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[PA-35] A Culturally Competent Community Based Provider Linking Minority Veterans with PTSD with Effective Health and Human ServicesSidney Lee, MBA, African American Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Association, Lakewood, WA
Sidney Lee & Jamie Logan
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), a psychiatric disorder precipitated by life threatening experiences, results in clear biological changes, psychological symptoms, and impairment of the ability to function well in life. Lifetime prevalence of PTSD is highest among minority veterans of the Vietnam era, affecting 35.4% African Americans, 57.2 % Northern Plains and 45.3% Southwest American Indians, respectively, and 33.7% Hispanics per Congressionally mandated Matsunaga readjustment study. Research shows veterans diagnosed with PTSD are significantly more likely to suffer chronic and infectious diseases affecting circulatory, digestive, musculoskeletal, and respiratory systems 20+ years after military service.
AAPTSDA's primary purpose is to provide culturally competent forum for sharing research information and clinical strategies, and to enhance the effectiveness of available resources by individuals with PTSD, particularly veterans. Established in 1996 in part as an outgrowth of the Congressional Black Caucus' Veterans Brain Trust symposium, AAPTSDA is a comprehensive community- and outcome-based National Veterans group recognized by the VA. Dedicated to the discovery and dissemination of knowledge; stimulation of public policy discussion and implementation; identification and expansion of effective programs; and, initiatives that encourage healthy lifestyles and reduce traumatic stressors' immediate and long-term health consequences, 1250 veterans and families, including 550 homeless or incarcerated, have received direct services and linkages with self-education, training programs, and disability claims processing for individuals with PTSD.
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Date: July 10-12, 2002
Location: Hilton Hotel & Towers, Washington, DC
Sponsor: U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, Office of Minority Health / Office of Public Health and Science
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