Idasias e-mailed to say it has cooled down in her neighborhood and summer is over. This is the time of year, if her grandmother was still alive, they'd be having a pot of black eyed peas or a pot of navy beans going on the stove.
I love to do that myself.
But her question was how?
It's a practical question and it's easy for people like myself -- who've lived many years -- to forget that not everyone is on the same page.
Idasias and I exchanged e-mails and, with her permission, I'm talking about this here.
What is in the pot? Dried beans or peas.
You find these in the grocery store usually next to the dried rice -- which is under the boxed rice and the microwave rice, etc.
Use your favorite bean or pea.
They will generally need an overnight soak.
What I do is put them in the pot and cover them with water and leave that overnight. Leave it during the day too until you're ready to cook.
When you're ready, drain the water and refill with new water.
Heat on the stove. You will bring the water to a fast boil and then reduce it and simmer -- you need a lid over it. You can tilt the lid so a little steam can escape or you can just check on it.
The cooking directions are on the plastic bag that the dried beans or peas come in.
That will tell you how long to simmer -- simmer is a low setting.
Remember, if you eat meat, you can use a ham bone if you had a ham recently. Remember you can add onions or carrots or both -- or if it's split peas, you might want onions, carrots and celery.
That's the easiest way.
A pressure cooker?
If it's electronic, you can probably use it with just the instruction booklet.
If it's not electronic?
I would advise you to read up before using one.
I have both -- electronic and non-electronic -- just because I've been cooking that long -- that many years.
The old fashioned one (non-electronic) has safety issues.
For example, the lid can come loose if you don't know how to use it and BOOM! food all over the place -- remember, a pressure cooker uses "pressure" to cook.
You can use a pressure cooker on dried beans and peas -- they will cook quickly.
But they are not the ones that you leave on the stove.
And leaving on the stove!!!
Remember after they are cooked to either shut the burner off or to turn it to its lowest setting if you're leaving them on for the afternoon to be warm.
You need to check the water level throughout.
If you don't, the water can vanish on you and you're left with only beans.
What happens when you have a food in pan but no liquid?
It quickly burns.
So that's just some practical tips for the kitchen.
Friday, September 29, 2017. Chaos and violence continue as do threats
to the KRG and we look at the issue of women veterans and suicide.
Yesterday,
we focused on the first panel of this week's hearing on veterans
suicides by the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. Today, we'll look at
the second panel. The Committee Chair is Senator Johnny Isakson, the
Ranking Member is Senator Jon Tester. The witness for the second panel
was VA Secretary David J. Shulkin (Dr. Shulkin).
Senator Patty Murray did a great job providing leadership when she was
the Committee Chair and she continues to do important work on the
Committee.
It we report on a committee in more than one snapshot, I usually look at
the press after the first snapshot to see what was covered and what
wasn't and I'm not seeing a lot on women veterans.
The first part of the exchange we're highlighting?
It's outrageous.
It's more of the same from the VA.
Senator Patty Murray: But I do remain deeply troubled by the IG's
findings from May 2017 that VA is not complying with a number of
policies including 18% of facilities not meeting the requirement for
five outreach activities each month, 11% of high risk medical patients
did not have a suicide safety prevention plan, and for 20% of inpatients
and 10% of outpatients no documentation that the patient was provided a
copy of the safety plan. There were several shortcomings in the use
of patient record flags, coordination of care for patients at high risk
of suicide and critical improvements for patients, after discharge. 16%
of non-clinical employees did not receive suicide prevention training
and more than 45% clinicians did not complete suicide risk management
training within the first 90 days. So when it comes to suicide
prevention policy, anything less than 100% isn't acceptable. So when
will all the IG's recommendations be fully implemented? Secretary David Shulkin: Well, so, first of all, this is exactly why
the IG is valuable -- pointing this out. I have no other mechanism to
get data that comprehensive. So we have committed to addressing the IG
concerns. The reason why we have made suicide prevention our number one
priority and made all our leadership this month sign off on the
declaration is to fix those issues. We've committed to training. So
over this year -- Look, 100% is the right goal, but I can't tell you
exactly what date we're going to reach that. But we're going to be
working really hard to get as close to that as possible as quickly as
possible. Senator Patty Murray: Well Senator Moran alluded to it. At the
veteran suicide hearing at the appropriation committee back in April, I
asked for monthly updates until all of the problems at the crisis line
are resolved. VA has not done that and that is really unacceptable. So
I want a commitment from you today -- to all of us -- that we will get
those updates starting right now. Secretary David Shulkin: I think you have that committment, yes. Senator Patty Murray: Okay, well we intend to see that happen.
Again, more of the same.
How does VA give their word to provide the Senate with updates in April and now, in September, it's still not being done.
Do VA officials need to be handed paperwork in hearings to sign in order
to get them to comply with the verbal promises they repeatedly make to
Congress but somehow fail to follow up on?
There is no excuse for giving your word to Congress in April and failing to deliver five months later.
It's outrageous and so typical of the VA's repeated interaction with the VA -- Allison Hickey was infamous for this nonsense.
Now let's move to women veterans. Senator Patty Murray: Let me ask about women veterans -- this is
something I've asked about many times. I am really disturbed in the
increase in suicide rate among our women veterans. Between 2001 and
14, the rate of suicide for women veterans who do not use VA care
increased by 98%. Now I've heard from women veterans many times that
they don't think of themselves as veterans and I hear far too often
from women who don't feel welcome at VA facilities, don't feel that that
is their place. It is a significant problem actually that the RAND
Corporation testified in April as well. But this increase in suicide is
the most important reason yet that I believe VA has to redouble its
efforts to reach out to women and get them into care. So I wanted to
ask you what are we doing to address that? Secretary David Shulkin: Well, you gave a really important statistic
-- which is that those over the last 15 years between 2001 and 2014 --
those women that did not receive care in the VA that the rate of
suicide went up by an extraordinary number. You said 98%. Those that
did use the VA, we actually saw a decrease -- a decrease in suicide
rates over that 15 year period of 2.6% So we know that particularly in
this situation, but for all veterans -- getting care makes a difference
and saves lives. The issue about making the VA more welcoming to women
is a critical issue. It's a cultural issue. And we have worked hard
to create women centers and to chance the culture and environment. I
speak about this, so does our center for women veterans, all the time.
But, of course, we are absolutely -- at this is our number one priority
-- committed to doing much more and to be more progressive and to put
more resources into this. Senator Patty Murray: Okay, well this is something we have to keep
working on because if a woman doesn't consider herself as a veteran she
doesn't think about going to the VA. Secretary David Shulkin: Right. Senator Patty Murray: This is something we have to keep working on
because if a woman doesn't consider herself as a veteran, she doesn't
think about going to the VA. Secretary David Shulkin: Right. Senator Patty Murray: If she is not welcome at the VA or doesn't
feel that veterans facility is welcoming to her, she won't go. If she
has other issues -- child care, work -- it's doubly hard. This is not
an easy problem to solve but we really have to put hearts, minds and
resources and -- as a country -- really recognize women veterans.
Senator Murray has been working on this issue for years. I can remember
back to 2006 and it probably pre-dates my memory. (John Hall, when he
was in the House, also worked hard on this issue. His book STILL THE ONE, came out last year.)
Why might women not feel welcomed?
There are many cultural reasons. But to cite some of the issues that
Murray and Hall raised -- a lack of changing tables in the restrooms,
either no doors on the examining rooms or the doors to the examining
room being left open during an exam.
There are many issues that thought seems to have stopped at the VA on.
Murray, Hall and others have led the VA into the 21st century. But more still needs to be done.
And while there are things that valuable members of Congress like Patty
Murray can lead on, there are also things we can lead on outside of
Congress in our every day lives.
Chief among them?
"He"?
It can easily be she.
Grasp that veterans (and service members) can be men or be women.
Grasp that, despite policies, women have been in combat.
Iraq, for example, was a war zone -- not a part of Iraq, not a section, the entire country.
Women have been serving at record numbers. In fact, women make up an unprecedented eight percent of all U.S. veterans.
That is close to two million women. The situation has become so dire
that the Department of Veterans Affairs had to take action. They formed a
Women Veterans Task Force to address these unique issues. According to the task force, there are six critical areas facing women veterans today.
Women Veterans Issue #1 – Health Care
Neither the Department of Veterans Affairs nor The Department of
Defence can handle the specific health issues that women veterans face.
Hospitals and medical centers are too understaffed to deal with the
volume of patients. Especially in the areas of gynecology and
obstetrics. In fact, one-third of the VA’s medical centers do not have a
gynecologist on staff. Even though the demand for such care continues
to increase. Regardless of the staffing issues the VA and DoD face, they still lack the facilities and specialty equipment needed. Research conducted
by the VA shows a staggering lack of care. Almost one in five women
veterans have delayed or gone without needed care in the prior 12
months.
Where and how to get help – VA Health Care for Women Veterans
At each VA medical center nationwide, a Women Veterans Program
Manager (WVPM)is available. The WVPM is an individual designated to
advise and advocate for women Veterans. The WVPM can help coordinate all
the services you may need. From primary care to specialized care for
chronic conditions to reproductive health. Women Veterans interested in receiving care at the VA should contact the nearest VA Medical Center and ask for the WVPM. Learn more about the VA Health Care for Women Veterans.
Women Veterans Issue #2 – Military Sexual Trauma
Sexual abuse, harassment, and even rape are reaching epidemic proportions in the military. In fact,
20% of women enrolled in VA health care screen positive for MST
(military sexual trauma.) Yet, over 31% of VA centers say they can’t
provide adequate services. Often times the chain-of-command is part of
the problem. As a result, neither active duty women service members nor
veterans know who to turn to for help.
Where and how to get help – Military Sexual Trauma Coordinator
Every VA facility has a designated MST Coordinator who serves as a
contact person for MST-related issues. This person is your advocate.
They can help you find and access VA services and programs.
Additionally, they can help you sign up for state and federal benefits,
and access to community resources. This includes free, confidential
counseling and treatment. Even if you don’t qualify for other VA care,
you can still get the help you need. You don’t even have to have
reported the incident or have documentation that it occurred. Just
contact your local area coordinator and get the help you need. Learn more about MST and other violence and abuse from the “Make the connection” website.
Women Veterans Issue #3 – Mental Health
The VA and DoD have difficulty providing gender-specific care. In
particular, a lack of specialized inpatient mental health care designed
to meet the needs and preferences of women. This includes peer support
and group therapy. Where and how to get help – Mental Health As mentioned above, each VA medical center nationwide offers a Women
Veterans Program Manager (WVPM). The WVPM is available to help you.
Women Veterans interested in receiving care should contact the nearest
VA Medical Center and ask for the WVPM. Learn more about the VA Health Care for Women Veterans.
Women Veterans Issue #4 – Disabled Vets
Women who have lost one or more limbs may not receive support and
care tailored to their needs. Furthermore, women are less likely to have
a prosthetic that fits properly. Unfortunately, the VA has not been
able to keep up with the number of women veterans returning with such
disabilities.
Where and how to get help – Disabled Vets
The good news is that there a number of civilian organizations who
have stepped in to fill the gaps left by the VA health care system. The Disabled Veterans National Foundation
exists to provide critical support to disabled and at-risk vets.
Veterans who leave the military wounded—physically or
psychologically—after defending our safety and our freedom. Also, there is the Disabled American Veterans
Organization. The DAV is a nonprofit charity. They provide a lifetime
of support for veterans of all generations – including their families.
The DAV helps more than 1 million veterans with positive, life-changing
benefits each year. Of course, you should always start with your Women Veterans Program
Manager (WVPM). We cannot overstate this. They have access to the most
current information and can point you in the right direction.
Women Veterans Issue #5 – Unemployment
Post-9/11 women veterans have higher unemployment rates than male
veterans and non-veteran women. Challenges in the labor market are
exacerbated by medical and mental health concerns.
Where and how to get help – Unemployment
Believe it or not, the best place to start with unemployment issues is with the US Department of Labor. The “Gold Card initiative”
helps provide post 9/11 veterans with intense services and follow-ups.
Something needed to succeed in today’s meager job market. This
initiative is a joint effort of the Department of Labor’s Employment and
Training Administration (ETA), and the Veterans’ Employment and
Training Service (VETS).
Women Veterans Issue #6 – Homelessness
Women veterans are at least twice as likely to be homeless
as non-veteran females. Furthermore, women veterans are also more likely
to be single parents. This makes life extraordinarily difficult for
women veterans.
Where and how to get help – Homelessness
No veteran, regardless of gender, should be without a place to call
home. As such, the Department of Veterans Affairs has created an entire
department designed to help deal with homelessness. Homeless veterans and those at imminent risk of becoming homeless should call or visit their local VA Medical Center. Additionally, they can reach out to their Community Resource and Referral Center where VA staff are ready to help.
In conclusion:
The good news is that the VA is making progress. In addition to the
resources listed above, the Department of Veterans Affairs has created
the Center for Women Veterans.
Here you can find an entire section dedicated to resources designed to
help with the issues listed above and more. There are also Women Veteran
Coordinators (WVC’s) located in every regional VA office. They are your
primary point of contact. There are also innumerable private agencies and nonprofit organizations that can help. The best place to start is with the National Resource Directory.
The DoD maintains this directory. Here, you can find over 17,000
organizations to help you. Every one of these resources has been
thoroughly vetted and approved by the DoD. If you have an emergency, need assistance, or want more information,
the VA has established a Women Veterans hotline: 1-855-VA-WOMEN
(829-6636.)
There was no economic recovery. Sandy English (WSWS) reports: A new analysis of Census data shows that the so-called economic
recovery under the Obama administration was an unmitigated catastrophe
for the 20 percent of the American population that live in the poorest
areas of the United States and that gains of jobs and income have gone
overwhelming to the top 20 percent richest areas.
“The 2017 Distressed Communities Report,”
published by the Economic Innovation Group (EIG), analyzes the census
data for 2011-2015 for people living in each of the nearly 7,500
American zip codes according to several criteria.
The EIG’s Distressed Communities Index (DCI) considers the percentage
of the population without a high school diploma, the percentage of
housing vacancies, the percentage of adults working, the percentage of
the population in poverty, the median income ratio (the percentage of
median income that a zip code has for its state), the change in
employment from 2011 to 2015, and the change in the number of businesses
in the same period.
The report divides the findings for zip codes into five quintiles
based on these indicators, rated from worst- to best-performing:
distressed, at risk, mid-tier, comfortable, and prosperous.
The results show that distressed communities—52.3 million people or
17 percent of the American population—experienced an average 6 percent
drop in the number of adults working and a 6.3 percent average drop in
the number of business establishments.
“Far from achieving even anemic growth from 2011 to 2015,” the report
notes, “distressed communities instead experienced what amounts to a
deep ongoing recession.”
No recovery. We need to get real.
This is C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot" for Thursday:
Thursday, September 28, 2017, Chaos and violence continue in Iraq, the
US Senate explores veteran suicide rates in a hearing, US Senator Chuck
Schumer issues a statement on the Kurdistan referendum, and much more.
Yesterday morning, US Senator Richard Blumenthal noted that he had
co-sponsored legislation "called The Veteran Peer Act, legislation that
would establish peer specialists in patient aligned care teams within
the VA medical centers to do this kind of outreach. The peer to peer
relationship among vets is, I think, an effective way to enable more
access."
What was he talking about?
The still troubling suicide rate in the veteran population.
Wednesday, the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee held a hearing on
veteran suicides. Senator Johnny Iskason is the Committee Chair,
Senator Jon Tester is the Ranking Member.
Montana leads in veterans suicides with Nevada right behind it, Senator Dean Heller (of Nevada) pointed out. Mr. Kuntz noted:
According to the US Dept of Veterans Affairs recently released report,
Montana has the highest veteran suicide rate in the country. This rate
of 68.6 per 100,000 is significantly higher than both the National
Veterans Suicide Rate of 38.4 per 100,000 and the Western Region Veteran
Suicide Rate of 45.5 per 100,000.
He also noted that "Montana is home to more than 108,000 veterans,
representing 16.2% f the total state adult population -- the second
highest population density of veterans in the United States."
Ranking Member Jon Tester is one of Montana's two US senators. We'll note this exchange from the hearing. Ranking Member Jon Tester: Can you give me an idea of whether the
newer generation of veterans are seeking mental health care more readily
than the older generation? Or is there no difference? Dr. John Daigh: I don't have the data on that. Do you know? Dr. Craig Bryan: Yeah, my sense -- I don't know the data off hand --
my sense is that there is a decreased likelihood of younger generations
of veterans accessing services at the VA. Ranking Member Jon Tester: Oh really? Dr. Craig Bryan: That's my sense -- Ranking Member Jon Tester: So it's actually gotten worse. Dr. Craig Bryan: That's my understanding. I could be wrong but that
was my understanding from some of my VA colleagues. Maybe someone else
has better data or better understanding of the data than me. Ranking Member Jon Tester: Alright. One of the things that I think
was interesting, we were contacted by a veteran from Sidney, Montana,
that's in the far eastern part of Montana, very rural, who noted that
the VA is unable or unwilling to include family members in the
intervention process if a veteran is in crisis. I-I don't know if this
is true or not but, if it is true, I think we're making a big mistake.
I would -- I would love to hear all of your opinions very briefly --
because you've only got about a minute left -- about what VA can do
better to engage families? We'll start with you, Dr. Daigh. Dr. John Daigh: I think that the use of advanced directive or some
other mechanisms that allows providers to talk about otherwise
prohibited information to families widely when there is a crisis to help
that intervention process. Ranking Member Jon Tester: Okay. Dr. Bryan? Dr. Craig Bryan: I think there are two key strategies that we could
work with family members about. The first is basic crisis management --
how to talk to someone in crisis and how to help them when they're
struggling to identify solutions to their current problems -- Ranking Member Jon Tester: So actually working with the families so that they could recognize -- Dr. Craig Bryan: Correct. Correct. And this is something we've been
doing in Salt Lake City, training family membes on what to do. Second,
related to that, teaching family members and having them involved in the
firearm safety aspect. How do we work with families to increase safety
in the household- - even maybe during times of not crisis because if we
have a safe household to begin with, during a time of crisis, everyone
in the house will be safer over all. Ranking Member Jon Tester: Hold it just a second, Matt. [To Dr.
Bryan] Do you have any statistics on how many suicides by veterans are
committed by guns as opposed to various other ways? Dr. Craig Bryan: Yeah, the vast majority -- close to 70 to 75% -- are through fire arms. Ranking Member Jon Tester: Okay, Matt? Matthew Kuntz: Senator Tester, I think telling the families how to
communicate with the VAs because you can get around HIPPA, you have to
send us a letter, you need to send it to this portal, you can call us,
we may not be able to tell you about the veteran but if you're veteran
is in trouble this is how you communicate to us and this is the way you
do it, we'll respond. We tell our families, you do written letters to
professionals, they start thinking about malpractice and pretty soon and
they'll get moving. But you have to train those families. And the
same thing, we have a family to family course which actually trains them
in how to interact with the treatment system.
Most veterans will encounter family and friends much more often that a
medical professional. As a result, they would be much more likely to
observe warning signs early on. And their connections run deeper and
would be a great strength to communication and intervention.
Committee Chair Johnny Isakson pointed out, "Timing is everything. When
someone is contemplating suicide, it's not something you put off to an
appointment on Wednesday -- or to another day. It's something you deal
with immediately and you deal with quickly and you expedite the response
to it."
As Dr. Bryan observed, "Of all the many things we have learned about
veteran suicide over the past decade, the most important are the
following: (1) some interventions work much, much better than others and
(2) simple things save lives."
The suicide rate across all groups in the US -- veteran and non-veteran
-- is approximately 30%. That number is, of course, too high (and
professionals tend to believe it's an undercount). This is
approximately the suicide rate for veterans who use VA services. Again,
that's too high. The difference, as will be pointed out in the next
exchange from the hearing we highlight, is only 9% for veterans who do
not access VA services.
And now for the section section of the hearing we're going to note. Senator Richard Blumenthal: [. . .] the more I learn about this
problem, the more complex and challenging I think it is. Dr. Bryan, one
of the very important statistics in your testimony is that the suicide
rate among veterans who do not use VA services increased by 39% between
2001 and 2014 -- whereas the suicide rate among VA users increased by
only 9%. Put aside the exact numbers, what I am hearing again and again
and again is that the suicide rates are increasing among veterans who
lack access -- either because of geographic or other difficulties in
reaching these services or because they have received less than
honorable discharges and this has become a passion for me because there
is a whole group of veterans who suffered from PTS [Post-Traumatic
Stress], often undiagnosed, were separated less than honorably and have
been cast out and barred from using those services and often feel
stigmatized and disengaged -- not only from the VA but from society in
general. But I've met with many of them and I've worked the Dept of
Defense on the review process -- which has been changed as a result of
leadership within the Dept of Defense commendably. But many of those
veterans who were using those services who were discharged less than
honorably don't know about it -- don't know about the changes in
policies, don't know about the possibilities of access to these
services. So it is a vicious cycle -- a lethal cycle -- which can lead
to suicide. So I guess my question to all of you -- not only about the
less than honorably discharged veterans but women veterans who also
perhaps do not readily access these services and their suicide rates are
increasing. Those segments of the veteran community whose suicide
rates are increasing need to be reached. And my question to each of you
is do you see that phenomenon as real? Do you recognize it? And can
you elaborate on it? And what are your recommendations for addressing
it? Dr. John Daigh: Sir, I agree with you. I think the adequate
treatment of substance abuse disorder and access to therapy and the
adequate treatment of depression, as Mr. Kuntz indicated, you know to
include pharmacological treatment and maybe ECT [electroconvulsive
therapy] or other treatments that are available I think is critical. So
I think if you can't get people to a competent provider, it's a very
difficult problem. So I agree with your statement. Dr. Craig Bryan: I've -- I have two -- two thoughts in response to
your statement. The first of which is I-I think what the statistics
highlight, uhm, the rates are going up -- even among VA users but it is a
much slower rate. And so the VA is doing something good that is not
happening for those who do not receive the services. And so a common
question is how do we get more veterans into the VA? And I think that
is an important question. The other question though I think we need to
ask is, uhm, why are there not other adequate services available to
veterans in their communities. And I think this -- this highlights --
this really came to a head for me several years ago -- I don't know if
you've read THE NEW YORK TIMES article about the Marine 2/7 who has had a
very high suicide rate [David Phillips' "How a Marine Unit's High Suicide Rate Got That Way"]
and a lot of them do not have access to the VA and there's been a lot
of discussion about that and the implications of this is some veterans
have access to really nothing or they have access to community providers
who have little to no experience working with service members and
veterans. They don't know how to treat PTSD. They've never seen
Traumatic Brain Injury before. And, as the statistics I showed you
here, they have no experience with suicide risk. And so I think part of
the solution will be how do we get more veterans into the VA because,
as the RAND report recently released highlighted, the quality of care in
the VA for mental health exceeds that in the private sector. But for
those who do not access VA services -- either because they're not
eligible or because they choose not to -- we have to keep that in mind,
some veterans choose not to -- we need to make sure that quality
services are available to them. And what we've done in Salt Lake City
-- kind of as a model to this -- is our center is on the University of
Utah campus, right across the street from the Salt Lake City VA. And
what we say is we're not a competitor to the VA, we're the augment. And
so the VA sometimes sends some veterans to us for treatment and there
are some veterans in the community who cannot go to the VA or who are
unwilling and they come to us and we can sometimes connect them with the
VA for other services and benefits that they didn't know. And so I
think that we need to look at models like that and how the different
communities in the VA can strengthen working together to better meet the
needs of all veterans. Thank you. Matthew Kuntz: Senator Blumenthal, thank you for bringing up the
less than honorable discharge. That was something that came up in our
family before my step-brother's death. It's a really big issue. I'll
also point out that one of the ways it was solved in Helen, Montana --
or improved -- was by adding a vet center to our community. And, at the
time, the VA had fought it because they said you already have a
hospital and everybody that would go there -- you know, that would go to
the vet center -- are already going to the hospital. And that turned
out not to be true. But I think that part of it is when you're
depressed, when you have PTSD, the first thing that you can't stomach is
bureaucracy and you just quit. You face bureaucracy, you face this red
tape and you just give up. And the vet centers have less bureaucracy. The FQHCs [Federally
Qualified Health Centers] have less bureaucracy. And in order to get in
and starting to think that that's what's not really showing in those
statistics is-is the folks that give up because they look at the
bureacratic red tape and say, "I can't mentally take it."
Committee Chair Isakson's office issued the following on the hearing:
Examines VA's suicide prevention efforts, #BeThere campaign at committee hearing
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson,
R-Ga., chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, held a
hearing Wednesday to examine the Veterans Health Administration’s (VHA)
suicide prevention programs and assess what legislative changes may be
needed to ensure the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has the
necessary resources to combat veteran suicide.
September
is National Suicide Prevention Month, and the VA has launched its
#BeThere campaign to help spread awareness about veteran suicide and
prevention. In 2014, suicide was the 10th-leading cause of death in the
United States. The average number of veterans who commit suicide has
remained steady at 20 deaths per day since 2011, a statistic that
Isakson noted is appalling and unacceptable.
“Suicide is a terrible, terrible, terrible loss, and a wasteful loss of life and a preventable loss of life,”said Isakson.
“Timing
is everything. When someone is contemplating suicide, it’s not
something you put off to an appointment on Wednesday, or to another day,
it’s something you deal with immediately and you deal with quickly and
you expedite the response to it,” he added.
To help improve the VHA’s suicide prevention programs, in 2015 Congress passed the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act of 2015. In the Senate, the bill passed unanimously with a 99-0 vote.
Expanding
on these efforts, the VHA has appointed a national suicide prevention
coordinator, expanded its Veterans Crisis Line (VCL), developed a
patient-record “flagging” system to identify high-risk patients, and
created suicide prevention programs in each facility.
Isakson
questioned VA Secretary David Shulkin and three other witnesses
regarding the implementation of these programs and discussed ways to
improve flaws in the system.
“We haven’t had enough training in the VA for dealing with suicide and our response timing needs improvement,”Isakson said. “We need to work on that, and Dr. Shulkin has prioritized suicide prevention as a focus of his leadership.”
Isakson continued, “Just
like the Heimlich maneuver has saved many a life in a restaurant, …just
like CPR has helped people who might be drowning or might have drowned
and been brought back to life, being aware of the training that’s
necessary to save a life is critically important.”
While
many of these programs were identified as positive practices by the
VA’s office of the inspector general, it was found that the
implementation of newer and more effective strategies should be
accompanied by comprehensive training programs.
“Knowing
what to do is 90 percent of solving the problem. And 100 percent of
solving the problem is identifying it so we’re better aware of the
things we need to look for,”said Isakson.
Isakson
committed to working with members of the Senate Committee on Veterans’
Affairs and VA Secretary Shulkin to help promote awareness and enhance
these suicide prevention initiatives.
“The
training that is necessary to save a life is critically important, and
we’re going to see to it in our committee that we promote this training
throughout the VA and throughout the government to see to it that we are
saving lives and helping people to recover and restore their life,”said Isakson.
At
the start of today’s hearing, Isakson and Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont.,
ranking Democrat on the committee, signed a suicide prevention
declaration with Secretary Shulkin to commit to helping spread awareness
about veteran suicide and educating others about suicide prevention and
resources.
“I’m proud that all of our staff on
the majority and minority side have taken the ‘SAVE course’ and now
understand how important it is to look for the signs of suicide,” said Isakson.
“I think as we embrace the SAVE program in the VA, we will save a lot
of lives by simply having the awareness and the direction of knowing
what to do.”
Watch Isakson’s opening remarks from the hearing here.
More resources on suicide prevention from the VA can be found here.
###
The Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs is chaired by U.S.
Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., in the 115th Congress. Isakson is a
veteran himself – having served in the Georgia Air National Guard from
1966-1972 – and has been a member of the Senate Committee on Veterans’
Affairs since he joined the Senate in 2005. Isakson’s home state of
Georgia is home to more than a dozen military installations representing
each branch of the armed services as well as more than 750,000
veterans.
Ideally, we'll pick up on the hearing in tomorrow's snapshot for a few more points.
Let's stay with the US Senate for a bit more to note this press release from Senator Chuck Schumer:
For Immediate Release Date: September 27, 2017 CONTACT: Matt House, (202) 224-2939 Schumer Calls on Administration to Back An Independent Kurdish State Washington, D.C. -- U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer today released the
following statement in support of an independent Kurdistan State after
an overwhelming 93% of Kurds voted Monday in favor of independence from
Iraq: "Monday's historic vote in Iraqi Kurdistan should be recognized and
respected by the world, and the Kurdish people of northern Iraq have
utmost support. I believe the Kurds should have an independent state as
soon as possible and that the position of the United States government
should be to support a political process that addresses the aspirations
of the Kurds for an independent state. "Over the last two decades, the Kurds have been one of our strongest
and most supportive partners on the ground in the fight against
terrorism, and we have relied on the Peshmerga time and again. They
have also stood up for the rights of minorities in a region where the
oppression of minorities is too often the rule and conflict is often the
result. And furthermore, the United States should stand for
self-determination for our strongest partners. The Kurds are one of the
largest ethnic groups in the Middle East without a homeland and they
have fought long and hard for one. Despite this, the Kurds continue to
get a raw deal and are told to wait for tomorrow, which is why it's past
due that the world, let by the United States, immediately back a
political process to address the aspirations of the Kurds. "In the months ahead, I hope all Iraqis will engage in a dialogue and
peacefully determine the best way to accommodate the well-deserved and
legitimate aspirations of the Iraqi Kurds. Continued security
cooperation between the Kurdish and Iraqi security forces --
particularly on terrorism -- are essential to any transition. Iraq's
neighboring countries, however, led by despots who all oppose a Kurdish
State because it threatens the status quo and their self-interests, need
to respect the need for the Kurds -- and the Iraqis -- to determine
their own future.
RUDAW notes that Schumer is the Minority Leader in the Senate and reminds, "On Monday evening, as people cast their ballots, US Congressman Trent Franks introduced legislation to support Kurdistan’s right of self-determination." Former Iraqi Ambassador to the US Lukman Faily tells Robin Wright (THE NEW YORKER), "The only people who want to hold Iraq together are
those who don't live in Iraq." Susannah George (AP) notes,
"The referendum passed with more than 92 percent of voters approving
independence, the Kurdish region's election commission told a news
conference on Wednesday. Turnout was over 72%, it said."
People celebrate in Arbil after Iraq's Kurds announce a massive "yes" vote for independence in a referendum that has incensed Baghdad
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The Kurds held a referendum on Monday. As Betty noted last night: The northern section of Iraq, the Kurdish section, held a referendum on independence Monday. It appears to have passed.
Strange though, the media insisted that the referendum might cause violence.
