June 2013

• TIME Magazine publishes coverage of content and speakers at the Visible Honor for Invisible Wounds event commemorating National PTSD Awareness Day on June 22, 2013 in Washington, DC. Click here for the full article.

• Maryam Navaie, Dr.P.H., President and CEO of Advance Health Solutions, serves as the emcee of the third annual Visible Honor for Invisible Wounds rally to commemorate National Post-Traumatic Stress Awareness Day in Washington, DC held on Saturday, June 22, 2013.

Speakers at the event include (in order of presentation):

- Thomas Mahany, B.A. - Founder, Honor for ALL

- Kristina Kaufmann - Executive Director, Code of Support Foundation

- Ryan Bernstein, J.D., Chief of Staff, US Senator John Hoeven (R-ND)

- Brigadier General John M. Cho, M.D. - Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations (G-3/5/7), US Army Medical Command

- Rear Admiral Bruce A. Doll, D.D.S. - Commanding Officer, Navy Medicine Research and Development Command, Office of the Surgeon General, US Navy

- Jerry Yellin - WWII Veteran, US Army Air Corps

- Amber Wandtke - Mrs. Virginia International 2013 and Operations Specialist First Class, Surface Warfare, US Navy

- Gregg Keesing - Father of Army SPC Chancellor Keesling, suicide victim

- Marta McLellan Ross - Military Legislative Assistant, Office of US Senator Joe Donnelly (D-IN)

- Sonja V. Batten, Ph.D. - Deputy Chief Consultant for Specialty Mental Health, VA Mental Health Services

- Ruth Brannon, M.S.P.H., M.A. - Director of Research, National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research US Department of Education

- Eugene G. Lipov, M.D. - Medical Director, Chicago Medical Innovations

- Colonel (Ret) Elspeth Cameron Ritchie, M.D., M.P.H. - Chief Medical Officer, Department of Mental Health, District of Columbia

- Colonel (Ret) Peter Duffy, J.D. - Deputy Legislative Director, National Guard of the United States

- Major General (Ret) Alan B. Salisbury, Ph.D. - Chairman and CEO, Code of Support Foundation

• Photos from the cocktail reception held by Advance Health Solutions on June 21, 2013 for speakers and organizers of the Visible Honor for Invisible Wounds annual event in Washington, DC.

• Advance Health Solutions lends support as one of the partnering organizations to Honor for ALL to co-sponsor the third annual "Visible Honor for Invisible Wounds" special rally in Washington, DC to commemorate National Post-Traumatic Stress Awareness Day. The full PRESS RELEASE announcing the event is included below.

Visible Honor for Invisible Wounds: Commemorating National PTSD Awareness Day to Address the Need for Early Identification, Eliminating Stigma and Advancing Effective Treatment Options

WASHINGTON, DC, June 11, 2013 – White House representatives from President Obama’s Administration, top military leaders from the Pentagon as well as policymakers, medical practitioners and mental health advocates will be gathering at Upper Senate Park on Capitol Hill on June 22, 2013 at 9:30 a.m. to commemorate National Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Awareness Day at the third annual Visible Honor for Invisible Wounds event led by the non-profit organization, Honor for ALL. The event’s three major themes will center on mental illness: the need for early identification, eliminating stigma and advancing effective treatment options.

The keynote address will be delivered by US Army Chief of Staff, General Raymond T. Odierno who is a supporter of Honor for ALL’s mission and National PTSD Awareness Day.

National PTSD Awareness Day was initiated by former Senator Kent Conrad (R-ND) through Senate Resolution 541 in 2010. Senator John Hoeven (R-ND) describes the significance of PTSD Awareness Day. “We in North Dakota have a very personal connection with National PTSD Awareness Day,” said Senator Hoeven. “The date for it was inspired by the birthday of Staff Sgt. Joe Biel, a North Dakota National Guardsman who suffered from PTSD and took his life following a second tour of duty in Iraq. We all hope that the national observation of PTSD Day will help Americans everywhere learn more about this invisible injury,” Hoeven said. Senator Hoeven’s Chief of Staff, Ryan Bernstein, is scheduled to speak at the June 22nd event.

Honor for ALL’s Founder and Executive Director, Thomas Mahany, himself a veteran, states: “Just as a searing piece of shrapnel can tear at the flesh, the sights and sounds of combat can tear at the mind; forever altering the emotional skills of those who have placed themselves in harm’s way for all the right reasons. Until such time as we establish parity for invisible wounds with that of the visible, we will continue to foster shame and stigma rather than gallantry and fidelity – disability does not discriminate, nor should we.”

The Visible Honor for Invisible Wounds event follows the National Conference on Mental Health sponsored earlier this month at the White House. “The truth is, in any given year, one in five adults experience a mental illness. We’ve got to get rid of that embarrassment, we’ve got to get rid of that stigma. Today, we lose 22 veterans a day to suicide – 22. We’ve got to do a better job than that of preventing these all too often silent tragedies,” said President Obama. On June 22nd, a White House representative is expected to expand on the President’s position.

Among the featured speakers at the June 22nd event will be Sonja Batten, Ph.D., VA’s Deputy Chief Consultant for Specialty Mental Health. “In the general population, women are twice as likely as men to develop PTSD. But among those returning home who seek care at the VA, PTSD rates among men and women are the same,” notes Dr. Batten. She further explains: “Veterans contribute to our nation and sometimes face unique challenges. Transitioning to and from military life requires adjusting to new situations. It is important for our service members to know that whatever their circumstances, there are resources and services especially for them.”

Gregg Keesling, whose young son committed suicide while on deployment in Iraq, and Senator Joe Donnelly (D) from Mr. Keesling’s home state of Indiana agree. “In 2012, approximately 349 members of the United States Military, including active duty, Guard, and Reserve committed suicide, more than the total number of service members who died in combat operations. This number does not even include the more than 6,000 veterans we lost last year due to suicide. This is unacceptable. This has to end,” said Senator Donnelly. Mr. Keesling’s son did not die at the hands of the enemy while in combat. Thus, he and his wife did not initially receive a Presidential letter of condolence for the loss of their son until President Obama changed the law. Says Mr. Keesling: “When President Obama changed the long standing policy of who gets a Presidential letter of condolence, he sent a powerful message through the ranks to take mental health issues and the stigma that prevents many from seeking help seriously.” Both Mr. Keesling and a legislative representative from Senator Donnelly’s office, Marta McLellan Ross, will be discussing efforts on suicide prevention, Senator Donnelly’s bill, S.810, the Jacob Sexton Military Suicide Prevention Act, at the June 22nd event.

PTSD is not a condition that solely affects those burdened directly by it. Former Senator Elizabeth Dole (R-NC) also lends her support to the June 22nd event by aptly saying, “The United States of America is currently in the longest period of war in its history. National PTSD Awareness Day is an important reminder to all Americans of the growing emotional - often hidden - wounds of war that afflict so many as a result. These debilitating effects of war can result in significant challenges for military and veteran families who were not trained or expecting to serve what is in many cases a full-time caregiver role for an extended period of time. We, as a nation, must do a far better job supporting our wounded warriors and their caregivers - spouses, mothers, fathers, and other loved ones.”

At the June 22nd event, advancing effective treatments for PTSD will be another important theme. The new and promising PTSD treatment option, stellate ganglion block (SGB), will be highlighted. “SGB is the first biological treatment for PTSD with a growing evidence-base that shows hope and is available today. This treatment approach deactivates the over reactive fight or flight response which is expressed commonly in PTSD. The preliminary results so far have been rapid, with military and civilian patients experiencing relief from PTSD symptoms in as little as 30 minutes after an SGB injection,” said Eugene G. Lipov, M.D., Medical Director, Chicago Medical Innovations.

Supporting the healing process takes a community-based approach. "After 12 years of heavy combat fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq, our service members have borne both visible and invisible wounds of those conflicts. PTSD, traumatic brain injury, and suicide are the often hidden injuries, which afflict both service members and their families. We need to bring these psychological injuries out into the open, so all can heal," said COL (Ret) Elspeth Cameron Ritchie, M.D., M.P.H., Chief Medical Officer for the DC Department of Mental Health who will be one of the featured speakers at the June 22nd event.

The Visible Honor for Invisible Wounds event will conclude with closing remarks from MG (Ret) Alan Salisbury, Ph.D., CEO and founder of Code of Support. "Mental health support is one of the most critically under resourced needs facing our troops, veterans and their families. Stigma is undoubtedly the primary inhibitor that keeps people from seeking help," said Dr. Salisbury. Kristina Kaufmann, Executive Director of Code of Support, adds: “Americans must understand that suicide and the mental health problems often associated with it are not limited to the military,” added “As we address the growing divide between the 1% who serve in uniform, and the 99% of civilian Americans they are sworn to defend, removing the stigma surrounding mental health is a challenge both communities must tackle together."

CONTACT: Dr. Maryam Navaie, President and CEO of Advance Health Solutions, a co-sponsor of the June 22nd event, at (202) 507-5635.

• A collaborative abstract co-authored by Advance Health Solutions colleagues (Maryam Navaie, Dr.P.H., Eric T. Stedje-Larsen, M.D., and Anita H. Hickey, M.D.), Elspeth Cameron Ritchie, M.D., M.P.H., from the Washington DC Department of Mental Health, and Eugene G. Lipov, M.D., from Chicago Medical Innovations in Hoffman Estates, Illinois has been invited for presentation at the Association of Military Surgeons of the United States (AMSUS) Annual Continuing Education Meeting in Seattle, Washington this November. The abstract is entitled "Stellate ganglion block as an adjunctive treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder: Preliminary evidence shows promise".