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Landmark program for Illinois veterans with traumatic
brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder
First-in-the-nation program to provide TBI screening for state's
returning Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, mandatory screening for
returning Guard members and 24-hour PTSD line 
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[July 06, 2007]
CHICAGO -- On the eve of Independence Day, Gov. Rod R.
Blagojevich was joined by Tammy Duckworth, director of the Illinois
Department of Veterans' Affairs, to announce a first-of-its-kind
program to screen every returning Illinois National Guard member for
traumatic brain injury, offer traumatic brain injury screening to
Illinois veterans and provide 24-hour, toll-free psychological
assistance for veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress
disorder. The program increases health care benefits for veterans
and will later become part of the governor's Illinois Covered
insurance plan.
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 The program will work in two parts. The traumatic brain injury
portion will mandate screening for all Illinois National Guard
members returning from deployment and offer free screening to all
Illinois veterans, especially those returning from Operation
Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. The post-traumatic
stress disorder portion will offer 24-hour, toll-free psychological
assistance to give veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress
disorder a place to turn for help, day or night.
"As the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan continue, we're seeing what
a serious toll combat can take on the mental health of the brave men
and women fighting on our behalf," Blagojevich said. "Every day our
troops are encountering danger, violence and tragedy that most of us
can't even imagine. After they've given so much to protect our
freedom, we should do everything we can to help them live productive
and stable lives when they return home. We can't wait for the
federal government to catch up with the new and growing mental
health needs associated with combat, or for Illinois lawmakers to
approve the comprehensive Illinois Covered program. Too many
returning soldiers and veterans need help now."
The announcement makes Illinois the first state in the nation to
establish a statewide traumatic brain injury program offering
screenings for all veterans and mandatory screening for Illinois
Army National Guard members. The new post-traumatic stress disorder
and traumatic brain injury program will later become part of the
governor's Illinois Covered plan to provide access to affordable
health coverage for every Illinoisan.
"As this war continues, and more of our troops are being deployed
multiple times into combat, the number of veterans suffering from
TBI and battling post-traumatic stress disorder will only grow as
these brave men and women return home," said Tammy Duckworth,
Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs director. "The time is now
to help our heroes who have fought for our freedoms, who have
sacrificed their lives for us. We must, at the very least, make sure
they all have access to the health and psychological care they
deserve. I am proud to see Illinois set an example of how to care
for and treat those who have served this country by establishing
this post-traumatic stress disorder and TBI program."
On June 15, the Pentagon Task Force on Mental Health released a
report declaring that the military "falls significantly short" in
providing adequate psychological care to service members. The report
stated that mental illness has become a major issue because of the
system's lack of fiscal resources and trained personnel, the
prejudices towards mental illness, and the long exposure to
combat in Afghanistan and Iraq. The report found that there is a
stigma attached to mental health problems among service members
that interferes with access to care, quality of care and
continuity of care. The report also stated that service members who
were deployed multiple times were more likely to screen positive for
a mental health issue.
The use of improvised explosive devices in Iraq has led to a
sudden rise in traumatic brain injuries. The Illinois Department of
Veterans' Affairs and the Illinois Department of Healthcare and
Family Services will be working with the Rehabilitation Institute of
Chicago to implement the screening tool for traumatic brain
injuries. The tool was created by Dr. Elliot Roth, senior vice
president and medical director, and Dr. Felise Zollman of the Brain
Injury Program at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. The
screening will take approximately 20-30 minutes. The program will
offer mandatory screenings for Illinois Army National Guard and the
option for all returning Illinois veterans, especially those
returning from Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi
Freedom.
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 "Traumatic brain injury is one of the most complicated injuries
to treat," said Zollman, medical director for the institute's Brain
Injury Medicine and Rehabilitation Program. "The brain is the human
body's most complex organ; its injuries can manifest in ways that
are not readily apparent; and the process of detecting and
determining the extent of injury can be highly complex. RIC stands
ready and eager to serve our nation's injured servicemen and women
by lending our expertise and providing the best clinical care in
rehabilitation that our country has to offer."
Because traumatic brain injury shares many of the same symptoms
as post-traumatic stress disorder, health care professionals often
misdiagnose mild traumatic brain injuries for post-traumatic stress
disorder, especially when visible wounds are lacking. This
misdiagnosis becomes problematic because traumatic brain injuries
and post-traumatic stress disorder are treated differently. The
screening will assist clinicians in diagnosing service members, who will be referred for further traumatic brain injury screening
if needed.
According to numbers reported by The Associated Press on June 23,
"only an estimated 2,000 cases of brain injury have been treated,
but doctors think many less obvious cases have gone undetected. One
small study found that more than half of one group of wounded troops
arriving at Walter Reed Army Medical Center had brain injuries."
On the federal level, earlier this year Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin
authored legislation in the Senate to require the departments of
Defense and Veteran Affairs to implement a comprehensive program to
diagnose, treat and rehabilitate service members and veterans who
have suffered a service-related traumatic brain injury.
"TBI and PTSD are signature wounds of this war," Durbin said. "We
need to improve care at the federal level so veterans across this
country have all the resources they deserve. I applaud Governor
Blagojevich and Director Duckworth for stepping in and taking action
on behalf of Illinois veterans."
The post-traumatic stress disorder portion of the program will
include a 24-hour, toll-free psychological assistance service to all
Illinois veterans. The toll-free number will ring into a call center
staffed by trained clinicians or nurses, with at least one trained
psychiatrist at the center and on call at all times. The
psychiatrists and staff will be trained in the area of
combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder and other
psychological issues facing veterans. When a veteran calls the
toll-free line, a clinician will perform an initial over-the-phone
screening and determination for the next steps.
The post-traumatic stress disorder program will help Illinois
veterans in many ways, which include:
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Offering 24-hour, toll-free assistance that will be available for
veterans to call at the very time they need support, day or night.
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Assisting with the resistance to seek help due to the stigma that
is often associated with post-traumatic stress disorder. The
24-hour, toll-free number enables veterans to simply pick up the
phone at any time and receive immediate care without having to wait
the days and weeks that they would typically experience when trying
to access care through the federal VA system.
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Traveling long distances often deters many veterans suffering
from post-traumatic stress disorder who are not able to go the
distance to obtain the necessary help. The governor's post-traumatic
stress disorder program allows all veterans to access help
regardless of their proximity to a VA facility.
[Text from file received from
the
Illinois Office of
Communication and Information]
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