Outreach center provides hope for injured
Today, U.S. military forces are engaged in conflicts around the world in support of current operations, most prominently in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.
Ongoing deployments, changing demographics and other challenges exert considerable stress on military members, their families, leaders, clinicians, employers and entire communities. Concern over these and other issues can adversely affect mission readiness. Further, these needs present considerable challenges to medical and support resources, along with leadership response to tackle these issues and concerns.
The Defense Department has opened an outreach center to provide information and referrals to individuals with questions about psychological health and traumatic brain injury. The center, which is operated by the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury, is available for contact 24 hours-a-day, 365 days-a-year.
The outreach center serves members of all uniformed services, along with veterans of all the services. The center provides information, resources and support to active-duty servicemembers, supervisors, commanders, first sergeants, chaplains, veterans, family members, clinicians, researchers and friends.
Although areas of expertise include post traumatic stress disorder and TBI, staff members are knowledgeable on a variety of topics related to the psychological health of servicemembers and their families. This includes adjustment issues, depression, substance abuse, stress and more. They also provide assistance for the psychological health of children.
The center is also equipped to research any topic for callers regarding from routine information requests to finding appropriate health care resources. The center promotes resilience, recovery and reintegration of servicemembers facing psychological health and traumatic brain injury issues and works to advance research, education, diagnosis and treatment of these conditions.
Callers can get information via phone, e-mail, instant messaging, chat or fax. All client information is confidential. No personal information is provided to others without consent.
The center is staffed by professional health care consultants and nurses, who answer questions, collaborate and partner with the DOD, VA, federal agencies and community organizations to provide the best care program for each individual and family member.
For more information, call (866) 966-1020 e-mail resources@dcoeoutreach.org.