Veterans Suffering From Post-Trauma Stress Disorders (PTSD), Grant Proposal Example

Introduction

After their service in the military, veterans return to their rural backgrounds and communities. The choice for rural settings is influenced by several factors among them lower living costs, bridging the family gaps created by the nature of their career and the feel for a cool retirement space. Due to the nature of their job commitments, military officers are soft spots for mental and traumatic complications. Majority of the veterans are victims of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and the pressing concern of their post-service health conditions remains a top priority.

Since the inception of the 1983 congressional mandate, numerous war veteran readjustment studies have been imposed. As majority of the Vietnam War veterans adjusted to postwar life, an overwhelming segment was found to be victims of psychological disorders. Medical records indicate that some of the veterans depicted severe and mild symptoms of PTSD. Horrifying and deadly experiences on the battlefield caused ailments that have costed the veterans’ life after service (Banducci & Weiss, 2020). Despite the swelling epidemiological rates of PTSD cases, limited interventions and response mechanisms have been incepted or implemented. The rural veteran population has been a mainstay in the debate of the prevalence of PTSD during post-military life for service men and women (Jorden, 2018). On the basis of the illuminated synopsis, the purpose of this research text of ratifying an intervention and grant proposal for PTSD victims among the veterans of the military forces.

Technical Approach

Documented research have shown that military officers are victims of convoluted mental and behavioral challenges in picking a rhythm of their after-military life. From sexual trauma, suicidal ideation, and PTSD, they are inherently exposed to the worst of their mental health. In Kleberg, Duvall, Jims Wells, Brooks and Jim Hogg counties, research statistics have shown a worrying trend. According to the Pew Research Center, around 44% of the military service veterans endured difficult readjustment times, 48% were victims of family life strains and 47% were hit by anger outbursts (Teich, Ali, Lynch & Mutter, 2017).. Consequently, I am committed to postulate a responsive mental care and behavioral health intervention proposal that entails screening, diagnosis, treatment, psychotherapy, supervision, consultation and counseling. This intervention service is aimed at neutralizing the impact of PTSD on family and general health conditions of veterans on their post-military life.

Interventions

The intervention plan is supported by pregnant statistical evidence. From RAND Corporation study findings, a population of 1.938 respondents depicted a PTSD prevalence rate of 13.8%. Another study by the NVVRS featuring 3,016 American Veterans depicted a prevalence of PTSD at 30.9% for male and 27% for female (Hester, 2017). According to the records in the healthcare facilities of the mentioned counties, over 2.1 million war veterans have been patients at the famous Department of Veteran Affairs with mental challenges that included PTSD (Reeve, Black, & Huang, 2020). A very small portion of the war veterans received medical attention and the shocking figures should be used to inform the intervention plan grant projections and proposal.

The intervention plan I propose comes in three important phases which will incorporate primary, secondary and tertiary funding and resource allocation plans for the Rural Veterans Access Center (RVAC). The primary phase will capture the military personnel before their deployment to career events that are considerably traumatizing (Chen, Owens, Browne & Williams, 2018). The second phase will house and cover the segment of military officers who have been victims of traumatic career encounters and are at the strategic position of being PTSD victims. The tertiary intervention program will now capture the veterans who have retired to the rural homes and have been characterized with RVAC. Restorative and compounded resting practice for the survivors who are in the rural settings of their families. The infrastructural settings of the Rural Veteran Access Center will significantly define the tertiary intervention programs.

Primary Phase

The Rural Veterans Access Center developed will provide psychological support to the veterans, increase their awareness on relevant mental health issues through educational programs, provide group therapy for special needs, and provide care and mental health treatment services to veterans who suffer from TPSD (Atkinson et al., 2017). The facility will be able to achieve its goals and objectives by hiring social workers and veterans service officers who understand veterans’ experiences and are highly motivated to help the veterans who need specialized help with their mental health issues. The Rural Veterans Access Center will also partner with other healthcare organizations to ensure that they provide the veterans who require mental health services with quality care (Blais, Brignone, Fargo, Galbreath & Gundlapalli, 2018) What is more, the Rural Veterans Access Center will collaborate with the local governments and communities to enhance their effectiveness. The proposed framework will bring family members on board and replicate the fundamental FOCUS family resiliency. All basic military service and training skills of psychoeducation, stress and hardship management, emotion regulation and problem-solving skills (Watrous, 2020). Family resiliency is vital and the framework segment will work to counter the preliminary manifestations of PTSD.

Secondary Phase

As the second stage of the intervention proposal, the RVAC project will have center establishments for those military servicemen and women who are challenge by issues of family resilience. The two operations are interrelated and the former must inform the decision towards the second. The secondary phase comes with intensified health awareness that will apparently outweigh the potential consequences and costs attached to PTSD (Koven, 2018). Screening will be done under the appropriate protocols of care under the DoD regulations. They include the PTSD Checklist (PCL), Primary Care PTSD Screen and the Short Screening for DSM-IV PTSD.

Tertiary Phase

At this stage, pharmacologic and psychosocial intrigues are dominant. This stage will be dominated by recruitment processes of specialists who will be key in giving the RVAC facilities a professional outlook (Cunningham, 2019). The DoD/VA guidelines should inform the choice of antidepressants on the list of deliverables. Psychosocial interventions in form of therapeutic exposures such as the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) facilities will be highly prioritized will be employed (Atkinson et al., 2017). Therapies such as anxiety management exercises, stress inoculation practices and physical exercise programs will be integrated. With the therapeutic facilities and funding in place, the adversities of healthcare systems will be drained to manageable levels.

Applications Roles and Capacity Levels

Implementing this infrastructural and responsive proposal, partnership with agencies of the same cause is uttermost helpful. The first agency to impose partnership with is the National Center for PTSD. The National Center is known for its impeccable volition to serve veterans and their families from all corners of the rural establishment across the United States. With its amazing reputation, the organization will be a sure bet and perfect partner in scaling up the war against PTSD. The ubiquitous nature of its operations will offer me and the grant program to reach a wide population area altogether (Pernice, Biegel, Kim, & Conrad-Garrisi, 2017). Next on the list is the Tri-county mental healthcare agency. Being a mainstay Maine community organization, it will help intensify the care systems and access pathways for veterans. Tri-county is known for its unrivalled connection with the family unit whenever addressing PTSD and other mental complications. In this proposal, the family unit plays a notable role in shaping the various phases of care and intervention.

Away from the two agencies, I will also seek support from the Federal, State and the top for-profit organization in the United States. The department of Veteran Affairs with an investment of over $100 million in care and diagnosis of PTSD will be a lead federal agency in the implementation of the program. Illinois Patriotic Education Fund and the Faith, Hope, Love, Charity Inc. will be a pair to consider in for-profit organization partnership. In the recent past, these organizations have epitomized the corporate culture of fighting PTSD among the military servicemen and women on retirement and members of the VA.

Conclusion

The inadequacy of support, investment and sensitization mental care programs has been a serious backlash in the war against PTSD for veterans and other retirees. Understaffing is another challenge that has constantly derailed the efforts to combat the negative implications of PTSD and other mental related complications. Community support and commitment from the grassroots will be a milestone in the war against the postulated intervention plan. Serving in the military should no longer be a trap for mental complexities and post-service psychosocial adversities. Once adopted, this intervention proposal will write a new chapter in shaping the lives of veterans once they start their post-military life. Let’s adopt the proposal for the good of our soldiers and the coming generation of military personnel.

References

Atkinson, D. M., Rodman, J. L., Thuras, P. D., Shiroma, P. R., & Lim, K. O. (2017). Examining burnout, depression, and self-compassion in veterans’ affairs mental health staff. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 23(7), 551-557.

Banducci, A. N., & Weiss, N. H. (2020). Caring for patients with posttraumatic stress and substance use disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 12(S1), S113.

Blais, R. K., Brignone, E., Fargo, J. D., Galbreath, N. W., & Gundlapalli, A. V. (2018). Assailant identity and self-reported nondisclosure of military sexual trauma in partnered women veterans. Psychological trauma: theory, research, practice, and policy, 10(4), 470.

Chen, J. A., Owens, M. D., Browne, K. C., & Williams, E. C. (2018). Alcohol-related and mental health care for patients with unhealthy alcohol use and posttraumatic stress disorder in a National Veterans Affairs cohort. Journal of substance abuse treatment, 85, 1-9.

Cunningham, K. C., LoSavio, S. T., Dennis, P. A., Farmer, C., Clancy, C. P., Hertzberg, M. A., … & Beckham, J. C. (2019). Shame as a mediator between posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and suicidal ideation among veterans. Journal of affective disorders, 243, 216-219.

Goldberg, S. B., Riordan, K. M., Sun, S., Kearney, D. J., & Simpson, T. L. (2020). Efficacy and acceptability of mindfulness-based interventions for military veterans: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 110232.

Hester, R. D. (2017). Lack of access to mental health services contributing to the high suicide rates among veterans. International journal of mental health systems, 11(1), 1-4.

Jorden, B. J. (2018). Rural Veterans: Pathways to Homelessness (Doctoral dissertation).

Koven, S. G. (2018, September). Veteran treatments: PTSD interventions. In Healthcare (Vol. 6, No. 3, p. 94). Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute.

Pernice, F. M., Biegel, D. E., Kim, J. Y., & Conrad-Garrisi, D. (2017). The mediating role of mattering to others in recovery and stigma. Psychiatric rehabilitation journal, 40(4), 395.

Reeve, K., Black, P. A., & Huang, J. (2020). Examining the impact of a Healing Touch intervention to reduce posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms in combat veterans. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 12(8), 897.

Solness, C. L., Kroska, E. B., Holdefer, P. J., & O’Hara, M. W. (2020). Treating postpartum depression in rural veterans using internet-delivered CBT: a program evaluation of MomMoodBooster. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 1-13.

Teich, J., Ali, M. M., Lynch, S., & Mutter, R. (2017). Utilization of mental health services by veterans living in rural areas. The Journal of Rural Health, 33(3), 297-304.

Watrous, J. R., McCabe, C. T., Jones, G., Farrokhi, S., Mazzone, B., Clouser, M. C., & Galarneau, M. R. (2020). Low back pain, mental health symptoms, and quality of life among injured service members. Health Psychology, 39(7), 549.

Zogas, A. (2020). Leveraging Ambiguity in the Clinic: Mild TBI and Veterans’ Forgetting. Medical Anthropology, 1-14.