Post by Ceci on May 11, 2007 10:40:27 GMT -5
I was about to post the latest blurb about Michael Moore, but I found this story concerning the treatment of the injured soldiers returning home from Iraq. Health care seems to be not only the issue of everyday Americans, but especially so for returning vets--especially in the areas of traumatic brain injury and mental health issues.
Previously, there was a poll recently of last year in which stated that in this war the suicide rate was at its highest compared to other past conflicts. These results had pushed the Army to do something in terms of trying to help soldiers in the midst of personal problems. But, with the latest news about the disparity of health care for our military, the problems when reaching home soil are a lot worse.
This is what the San Francisco Chronicle has to say about this:
What does everyone think about this?
Previously, there was a poll recently of last year in which stated that in this war the suicide rate was at its highest compared to other past conflicts. These results had pushed the Army to do something in terms of trying to help soldiers in the midst of personal problems. But, with the latest news about the disparity of health care for our military, the problems when reaching home soil are a lot worse.
This is what the San Francisco Chronicle has to say about this:
Few saw it coming, but six years into combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, health care providers are overwhelmed by the demand of returning veterans suffering from mental health stress or traumatic brain injury.
Few understood the financial impact war would have on the Veterans Affairs medical system, projected by a Harvard economist's study earlier this year to be as much as $600 billion.
But Linda Bilmes, a professor at the Kennedy School of Government and author of the study, said Wednesday that disability claims were slamming the system, with more than 25 percent of returning veterans filing. Roughly 180,000 claims needed to be addressed -- on top of 400,000 pre-existing claims from veterans of past wars, many of whom are experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder.
At a teach-in at UCSF on Wednesday about the health effects of the Iraq war, Bilmes calculated that the loss of income and economic contribution from those veterans and the dead, in addition to the current and future expenses of the war, could cost the United States as much as $1 trillion to $2 trillion.
Because of the increasing use of body armor in this war, wounded soldiers mostly experience injuries to the head, neck and extremities. An estimated 24,000 soldiers have been injured since combat began in Afghanistan and Iraq.
But what health care providers say surprises them most is the ballooning number of soldiers experiencing closed head injuries -- damage to the brain from movement within the skull -- because of the widespread use of improvised explosive devices. Many soldiers have experienced delayed pain, memory lapses and other problems months after returning from the war.
About 1,700 U.S. soldiers have suffered traumatic brain injuries in combat so far, which are likely to cost the United States $20 billion over the next 20 years, Dr. William Schecter, chief of surgery at San Francisco General Hospital, told 300 UCSF faculty, staff and students who attended Wednesday's symposium.
Few understood the financial impact war would have on the Veterans Affairs medical system, projected by a Harvard economist's study earlier this year to be as much as $600 billion.
But Linda Bilmes, a professor at the Kennedy School of Government and author of the study, said Wednesday that disability claims were slamming the system, with more than 25 percent of returning veterans filing. Roughly 180,000 claims needed to be addressed -- on top of 400,000 pre-existing claims from veterans of past wars, many of whom are experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder.
At a teach-in at UCSF on Wednesday about the health effects of the Iraq war, Bilmes calculated that the loss of income and economic contribution from those veterans and the dead, in addition to the current and future expenses of the war, could cost the United States as much as $1 trillion to $2 trillion.
Because of the increasing use of body armor in this war, wounded soldiers mostly experience injuries to the head, neck and extremities. An estimated 24,000 soldiers have been injured since combat began in Afghanistan and Iraq.
But what health care providers say surprises them most is the ballooning number of soldiers experiencing closed head injuries -- damage to the brain from movement within the skull -- because of the widespread use of improvised explosive devices. Many soldiers have experienced delayed pain, memory lapses and other problems months after returning from the war.
About 1,700 U.S. soldiers have suffered traumatic brain injuries in combat so far, which are likely to cost the United States $20 billion over the next 20 years, Dr. William Schecter, chief of surgery at San Francisco General Hospital, told 300 UCSF faculty, staff and students who attended Wednesday's symposium.
What does everyone think about this?