"Too many stressed soldiers slip through cracks: report "

[The Bread Guy]

From Canadian Press, shared with the usual disclaimer - happy to hear from those closer to the situation re:  what's happening that CP didn't (seem to) bother asking about....

Some Canadian Forces personnel who suffer from operational stress injuries are not being diagnosed and are not getting the care and treatment they need "to continue to be contributing members" of society, says a report by the military ombudsman.

The assessment, obtained by The Canadian Press, says 18 of the 31 recommendations made in a 2002 report on operational stress have not been fully implemented, including the appointment of a national co-ordinator for issues related to operational stress injuries.

More needs to be done to prevent soldiers, sailors and air crew from falling through the cracks, Ombudsman Mary McFadyen says in the followup report being released Wednesday.

"Clearly, the environment in which Canada's military has been operating in recent years has changed dramatically," she says in the 62-page report. "With the mission in Afghanistan, the level and intensity of combat operations have increased substantially. . . .

"A significant number of soldiers are returning from overseas deployments suffering with mental health issues. . . . It has also become evident that the Canadian Forces and Canadian Forces members are strained almost to the breaking point."

Parts of the military's approach are beset by confusion and discrepancies and progress is slow, says McFadyen, whose investigators interviewed more than 360 people across the country.

"The system is not perfect," she reports. "Indeed, investigators found and the office is aware of a number of individual cases where military members and/or their families were not treated fairly by the Canadian Forces or, for a variety of reasons, did not get access to the care and treatment that they so desperately needed.

"Injured soldiers, sailors, airmen and airwomen who have served their country with courage and dedication are slipping through the cracks of an ad hoc system.

"The consequences for individuals who fall through the cracks are often devastating and long lasting."

Mental-health caregivers from virtually every military establishment pointed to myths, and stereotypes associated with post-traumatic stress disorder and other operational stress injuries as persistent problems, McFadyen says.

"The negative stigma associated with post-traumatic stress disorder and other operational stress injuries remains a real problem at a number of military establishments across the country," she reports.

And the ombudsman says the Canadian Forces have not developed a database that accurately reflects the number of personnel affected by stress-related injuries.

"The need for a robust system focused on identifying, preventing and treating post-traumatic stress disorder and other operational stress injuries is even higher today than it was in 2002" and will only increase, she says, noting families suffer and need support too.

The assessment urges the military to fully implement all the recommendations of the original six-year-old report and makes nine additional recommendations to "address current realities and current problems."

Among them:
-Create a full-time operational stress injury co-ordinator responsible for all related issues, including the quality and consistency of care, diagnosis and treatment, as well as training and education.
-Develop a database of Canadian Forces personnel - both regular and reserve forces - affected by stress-related injuries.
-Conduct an independent and confidential mental-health survey of Forces personnel.
-Change the rules governing occupational transfer to accommodate stress sufferers who could continue their military service if moved to another military occupation.
-Ensure military family members have access to all the services and care they need.
-Provide funding across the country for the identification, prevention and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder and other operational stress injuries.
-Develop a national program to treat and prevent stress and burnout among mental-health care workers.

 

[Armymedic]

The one issue that will not/can not be addressed by DND and the CF is the care of the family. That is the realm of provincial health care system. It is tough enough to get these family members who move from province to province a family doctor in many areas, imagine if DND all of sudden told a local psychiatrist that they must take the wife and 3 children of a soldier who has been diagnosed with OSI.....

I am glad I am below the pay grade that would be tasked with solving that problem.

 

[the 48th regulator]

The one issue that will not/can not be addressed by DND and the CF is the care of the family. That is the realm of provincial health care system. It is tough enough to get these family members who move from province to province a family doctor in many areas, imagine if DND all of sudden told a local psychiatrist that they must take the wife and 3 children of a soldier who has been diagnosed with OSI.....

I am glad I am below the pay grade that would be tasked with solving that problem.

Wrong,

They would be covered under VAC, if the members was diagnosed and given treatment via VAC.  Therefore the family is covered, for all treatment.  That means anywhere in Canada, or anywhere in the world that they reside.

Please be wary, as the article talks about a report from 2002.....

http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/clients/sub.cfm?source=mhealth/osi_service

Face-to-Face Support with a Health Professional
Veterans Affairs Canada has OSI clinics to help Veterans, CF members, and eligible RCMP recovering from an OSI. Support is also available for their families. 
The OSI clinics have teams of mental health professionals, including psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses and clinical social workers, who provide standardized assessment, treatment, prevention and support services.

To receive services at an OSI clinic, you must be referred by a medical doctor from VAC, a military base or the RCMP. For a referral:

Veterans and their families can call VAC toll-free at 1-866-522-2122;
Still-serving CF members can contact their Base Medical Officer; and
RCMP personnel can contact an RCMP medical doctor.
VAC also has registered community health professionals who provide care. They can provide you with support in your own community.



dileas

tess


edit to add link and info

 

[PuckChaser]

Wow, make a database of pers affected by stress-related injuries? I can't see that being met with any resistance, especially with an issue that a number of troops do not feel comfortable coming forward to be diagnosed and treated. If I sometime in the future ended up with an OSI, I certainly don't want my name in a database somewhere that some vindictive person somewhere can gain access to and disseminate to smear people.

 

[the 48th regulator]

Wow, make a database of pers affected by stress-related injuries? I can't see that being met with any resistance, especially with an issue that a number of troops do not feel comfortable coming forward to be diagnosed and treated. If I sometime in the future ended up with an OSI, I certainly don't want my name in a database somewhere that some vindictive person somewhere can gain access to and disseminate to smear people.

You do know that VAC already keeps such a database, so does the CF, as everything is recorded on you Medical file.

As for fear of vindictive people, although I understand where you are coming from, once we tear down the barriers of the stigma of mental health issues your fear will disapear, with regards to vindictive people using that as a weapon.


we have torn down the barriers of other prejudices, we can do this with people suffering from OSI's being able to come forward.

dileas

tess

 

[OldSolduer]

It's time for the dinosaurs who tell you to "suck it up buttercup" to be banished to the netherworld. This is the the year 2008, not 1943, or 1916.
Will people not realize that OSI does exist and is a LEGITIMATE affliction (for lack of a better word)?

 

[the 48th regulator]

It's time for the dinosaurs who tell you to "suck it up buttercup" to be banished to the netherworld. This is the the year 2008, not 1943, or 1916.
Will people not realize that OSI does exist and is a LEGITIMATE affliction (for lack of a better word)?

Very well said,

A mantra for all soldiers to follow, OS!

dileas

tess

 

[OldSolduer]

Very well said,

A mantra for all soldiers to follow, OS!

dileas

tess

Thanks!! Much appreciated. It's like the Sergeantsaurus Rex saying "we never had no Goretex kit and we don't need it". I get upset with people who refuse to recognize new technological advances, new procedures, tactics and seem to wish a return to the times of Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

 

[simysmom99]

Please don't forget about our Family Peer Support Coordinators who work in conjunction with VAC and other "alphabet" folks I can't remember off the top of my head.  These folks are committed to doing everything they can to help the spouses and the kids. 
And the 1-800 number as well.  Although not a solution, sometimes just a few sessions to work things out could prove to be beneficial.

 

[RHFC_piper]

It's like the Sergeantsaurus Rex saying "we never had no Goretex kit and we don't need it". I get upset with people who refuse to recognize new technological advances, new procedures, tactics and seem to wish a return to the times of Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

Yup... and it's these "Sergeantsaurus Rex's" who'll say; "back in my day, the enemy dug in zig-zag trenches, wore uniforms and wouldn't think of using unconventional tactics" as they try to fight the taliban with a bolt action rifle ('cause it was proven in battle... in 1942)

It is a dynamic battlefield; those who don't adapt, die.  We need a dynamic military all round; including the mental health field.  As it has been said several times by several people; mental injuries (OSI's) are no different than physical ones; they need to be treated to allow the soldier to carry on effectively (or as effectively as possible).  Carrying the aforementioned stigma just make the healing process more difficult.  Unfortunately, change is difficult, as we see with kit, doctrine, etc... and people still hold that stigma.
It would be nice to see a change.

 

[the 48th regulator]

simysmom99,

Here here!

They are a fantstic goup, and here are the link of the three main groups of peer support Co-ordinators from OSISS;

Peer Support Network

Family Peer Support Co-Ordinators

And the newest group of Co-Ordinators;

Bereavement Peer Support Network


dileas

tess

 

[OldSolduer]

I have just sent an e-mail to the Bereavement Peer Support Network. Families hurt....beleive me. They need help too.

 

[Armymedic]

Too many soldiers slip through cracks....

one would be considered too many.

Anyway, as many of you have much more practical experience with this issue, what do you find valid or right-out-of-er from the report and/or the reporting of the report.

 

[Greymatters]

Im curious as to whether anyone on this site was involved in the process they talked about? 

Out of '360 people interviewed' how many were actual CF members?

 

[PuckChaser]

You do know that VAC already keeps such a database, so does the CF, as everything is recorded on you Medical file.

As long as they would keep that database held the same as the med docs with a Protected B and a need to know, it may belay some fears.

I really do thing the OSI awareness has come into its own in the last few years, I know my unit has had 2 or 3 briefings thus far on the subject since I got back from tour in March. Theres a few of the "old guard" Snr NCOs left, but for the most part with the big turnover in the MCpl, Sgt, WO ranks, the newly promoted pers have a good feel for keeping in touch with their subordinates and recommending help when they see issues arising.

 

[the 48th regulator]

Too many soldiers slip through cracks....

one would be considered too many.

Anyway, as many of you have much more practical experience with this issue, what do you find valid or right-out-of-er from the report and/or the reporting of the report.

That is a very good statement, and question.  Let me tackle some of the major points of the Article, outlined in the end.


Among them:
-Create a full-time operational stress injury co-ordinator responsible for all related issues, including the quality and consistency of care, diagnosis and treatment, as well as training and education.

Done

http://osiss.ca

About Us
The first role is to listen. They have been there and they understand your situation, they will respect your privacy and your need for confidentiality. Only one person will know your name. The Peer support and Family Peer support Coordinators network across the country knows how to find you help to regain your health and wellness. They can put you in contact with community resources and specially designed OSI programs and services with Veterans Affairs Canada and the Canadian Forces. They also organize support groups.
How much they can help, and when, is up to you. Your Peer support and Family Peer support Coordinators network will listen, suggest new ideas, and leave the choices to you. They can assist you to regain control of your life.

-Develop a database of Canadian Forces personnel - both regular and reserve forces - affected by stress-related injuries.

Agreed, the CF still lacks an electronic database to draw statistics, and have readily available information on a person’s injuries. 

-Conduct an independent and confidential mental-health survey of Forces personnel.

Once we eliminate the stigma’s, as found in the investigation, we may over come this barrier and have people willing to be accounted for with regards to their OSI.

Parts of the military's approach are beset by confusion and discrepancies and progress is slow, says McFadyen, whose investigators interviewed more than 360 people across the country.

"The system is not perfect," she reports. "Indeed, investigators found and the office is aware of a number of individual cases where military members and/or their families were not treated fairly by the Canadian Forces or, for a variety of reasons, did not get access to the care and treatment that they so desperately needed.

"Injured soldiers, sailors, airmen and airwomen who have served their country with courage and dedication are slipping through the cracks of an ad hoc system.

"The consequences for individuals who fall through the cracks are often devastating and long lasting."

Mental-health caregivers from virtually every military establishment pointed to myths, and stereotypes associated with post-traumatic stress disorder and other operational stress injuries as persistent problems, McFadyen says.

"The negative stigma associated with post-traumatic stress disorder and other operational stress injuries remains a real problem at a number of military establishments across the country," she reports.

Your statement earlier proves this,

The one issue that will not/can not be addressed by DND and the CF is the care of the family. That is the realm of provincial health care system. It is tough enough to get these family members who move from province to province a family doctor in many areas, imagine if DND all of sudden told a local psychiatrist that they must take the wife and 3 children of a soldier who has been diagnosed with OSI.....

I am glad I am below the pay grade that would be tasked with solving that problem.

-Change the rules governing occupational transfer to accommodate stress sufferers who could continue their military service if moved to another military occupation.

Totally agree.  As with the above details, ignorance with regards to OSI will help to eliminate this from happening, and instead of releasing good soldiers, help to bring them back to a state of being able to work in a military environment.  Whether this involves a remuster, or keeping them in their current position.


-Ensure military family members have access to all the services and care they need.

Obviously the Ombudsman has not kept up with the progress, and has missed the release of the Family Covenant and the progress that VAC, DND and the CF have done….

Family Covenant

Thursday, November 27, 2008 
Ottawa, ON – Chief of Defence Staff, General Natynczyk signs off on CF´s commitment to families.


http://www.cfpsa.ca/en/psp/dmfs/enhancement_e.asp

Mental Health and Social Support


-Provide funding across the country for the identification, prevention and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder and other operational stress injuries.

http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/clients/sub.cfm?source=mhealth  and again OSISS a joint DND and VAC program.


-Develop a national program to treat and prevent stress and burnout among mental-health care workers.

I know that DND and VAC provide that for their staff of mental-health care workers, maybe the Ombudsman can elaborate which mental-health care workers are not being cared for at this time.


So you see, I totally am for the Ombudsman bringing forth, into the spotlight, OSI and the lack of consideration it is given I will make this statement.

However, Would you not agree that it is not the Game that suffers, but some of the players that do not know the rules.  This is what is causing the challenges with our soldiers from getting the treatment they deserve, including their families.  I am not picking on you, but you state in your profile that you are with Canadian Forces Medical Services School, however, you did not know the details of what services a member is entitled to with regards to his family.  Imagine how many above you are the same, or do not want to admit that it is the responsibilty of the military and Canada to treat the member and their family.

dileas

tess

 

[the 48th regulator]

As long as they would keep that database held the same as the med docs with a Protected B and a need to know, it may belay some fears.

I really do thing the OSI awareness has come into its own in the last few years, I know my unit has had 2 or 3 briefings thus far on the subject since I got back from tour in March. Theres a few of the "old guard" Snr NCOs left, but for the most part with the big turnover in the MCpl, Sgt, WO ranks, the newly promoted pers have a good feel for keeping in touch with their subordinates and recommending help when they see issues arising.

You are now playing semantics.

Do people in the military, with much more protected information, use that for personal gain?  Of course they do.  Do they get caught?  Eventually.

We have people whohave sworn to oaths, to serve and protect our nation.  They are in charge of millions of dollars, weapons, and secrets far more important than the health status of a soldier.  I don't see that area being abused in an incredible rate, why would someone's Mental Health issues be a challenge?

We were able to bring forth programs like Sharp to eliminate discrimination of People within the CF, why is it so hard to encompass the Mentally Disabled?  Once we illiminate that, no more weapons for the bad, would you not agree?

dileas

tess

 

[The Bread Guy]

Thanks Tess for the rest of the story - we'll see if MSM follow this up (I can dream, can't I?)

 

[Armymedic]

I am not picking on you, but you state in your profile that you are with Canadian Forces Medical Services School, however, you did not know the details of what services a member is entitled to with regards to his family.  Imagine how many above you are the same, or do not want to admit that it is the responsibilty of the military and Canada to treat the member and their family.

And why would I know? My role will be as a primary health care provider to the service member, under supervision of a MD. My job is to recognize a problem with the member, and then attempt to help him by referring him to the care he/she requires. Do I need to know the details of what VAC entitles the soldier's family? No. And besides how would I? The program is still in the working group stage.
Further, do not take my ignorance of the newest developing policy as a systemic problem as I am still in training, and not working where the knowledge of the latest CF policy is required.

 

[the 48th regulator]

Further

-Change the rules governing occupational transfer to accommodate stress sufferers who could continue their military service if moved to another military occupation.

http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/57028/post-771491.html#msg771491

dileas

tess