Program provides mental health care for returning soldiers

LITTLE ROCK — Gov. Mike Beebe today announced his support for a national organization that encourages mental health providers to donate care for soldiers returning from deployments.

The Give an Hour program already has partnered with more than 5,000 providers across the country to provide free counseling and other services for soldiers and family members suffering from depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health issues.

Beebe was joined by the organization's founder and president, Dr. Barbara Van Dahlen, and Arkansas National Guard Adjutant General Maj. Gen. William Wofford at a news conference this morning launching a statewide Give an Hour initiative in Arkansas.

"We owe an obligation to the men and women who wear the uniform and protect us, who go into harm's way and go into combat situations, to ensure when they do return we as Arkansans do all we can to be supportive," Beebe said.

Van Dahlen said the state initiative came together after she made a presentation to the Yellow Ribbon Task Force, which Beebe and Congressman John Boozman created to address issues facing veterans returning from deployment.

Mental health issues are to be expected from soldiers transitioning back from a war environment, Van Dahlen said, so it's essential that providers offer services.

"I believe it is critical our civilian population step up to do our part," she said. "Even if (the Department of Defense) and the (Department of Veteran Affairs) had it covered, I would still be pushing our way in and saying 'these are our neighbors, our coworkers and our family members coming home. We need to be there to help."

Wofford said officials have studied mental health problems suffered by soldiers returning from deployments since 2001, when the war in Afghanistan began. Many soldiers have difficulty talking about their issues, which causes additional problems.

"We've seen it, we've understood it and we're finally trying to do something about it," he said. "This is one step to help us get to providing the care that our soldiers truly need."

Give an Hour already partners with several national mental health associations and is now in the process of connecting with their Arkansas chapters to seek donated mental health service. Beebe said that and the publicity surrounding the initiative will "hopefully result in a greater number of mental health professional donating some of their time."

Professionals can learn about the program and sign up for it at giveanhour.org.