You may remember in a previous post I referenced the Vet Center in Canandaigua, New York as a recipient of proceeds from March and April sales of Nostalgia. What is the Vet Center, you ask? A place for veterans, yes. But the Vet Center is a lot more than that. Here’s some information from the Canandaigua Vet Center’s website:
“Vet Centers are small, non-medical, counseling centers conviently located in your community…staffed by highly trained counselors… [A]t Vet Centers you can form social connections, try new things, and build a support system with people who understand you and want to help you succeed. An arm of the Veteran Administrations National Center for PTSD, the world’s leading research and educational center of excellence on PTSD and traumatic stress, Vet Centers are open to all Veterans and service members.
The Vet Center defines PTSD as: “… a mental health problem that some people develop after experiencing or witnessing a life-threatening or traumatic event. If symptoms last more than a few months, it may be PTSD. The good news is that there are effective treatment …PTSD is a serious public health problem in the general population. It is estimated that PTSD affects about 6 out of every 100 (or 6%) of Americans at some point in their lives.
“The National Center for PTSD was developed with the ultimate purpose of improving the well-being, status and understanding of Veterans in American society… The mission of the National Center for PTSD is to advance the clinical care and social welfare of America’s Veterans and others who have experienced trauma, or who suffer from PTSD, through research, education and training in the science, diagnosis and treatment of PTSD and stress-related disorders.
“Through its educational and research efforts, [The National Center for PTSD] aims to continue our expertise in research and education to promote better understanding, diagnosis and treatment of PTSD. The field of trauma and PTSD studies continues to expand as research and educational demands to address prevention, resilience and recovery increase. The current context of provision of PTSD services to Veterans includes an influx of recently deployed young Veterans with acute PTSD, a growing number of female Veterans, and aging Veterans with chronic PTSD.”
Please consider purchasing a copy of Nostalgia or simply sending a contribution to the Vet Center, in honor of all military veterans.
For more information, go to:
- National Center for PTSD
- Publications/Print Materials
- The Rochester Vet Center
Susannah Willey Writes 