Given the widespread suffering from post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injuries among veterans coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan, the VA is just getting up to speed on adequate treatment. Yet many veterans return home to rural areas where there are no VA hospitals or doctors. Where are they supposed to find the right kind of care?
This article published in Rural Health Advocate presents the need for rural health care workers to learn how to treat these afflictions.
What should happen? Rural providers must acquaint themselves with the symptom complexes of PTSD and TBI. Clinics, hospitals, and private practice providers should investigate TriCare, the insurance provided to National Guard members. Open lines of communication to VA facilities are a must. Finally, and most importantly, health care providers should take each patient’s military service history in order to identify at risk men and women and help the returnee back into the rural community with appropriate care.
