The Governor's Focus on Returning Combat Veterans and their Families

Welcome to NC’s Partnership for Combat Veterans and Their Families

On behalf of the federal, state, local, professional, and consumer organizations that have partnered together to ensure that North Carolina’s returning combat veterans and their families receive the best and most updated services available, co-chairs Flo Stein, Chief, Community Policy Management, NC Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Abuse Services and Harold Kudler, MD, Clinical Lead, Rural Health Initiative and Associate Director, Veterans Integrated Service Network 6 Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center, welcome you. North Carolina ranks third in total military personnel per capita, third in active duty military personnel per capita, and thirty-eighth in Reserve and National Guard. There are currently 120,000 active duty personnel based at one of seven military bases or deployed overseas. North Carolina is likely to receive another 15,000 active duty members by 2013. Another 25,000 soldiers, marines, and airmen live in all 100 counties of North Carolina and serve in the National Guard or Reserve Forces. Most of the active duty military, Reserve, and National Guard have served in Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) or Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). Military service also affects their families prior to, during, and post deployment, with deaths, injuries, and disabilities taking their toll. An estimated 103,118 children and adolescents of active duty members, National Guard, and Reserves live in North Carolina. In addition to active military, another 770,080 veterans live in North Carolina, of which more than 117,000 are in receipt of service connected disability compensation from the US Department of Veterans Affairs. That places North Carolina fifth in military retiree population and ninth in veteran population in the country with close to 800,000 veterans residing in the State. We have the fourth largest number of 100% disabled veterans. In 2009, the North Carolina General Assembly charged the North Carolina Institute of Medicine (NCIOM) with studying “the adequacy of mental health, developmental disabilities, and substance abuse services funded with Medicaid funds and with State funds that are currently available to active, reserve, and National Guard members of the military, Veterans of the military, and their families, and the need for increased State services to these individuals.” For a copy of the full report of the Task Force, please go to www.nciom.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/MH_FullReport.pdf. For a copy of the executive summary, please go to http://www.nciom.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/MH_ExecSum.pdf

Accomplishments

Governor’s Summit in 2006—nearly 90 individuals attended the conference, which resulted in recommendations to the Governor regarding individuals’ access to services, outreach to military personnel, educational linkages and interagency collaboration, and training of professionals.
Governor’s Letter—a personalized letter sent by the North Carolina Governor’s Office to every OEF/OIF veteran in the state, thanking them for their service and expressing the Governor’s desire to serve each new veteran and their family. Veterans are provided toll free numbers for Care-Line and N.C. Department of Health and Human Services. The North Carolina National Guard is hosting a toll-free number, 800/621-4136, for North Carolina Servicemembers, Veterans and their Families. This number is available 24/7/365.
From March 22, 2007 through February 2, 2012, 37,184 letters have been mailed.
The DMH/DD/SAS and the Governor’s Institute on Substance Abuse have staffed the Governor’s Focus on Servicemembers, Veterans and their Families by providing logistical support for meetings and developing a website, http://veteransfocus.org, in 2007. This website includes resources for health care providers, including evidence-based practices in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse and traumatic brain injury and in the prevention of suicide and homelessness. Between July 1, 2009 and June 30, 2010, usage of the website has been tracked, with 5,845 visitors (an average of 487 individuals per month). Usage has increased since the beginning of July 2010, with 8,981 visits from July 1, 2010 to June 23, 2011 (average of 748 individuals per month). Of the 8,981 visits, 8,553 were from the U.S.; 2,052 or 22.8% were from North Carolina).

Workforce Development

- The DMH/DD/SAS and BHRP have co-sponsored the workshop, PTSD, Substance Abuse, and Returning OEF/OIF NC Guard and Reserve Veterans. This workshop addresses issues faced by returning combat Veterans that substance abuse professionals need to know. A total of 583 substance abuse professionals attended 14 full-day training events from 2006 to 2009, and 14 substance abuse professionals attended a 20-hour course in August 2009. Two full-day training events are scheduled in Asheville and Greensboro during the spring of 2010. A new advanced 20-hour course, for those professionals who completed the basic course, will be conducted at the Summer School sponsored by the North Carolina Foundation for Addiction Studies in August 2010.
- The DMH/DD/SAS, the VISN 6 Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC), the NC Area Health Education Centers, and the Citizen-Soldier Support Program at the University of North Carolina have partnered to develop a series of educational programs for healthcare professionals, behavioral health professionals, and clergy. These programs are briefly described below.
If you are a service or family member, use our Resource Page. For the latest information on what’s happening with the focus click on updates or click here to follow us via RSS.