychologist Taronish Irani at SUNY-

Buffalo State, historian Katherine Hermes at Central Connecticut University, and the late

Betty Yung, who was an associate professor of psychology at Wright State University. They

wanted to obtain a holistic view using psychology, history, and the social sciences to tackle

suicide.

OREGON: New Approach to Suicide Prevention: Aim for Zero http://bit.ly/2oQpxA3 . . . “We have found that when you bundle best practices and don’t just pick one of them …

you see a reduction in suicide rates,” said Dr. Jerry Reed, director of the Suicide Prevention

24 of 33

Resource Center and an executive committee member for the National Action Alliance for

Suicide Prevention.

The alliance is a public-private partnership created in 2010 by then Health and Human

Service Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Defense Secretary Robert Gates and charged with

creating a national strategy for suicide prevention.

The alliance built the Zero Suicide approach from the example at Henry Ford, creating a

framework of seven elements that health care organizations need to incorporate for

effective suicide prevention. Organizations can then choose which proven strategies to

adopt in order to meet all seven elements.

Reed said there are many individual best practices for suicide prevention with solid evidence

that they help. The group is now trying to gather the data to show that by bundling such

strategies in a holistic approach, they can drive down suicide rates to dramatic lows.

SPRC: Just-Released: New Suicide Prevention Tools to Help Guide Communities http://bit.ly/2oe1v1s

The National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention (Action Alliance) and its partners

including the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention (CDC), and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services

Administration’s Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC)—recently released the following

resources:

Transforming Communities: Key Elements for Comprehensive Community-

Based Suicide Prevention

Developed by the Action Alliance, this resource presents seven key elements for

comprehensive community-based suicide prevention, identified via a review of

relevant programs, guidance, and models. The elements are key considerations that

should guide community-based suicide prevention efforts—aimed at helping

communities create policies, programs, and services that reduce suicide and improve

individual, family, and community health. They are meant as broad guidance for the

field, and can help inform the development of suicide prevention programs and

future resources.

Preventing Suicide: A Technical Package of Policy, Programs, and Practices

Developed by CDC, this resource helps states and communities take advantage of

the best available evidence for suicide prevention interventions. The package

highlights seven strategies for suicide prevention and the evidence of their impact on

suicidal behaviors and related risk and protective factors.

SPRC: The Weekly Spark http://bit.ly/29EvMvH

New Suicide Prevention Tools to Help Guide Communities

Changing the Story

Suicide Rates Are Rising Faster outside U.S. Cities

MASSACHUSETTS: Feel Good Society Looks to Increase Mental Health Awareness

AUSTRALIA: Suicide Rate among Defense Veterans Far Higher Than for Those

Currently Serving

SAMHSA Voice Awards Call for Nominations

Safe States Alliance Annual Meeting Call for Abstracts

Talking Points for New Netflix Series, 13 Reasons Why

IL: Rate of suicides among Chicago Police a badge of high-stress job http://bit.ly/2oN6Vkw

Buried among the facts and figures in the Justice Department’s recent book-length report on

the failings of the Chicago Police Department was a telling statistic: The rate of suicide

among CPD officers is 60 percent higher than other departments across the U.S.

25 of 33

Australia: Defence ‘not hearing’ cries for help from soldiers http://bit.ly/2oaCnbr The case of a serving soldier in Afghanistan attempting to kill herself confirmed Defence was

not heeding warning signs about traumatised personnel, the mother of a military suicide

victim said yesterday.

Australia: Culture key to suicide prevention among Indigenous Australians, experts say, ahead of global discussion http://ab.co/2oMR59O

A focus on culture may be the key to reducing the high rate of suicide among Indigenous

Australians, experts say, as they gather to hear the experiences of First Nations people from

around the world to find solutions.

Key points:

Indigenous youth are up to five times more likely than other young Australians to

take their own lives

Maori people have a suicide rate more than one and a half times New Zealand's non-

Maori population

In Canada, suicide rates among Inuit people are among the worst in the world

ADDITIONAL MENTAL HEALTH & SUICIDE NEWS IS POSTED IN THE SECTIONS BELOW.

COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES

After another college closure, American Legion implores Congress to protect student veterans http://bit.ly/2oQiIOY

WASHINGTON — For-profit trade school Westech College abruptly closed its three southern

California locations Sunday, leaving hundreds of students – including 31 veterans –

scrambling to receive refunds or transfer their credits.

The school closing highlights a problem facing thousands of student veterans across the

country, the Amercian Legion said, and underscores the need to protect them and their

educational benefits when their colleges shut down.

In response to the closing, the veterans organization on Friday again called on Congress to

support legislation that would allow students to recover their GI Bill benefits in such

circumstances.

. . . The Department of Veterans Affairs emailed the veterans Thursday with a notice that

the VA doesn’t have legal authority to restore any benefits used at Westech.

The email advised students to reach out to Student Veterans of America or the American

Legion, or call the VA Education Call Center at 1-888-442-4551.

University of California Los Angles (UCLA): College is so expensive, this 27-year-old rocket scientist created a homeless shelter for students http://read.bi/2oQo1xY

. . . In October 2016, Tse and former classmate Luke Shaw opened up a student-run shelter

for students who are experiencing homelessness because of the sky-high costs of higher

education. Students for Students, formerly known as the Bruin Shelter, provides them with

a safe and supportive place to eat, sleep, socialize, and study during the academic year.

The shelter has nine beds and welcomes college students from the Los Angeles area (a

majority come from UCLA, because of its proximity to campus). Unlike traditional shelters,

which use a lottery-based system to fill beds, Students for Students interviews applicants

26 of 33

and offers a place to stay for up to six months. Breakfast and dinner are served family-style

every day.

There are 60 student-volunteers who keep the shelter running day and night.

Case managers from the UCLA Department of Social Welfare come by to help residents

locate more permanent housing and tap into city programs that subsidize rent for homeless

individuals. Medical and dental students from the university provide routine check-ups.

Counseling is also available.

Mercy College New York Training: From the Military to Mercy College to Math Teacher - Earn a tuition-free Master of Science Degree in Mathematics Education http://bit.ly/2omdvOm

Join Mercy College for a unique career and scholarship opportunity. Earn a tuition-free

Master of Science degree in Mathematics Education funded by the National Science

Foundation. Mercy is looking for ten veterans with strong math backgrounds to qualify for a

full scholarship in a 14-month master's degree program.

Program Components

$32,800 in scholarship support to cover the full cost of tuition

36 graduate credits graduate coursework at Mercy College, Dobbs Ferry, NY

140 days of clinical internship in a Yonkers public secondary school under the

mentorship of an experienced math secondary school teacher

A Mercy College faculty member to provide professional mentoring and onsite

classroom support for the academic year

Professional support to prepare for teacher certification examinations

On-site Mentoring and online follow-up support during the first and second years of

teaching

Princeton University Research: Why the white middle class is dying faster, explained in 6 charts - The complicated collapse of middle-aged white Americans. http://bit.ly/2oQyp93

In 2015, a blockbuster study came to a surprising conclusion: Middle-aged white

Americans are dying younger for the first time in decades, despite positive life expectancy

trends in other wealthy countries and other segments of the US population.

The research, by Princeton University’s Anne Case and Angus Deaton, highlighted the links

between economic struggles, suicides, and alcohol and drug overdoses.

Since then, Case and Deaton have been working to more fully explain their findings.

They’ve now come to a compelling conclusion: It’s complicated. There’s no single reason for

this disturbing increase in the mortality rate, but a toxic cocktail of factors.

In a new 60-page paper, “Mortality and morbidity in the 21st Century,” out in draft form in

the Brookings Papers on Economic Activity Thursday, the researchers weave a narrative

of “cumulative disadvantage” over a lifetime for white people ages 45 through 54,

particularly those with low levels of education.

Along with worsening job prospects over the past several decades, this group has seen their

chances of a stable marriage and family decline, along with their overall health. To manage

their despair about the gap between their hopes and what’s come of their lives, they’ve

often turned to drugs, alcohol, and suicide.

27 of 33

Meanwhile, gains in fighting heart disease have stalled, and rates of obesity and diabetes

have ploddingly climbed.

So the rise in mortality for white mid-life people in America since the late 1990s is actually

the final stage of a decades-long process. “It’s about the collapse of white middle class,”

said Case. Here are the five big takeaways from the researchers’ new opus.

Suicides, alcohol, and drug overdose deaths have gone up across the entire country.

(Read: It’s not just a rural problem.)

Deaths from chronic diseases such as diabetes have been rising

The least-educated Americans are suffering the most

Other nonwhite racial groups aren’t experiencing the same mortality uptick — so it’s

not just about income

This story is unique to the US

Saint Joseph's University: SJU No Charge Veterans Entrepreneurial Jumpstart (VEJ), Application Deadline July 1st http://bit.ly/2odYZIA

The Veterans Entrepreneurial Jumpstart (VEJ) program is designed specifically to provide

the tools, education and mentorship necessary to allow all qualified veterans the opportunity

to start their own businesses.

We offer the latest training in business and entrepreneurship, utilizing the breadth of

experience available through the renowned Haub School of Business, experienced faculty,

and industry practitioners.

THIS PROGRAM IS PROVIDED AT NO CHARGE TO ACCEPTED QUALIFIED VETERANS.

VETERANS MUST HAVE AN HONORABLE DISCHARGE.

Applications are due by July 1, 2017. Veterans accepted into the program will be able to

begin Phase I in September 2017.

University of South Carolina Research: Neurological Symptoms of Gulf War Illness Linked to Intestinal Disturbances, Study Suggests http://bit.ly/2oQtOUj

Gulf War Illness (GWI) has many symptoms, and now a link between changes in the gut

microbiome (bacteria living in the intestines) and neuroinflammation (inflammation of the

brain) has been identified, according to a new study.

These findings may result in new treatment approaches for people with GWI gastrointestinal

disturbances and symptoms of brain impairment.

The study, “Altered gut microbiome in a mouse model of Gulf War Illness causes

neuroinflammation and intestinal injury via leaky gut and TLR4 activation,” published

in PLOS One, was conducted at the University of South Carolina Arnold School of Public

Health.

Stanford University Medical Center/University of California-San Francisco Research: SCIENTISTS FINALLY UNDERSTAND WHY DEEP BREATHING PHYSICALLY REDUCES STRESS http://bit.ly/2oO7QSg

On March 30, a group led by scientists at Stanford University Medical Center and the

University of California-San Francisco published (paywall) work that illuminates the specific

neurons that act as a bridge between mental and physical arousal. Understanding these

cells could be used to develop new therapies for mental health conditions.

Breathing is an automated process controlled by a cluster of brain cells that sit on the

brainstem. Unlike the neurons in charge of other automatic movement, like our heart’s

beating, the group of cells that governs our breathing have to accommodate a lot more

variety. “There are many distinct types of breaths: regular, excited, sighing, yawning,

28 of 33

gasping, sleeping, laughing, sobbing,” Mark Krasnow, a biochemist at Stanford University

and co-author of the paper, said in a statement. “We wondered if different subtypes of

neurons within the respiratory control center might be in charge of generating these

different types of breath.”

. . . The team decided to break down this control center into distinct parts and attempt to

spot the cluster that influence rhythmic breathing specifically. Working in mouse models (for

obvious reasons), Krasnow and his team wiped out a patch of 175 neurons they selected

based on previous knowledge of mouse genes associated with breathing. Then, they waited

to see if their test mice started breathing erratically.

The mice, however, didn’t appear bothered at all by their missing neurons. They were fine.

Better than fine, even—rather than sniffing and exploring around their containers as mice

typically do, they were content to groom themselves and sit peacefully. “They had become

chill. Mellow fellows,” Krasnow told NPR.

. . . It’s impossible to tell whether the mice were really enjoying their new, anxiety-free life.

Primping instead of probing doesn’t necessarily scale up to actual emotion, and even if it

did, it’s not as if the mice could explain to the human researchers how they were feeling

about it all. But now that scientists know that this one patch of neurons dramatically

impacts the rate of breathing, scientists have a starting point to develop new ways to

physically manipulate emotional states in patients who suffer from anxiety or depression.

University of Texas SW Medical Center Football Research: Brain Abnormalities Linked To Head Impacts After Just One Season Of High School Football http://bit.ly/2oNiEj9

Based on a new study to be presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological

Society of North America (RSNA), specialized MRI scans performed on high school football

players--after just one season--revealed changes in brain tissue which correlated with

exposure to head impacts.

"It's important to understand the potential changes occurring in the brain related to youth

contact sports," said Elizabeth Moody Davenport, Ph.D., a postdoctoral researcher at UT

Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, who led this analysis.

"We know that some professional football players suffer from a serious condition called

chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE. We are attempting to find out when and how

that process starts, so that we can keep sports a healthy activity for millions of children and

adolescents."

The study evaluated 24 players from a North Carolina high school football team who wore a

helmet equipped with the Head Impact Telemetry System (HITS) during all practices and

games.

The specially designed helmets were internally equipped with six specialized sensors known

as accelerometers that measure the magnitude, location and direction of a hit.

A computer then analyzed uploaded data from the helmets.

"We saw changes in these young players' brains on both structural and functional imaging

after a single season of football," said Davenport.

University of Virginia Research: UVA PROFESSORS USE BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY TO IMPROVE PRISONER RE-ENTRY OUTCOMES HTTP://BIT.LY/2OQDKF2

The National Institute of Justice says two-thirds of released inmates will be rearrested

within three years. A new University of Virginia program is aiming to change that.

29 of 33

Two UVA professors, in partnership with Edovo, a Chicago-based education technology firm,

are launching a program that will develop, implement and evaluate a tablet-based re-entry

module to strengthen inmates’ transitions back into society after they complete their

sentences.

. . . “This high recidivism rate signals our collective failure to help formerly incarcerated

individuals build stable lives after prison,” Doleac said. “By leveraging interactive

technologies and behavioral insights, we can provide prisoners with more personalized

information and supports during this often-challenging transition, and reduce the probability

of recidivism.”

Before release, the module will help inmates create a personalized transition plan. Post-

release, it will provide ongoing information to inmates to keep them on track.

Castleman and Doleac will pilot the intervention in two county jails, and in subsequent years

plan to expand the intervention to additional facilities across the country.

The individuals participating in the study will create a personalized transition plan that is

customized and adapts to their areas of concern, and after release will be provided with

ongoing information to maintain stability and help fulfill their personalized plan.

Wright State University, Central Connecticut University/ SUNY – Buffalo State Research: 1st Scientific Analysis of Suicide Notes Lends Insights into the Heartbreaking Act http://bit.ly/2oN6yGP

For decades, the mortality rate across the US was in decline. That’s why the results of a

2015 report were so shocking. For the first time in generations, middle-aged white people

saw their death rate increase. Husband and wife economists Anne Case and Angus Deaton

discovered this disturbing trend, which began back in 1999. The researchers labeled these

“deaths of despair,” resulting from suicide, drug or alcohol abuse.

Approximately 40,000 people take their own lives each year in the US. A new book tries to

isolate the origins of the uptick, currently at a 30-year high, and what can be done. The

upward trend was found in all age groups, absent the elderly. Now a new book is lending

greater insights into this most personal of tragic acts. It’s entitled Explaining Suicide:

Patterns, Motivations and What Notes Reveal. The authors say this is the first sweeping,

analytical attempt to understand the motivations behind the act, across different age

groups.

A multidisciplinary team of academics was involved in this study. They were psychology

professor Cheryl Meyer at Wright State University, psychologist Taronish Irani at SUNY-

Buffalo State, historian Katherine Hermes at Central Connecticut University, and the late

Betty Yung, who was an associate professor of psychology at Wright State University. They

wanted to obtain a holistic view using psychology, history, and the social sciences to tackle

suicide.

Youngstown State University (YSU): Brown, Tressel Tout Bill Expanding Higher Ed Benefits for Vets http://bit.ly/2oNZ8n2

Youngstown State University (YSU) President and former Ohio State football head coach Jim

Tressel joined U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) in a conference call with reporters on

Wednesday to bring attention to Brown’s new bill, the Veterans Priority Enrollment Act of

2017, designed to allow veterans to finish their degrees before their GI education benefits

expire.

Co-sponsored with Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), Brown said the bipartisan bill would help

alleviate some of the burdens of returning soldiers transitioning back to civilian life.

“Veterans have a limited time before their GI benefits expire, and waiting for a spot in a

30 of 33

required course is a luxury veterans don’t have,” said Brown, who sits on the U.S. Senate

Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. “If they are focused on pressing concerns coming home

from overseas, like their children, they might end up having to pay thousands out of

pocket.”

Tressel added that the cost of a degree can increase significantly when students aren’t able

to complete all their classes in four years, but giving priority registration to veterans will

help ensure their degrees are completed on time.

“We were a pioneer when offering student veteran services on campus in 2009, and we

continue to provide and upgrade our services to veterans in 2017. Priority registration is

one of many benefits offered student veterans at YSU,” Tressel said.

Brown also discussed the Yellow Ribbon Improvement Act of 2017, co-sponsored by Sens.

Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Tillis, which would allow relatives of service members who died in

combat to participate in the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) Yellow Ribbon Program,

which helps pay the cost of higher education.

GENERAL NEWS

IBM, PNC partner to get more military veterans into tech jobs http://tek.io/2oNa1VB IBM recently joined forces with PNC to expand a free nationwide training program aimed at

getting US veterans into cybersecurity and data-based jobs.

Indiana VFW post spending $300K in renovations in effort to modernize, attract younger vets http://bit.ly/2omsMyB

GREENFIELD, Ind. - A Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) post is getting a facelift, but leaders

with the VFW hope the work will do more than give their post a modernized look.

Memberships at VFWs across the country are getting older and older. At VFW post 2693,

which has about 180 members, the majority of veterans are between the age of 50 and 70.

Post commander Walter Baran said it was time to do something to attract veterans who are

returning from Afghanistan and Iraq. "Now’s a good time," he said. "We need to get out of

the '70s and '80s look in here, get into the 21st century and get the new guys in.”

LAPD’s ‘HOPE teams’ sees results in cleaning up homeless camps http://bit.ly/2oQtYLs A Los Angeles Police Department program aimed at enforcing regulations around homeless

encampments has resulted in more than 1,150 cleanups and nearly 400 people placed in

housing since it began last year, officials told the Los Angeles Police Commission on

Tuesday.

LAPD officials provided the commission a progress report on “HOPE teams,” which carry out

the city’s recently adopted policy of removing and cleaning up unattended homeless

encampments and debris that block walkways.

First rolled out in the San Fernando Valley last May and later to the other three police

bureaus throughout the city, each of the teams consists of a city sanitation crew, a

homeless outreach team from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority and police

officers trained in dealing with the homeless population and city rules for dismantling

encampments.

• RELATED STORY: LA Mayor Eric Garcetti counting on new HOPE program to help the

homeless

31 of 33

LAPD officials said the teams’ goal is to treat people who are homeless humanely, while also

meeting the needs of communities living near the make-shift living structures. HOPE stands

for Homeless Outreach Partnership Endeavor.

Kansas City Group builds free 'tiny houses' for homeless veterans http://bit.ly/2oQc63g Army veteran Chris Stout observed the roadblocks to getting homeless veterans off the

street while working for a Kansas City nonprofit.

They didn’t want to live in shelters — in part because there was nowhere to put the personal

items they were carrying around in shopping carts and trash bags.

The “tiny houses” project was born.

“Working with these guys on the street, working with guys in the shelters — They were

always protecting their stuff,” said Stout, a former 82nd Airborne soldier who was medically

retired after being injured in Afghanistan.

“That’s where the tiny houses came from. We’re going to give them own space.”

Stout’s nonprofit group, Veterans Community Project, plans to erect 50 houses measuring

240 square feet on its land in Kansas City.

This Boston Doctor Makes House Calls to the Homeless http://bit.ly/2oQhC63 While health care remains a perpetual topic of conversation across all demographics, the

nation’s homeless often find their marginalized status in society means medical care can be

fleeting at best.

Dr. Jim O’Connell, a physician based in Boston, Massachusetts, isn’t satisfied with that. And

he’s devoted his career in medicine to doing something about it.

According to a profile by CBS News, Dr. O’Connell and a team of psychologists and social

workers make their rounds on the city’s streets, treating and following up with more than

700 homeless patients.

The services are part of the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program, a grant-funded

organization that aims to improve the quality of life for the area’s homeless population by

providing medical care, mental health treatment, and substance abuse treatment.

Additional resources from my blog ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR SERVICE PROVIDERS http://bit.ly/1Gg21LH

EVENTS FOR VETERANS & VETERANS SERVICE PROVIDERS http://bit.ly/1Gg1nOi

VETERANS JOB LISTINGS AND HIRING FAIRS WEBSITES http://bit.ly/19Dz2ay NEWSLETTERS & BLOG FOR VETERANS http://bit.ly/1GQzKjf

"VETERANS IN JUSTICE" LinkedIn Professional Group (VIJ)

Please join us on LinkedIn or Facebook for networking and discussions on the issues regarding

veterans in the criminal justice system. This group's mission is to connect professionals and

advocates who work with and for justice-involved veterans and to share ideas and practices for

assisting those veterans -- from the conditions that lead to justice involvement, through initial

police contact, arrest, criminal case processing, conviction, sentencing, incarceration, and

release. Access our group at http://linkd.in/1947vfS Facebook:

www.facebook.com/veteransinjustice

32 of 33

Join The National Discussion - 1,346 Professionals in VIJ Group

Active Topics

ADDRESSING THE FLOW OF VETERANS INTO PRISON

Adding a sincere Letter of Explanation to your job applications can help you make a

positive impression on employers.

Abuse of Judicial Power in Family Court Against a Navy Veteran

Tips for discussing one's conviction record in a way that makes a positive impression on

employers

More . . .

LINKEDIN GROUPS

Military and Veteran Benefit Forum Veteran Mentor Network http://linkd.in/1fOlgOt 28,933 members Institute for Veteran Cultural Studies http://linkd.in/1cz3gq1 NAMI http://linkd.in/1cz3Gg7 BI-IFEA (Brain injury-Ideas for Education & Advocacy) http://linkd.in/1cz4e5V Military-Civilian: Hot Jobs and Careers for Veterans and Their Families http://linkd.in/1c59DkM VETERANS IN JUSTICE GROUP http://linkd.in/12APdMS Cuyahoga County Ohio Veterans and Supporters (Bryan A. McGown "Gunny") http://linkd.in/Zxwx1f Veteran Employment Representatives http://linkd.in/ZxwUcc MILITARY MENTAL HEALTH DISORDERS POST DEPLOYMENT FOR PROVIDERS, COMBAT VETERANS & THEIR FAMILIES http://bit.ly/1RVPLFl Midwest Military Outreach, Inc. http://linkd.in/1eiMTkJ Military Veteran Job Fairs & Hiring Conferences http://linkd.in/Zxx4jS Wounded Warrior Resources http://linkd.in/17TMNhJ The Value of a Veteran http://linkd.in/15vD7H4 MILITARY MENTAL HEALTH DISORDERS POST DEPLOYMENT FOR PROVIDERS, COMBAT VETERANS & THEIR FAMILIES http://linkd.in/1fkQLA8 (Please email us other groups that you find and think would be informative and useful for our audience)

VETERANS IN THE COURTS INITIATIVE BLOG estrattonconsulting.wordpress.com

To focus this newsletter on veterans-related criminal justice and mental illness issues and to shorten it to a more

manageable size, we have moved our tables & lists of reference materials and other longer term information to retired Justice Stratton's blog. Please follow the links below for that information.

Operation Legal Help Ohio http://bit.ly/1Gg0HbK

National Legal Assistance http://bit.ly/19DC5zu

VA Town Halls & Events http://bit.ly/1Gg1DN6

Jobs & Hiring Fairs Listings http://bit.ly/19Dz2ay

Events: Conferences, Webinars, etc.

http://bit.ly/1Gg1nOi

Additional Resources http://bit.ly/1Gg21LH

Current Newsletter http://bit.ly/19ovER5

2015 Newsletters http://bit.ly/1FKASAC

Ohio Resources For Veterans http://bit.ly/19ouWn0

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Editor's Note: Thank you to all of the individuals and organizations that provide articles for these news clips every week. I would especially like to thank and urge you to follow:

Marco Bongioanni, MSE Readjustment Counseling Therapist, U.S. Army Veteran,Bronx Vet Center, Bronx, NY Lily Casura, journalist, author and founder of Healing Combat Trauma - the award-winning, first website to

address the issue of combat veterans and PTSD (established February 2006) U.S. Army Colonel (Ret.) Wayne Gatewood, of Quality Support Inc. Wayne disseminates a daily Veterans

News e-mail to an international audience Dr. Ingrid Herrera-Yee, Project Manager, Military Spouse Mental Health Pipeline, National Military Family

Association. Dr. Herrera-Yee is currently a Board Member for the Association of the United States Army (AUSA), Military Spouses of Strength, Military Mental Health Project and the National Guard Suicide and Resiliency Council among others. She has also been a special contributor to NBC News, Military Times, Air Force Times, Military Spouse Magazine and BuzzFeed. She spends her free time mentoring spouses through

33 of 33

eMentor and Joining Forces. Dr. Herrera-Yee received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and was a Clinical Fellow at Harvard University.

U.S. Army Colonel (Ret.) James Hutton, Dep Assistant Secretary (Acting), U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Col. US Army (Ret) - Iraq War Veteran.

Justice for Vets, Justice For Vets is a professional services division of the National Association of Drug Court professionals, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization based in Alexandria, VA. Justice for Vets believes that no veteran or military service member should suffer from gaps in service, or the judicial system when they return to their communities. As the stewards of the Veterans Treatment Court movement

Judge Ginger Lerner-Wren, Pioneer, America's first mental health court dedicated to the decriminalization of people with mental illness

Kathy Platoni, Psy.D., DAAPM, FAIS, Clinical Psychologist, COL (RET), US Army, COL. Ohio Militia, www.drplatoni.com, Veteran ~ Operation Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, (Joint Task Force Guantanamo Bay and Afghanistan), Co-Author and Co-Editor, Fort Hood Massacre Survivor, National Combat Trauma Expert

Mary Ellen Salzano, founder facilitator of the CA Statewide Collaborative for our Military and Families Patrick W. Welch, PhD, U.S. Marine Corps (Ret), Veterans Advocate & Educator, Buffalo Veterans Treatment

Court - Senior Mentor

HOW TO JOIN OUR NEWSLETTER There are three ways to join my newsletter:

Join my Veterans In The Courts Initiative Google Group at http://bit.ly/1DZ3esD or,

Subscribe to my Veterans In The Courts Initiative Blog for immediate news and for my weekly newsletter

at http://bit.ly/1DP1TCi or,

Please contact my editor Pete Miller at cruzzen@gmail.com and request to be added. 1. Please send us a little info about yourselves as we like to introduce our new sign-ups to others for networking purposes. (See our transmittal email page for examples.) If you do NOT wish to be recognized, please let Pete know, otherwise we will list you. 2. We provide these news clips summaries as a way to share information of a general nature and it is not intended as a substitute for professional consultation and advice in a particular matter. The opinions and interpretations expressed within are those of the author of the individual news stories only and may not reflect those of other identified parties.

3. We do not guarantee the accuracy and completeness of these news clips, nor do we endorse or make any representations about their content. We only pass them through to our readers and rely on you to check out their content. We don't intend to make any editorial judgment about their content or politics. 4. In no event will I, EStratton Consulting, or my Editor Pete Miller, be liable for any damages whatsoever arising out of the use of or reliance on the contents of this news clips summary. How you chose to use them is strictly up to you. 5. Please feel free to pass the news clips on to any of your networks, so that we may get the word out as far as possible. You may also send in information similar in content to what we pass on. While we may occasionally pass on such information, we don't intend to promote commercial or for profit products nor be a substitute for your own efforts to promote your own entity or website. We especially welcome information about national funding or training opportunities. 6. If you pass on our clips, please also pass on our Disclaimer. EDITOR/CONTACT

Pete Miller, cruzzen@gmail.com, @OHCircuitRider

Ohio Attorney General's Task Force on Criminal Justice & Mental Illness

Veterans In The Courts Initiative

Editor/Publisher - Veterans Treatment Court News Daily

Editor/Publisher - Traumatic Brain Injury News Daily