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RETIRED JUSTICE EVELYN LUNDBERG STRATTON'S VETERANS' CRIMINAL JUSTICE & MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES NEWS

“Sharing Information to Benefit All Veterans”

JULY 23, 2017

Justice Evelyn Lundberg Stratton, Retired Veterans in the Courts Initiative

Evelyn Lundberg Stratton retired from the Ohio Supreme Court at the end of 2012 so as to pursue more fully criminal justice reforms with a particular emphasis on veterans who become involved with the justice system. She

established the Veterans in the Courts Initiative in 2009. Video http://bit.ly/1glCXZ0

Subscribe to this free weekly, all volunteer-generated, news summary by joining our Veterans in The Courts Initiative Group http://bit.ly/1DZ3esD

5,060 providers of veterans’ services just like you, nationwide & internationally, receive this free

newsletter every week. Another 18,000+ can see it on 5 social media sites. Over 5,900 people in 61 countries have viewed my blog over 11,000 times. Thank you for sharing!

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TOPIC PAGE TOPIC PAGE

FEATURED STORIES 1 COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES 14

OPPORTUNITIES 2 GENERAL NEWS 18

GOVERNMENT 3 "VETERANS IN JUSTICE" LINKEDIN GROUP 20

OHIO 4 OTHER LINKEDIN GROUPS 20

STEPPING UP INITIATIVE 8 VETERANS IN THE COURTS INITIATIVE BLOG 20

VETERANS TREATMENT COURTS 10 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 21

PTS/TBI/MST 13 HOW TO JOIN OUR NEWSLETTER 21

SUICIDE 14

FEATURED STORIES

Veterans start to lose Choice health care options as VA funds run dry http://bit.ly/2uTAbJT

Marine Corps veteran Nancy Brown qualifies for a program that allows her to see a private

doctor because she lives about 60 miles from the nearest VA hospital in Richmond, Virginia,

but she was turned down recently when she sought an appointment to treat her ailing knee.

“There are no more referrals,” said Ms. Brown, 57, of Fredericksburg, Virginia. “They’re

denying it now, telling people they can’t see you. What are veterans to do?”

The popular Veterans Choice Program, created after the 2014 health care scandal in the

Department of Veterans Affairs, is designed to give veterans more treatment options if they

can’t get an appointment at a VA facility within 30 days or they live more than 40 miles

from the nearest VA hospital. But the program is running out of money.

The VA initially projected that Veterans Choice would be running a surplus of $1.1 billion by

Aug. 7. But VA Secretary David J. Shulkin surprised lawmakers last month when he

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revealed that the money is expected to run dry by mid-August because of unexpectedly

high demand.

“On financial projections, we have to do better,” he said. “We do not want to see veterans

impacted at all by our inability to manage budgets.”

Mr. Shulkin has ditched a proposal to shift money from an account funding disability

benefits for about 225,000 elderly and disabled veterans after an outcry from veterans

groups, and Congress is preparing an emergency spending measure to make up the budget

shortfall in the Choice program.

House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Phil Roe, Tennessee Republican, plans to

introduce legislation next week that would extend funding for six months, with offsets

elsewhere in the VA budget.

OPPORTUNITIES

William & Mary Law School: ONLINE CERTIFICATE IN MILITARY AND VETERANS HEALTH, POLICY AND ADVOCACY, First Classes start August 21st http://conta.cc/2s6r07L

William & Mary Law School's Lewis B. Puller, Jr. Veterans Benefits Clinic is now offering the

first-of-its-kind online Certificate in Military and Veterans Health, Policy and Advocacy

(MVHPA), and is currently accepting registrations for its inaugural classes in 2017-2018.

The curriculum can be helpful to a variety of individuals, including attorneys, advocates, law

students, veterans, service members, transition personnel, legal officers, veteran services

officers, family members and caregivers. There is a discount for veterans and active duty

service members.

Benefits of the Certificate:

Learn from William & Mary Law School experts about the legal and psychological

challenges facing service members and veterans today, and how to help them as a

volunteer, or in veteran-serving employment.

Develop persuasive writing skills in order to effectively advocate for service members

and veterans in the disability and discharge upgrade systems.

Gain the necessary knowledge and skills, and the education required, for accreditation

by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), in order to successfully represent veterans

in the disability compensation process.

Obtain a distinguishing credential demonstrating intensive training in veterans benefits

law, skill in persuasive advocacy, knowledge of separations and discharges and how to

address them, legislative policy work, and the psychological challenges our service members and veterans face.

Ohio Request for Proposals: $3 Million Dollars in Grants for Ohio Law Enforcement Diversion Programs, Proposal Due Date August 18th http://bit.ly/2uUaKYu

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine’s Office (AGO) is currently accepting proposals to

replicate or expand successful law enforcement diversion programs that address the opioid

epidemic that are similar to the Drug Abuse Response Team in Lucas County and the Quick

Response Teams in Hamilton and Summit Counties.

The total allocation for this grant program is $3 million, over two years (FY 2018 and FY

2019). The AGO anticipates approving an average award of $150,000 over two

years. There is no minimum award request amount.

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Request for Proposals: Law Enforcement Diversion Programs Application

Law Enforcement Diversion Programs Budget Worksheet

All proposals in response to this RFP are due no later than 5 p.m. EST on Friday, August

18, 2017.

To submit an application or for technical assistance with any requirements of this

solicitation, contact HeroinUnit@OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov.

Applications will be accepted by e-mail at HeroinUnit@OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov.

Ohio Training Classes: Ohio Crime Victim Justice Center offers free cross-disciplinary victims' rights training http://bit.ly/2vMDFu8

Ohio Crime Victim Justice Center offers free cross-disciplinary victims' rights training to

SANE nurses and medical personnel, law enforcement officers, prosecutors, attorneys,

judges, victim advocates, and victim service providers in counties and regions across Ohio.

These trainings serve to provide the education and tools necessary to protect victims' rights

in Ohio. As part of the training, OCVJC hopes to bring together varying perspectives within a

county or region to begin a conversation on crime victims' rights.

4 Hour Training

3.5 CLE (including 2.5 ethics) and 3.5 CPE Credits Available!

Please see flyer at link above for convenient locations, dates and times for the training

sessions which will be held in Richland, Stark, Lucas and Hamilton Counties.

Ohio Scholarships: Central Ohio MILVETS Veterans Day Scholarships – Applications due November 1st www.milvetsohio.org

Five (5) scholarships of $1,000.00 will be awarded to a veteran, or their child or

grandchild. These scholarships are awarded annually at the City of Columbus ceremony

preceding the annual Veterans Day Parade. Recipients will be guests of the Veterans Day

parade. Applications must be received by November 1, 2017.

For more information, download the Scholarship Application and additional information can

be found on the MILVETS Web Site.

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

Congress GI Bill expansion, identical to House legislation, introduced in Senate

House to consider GI expansion bill next week

Bipartisanship? Look at House Veterans Committee

Committee sends 6 VA appointees to Senate floor for a vote

Department of Defense (DoD) Get Psyched! DHCC Psychologists to Present at APA Annual Meeting

Mom, Psychologist Shares How Laughter Can Strengthen Relationships

Service Pups in Training Help PTSD, TBI Patients Heal

VA Programs

Veterans Affairs secretary promises "brand new" review of Manchester hospital

(Subscription may be needed)

VA secretary, VSOs: Changing the VA culture together

VA has fired 500 employees since Trump took office, report shows.

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VA Apprenticeship Program To Train, Employ Veterans To Assist Other Veterans In Properly

Filing For VA benefits

VA partners with state coordinators to better serve women Veterans

Veteran sets world record while working to break stigma surrounding mental health

VA recognized for its IT innovations: merging technology and health care for life-changing

improvements

MakeTheConnection.net: Connecting Veterans with caregivers like you

True North: Newsletter of the VA National Center for Ethics in Health Care July/August 2017

Veterans Compete in National Wheelchair Games

VA Research

VA to study health effects of Gulf War, Iraq and Afghanistan on vets' families

VA PTSD Research Quarterly: (Patient Engagement in PTSD Treatment

VA Facilities

Black Hills VAHCS Veteran Stand Down, July 25th

Northern Indiana VAHCS Town Hall, July 27th

Community Mental Health Summit Returns to WRJ VAMC, July 28th

Roseburg VA Health Care System Announces the Ribbon Cutting of the new Domiciliary for

Residential Treatment of PTSD and Substance Abuse, August 4th

Houston VAMC Tomball VA Outpatient Clinic Veterans Benefits Fair, August 5th

Jesse Brown VA Medical Center Veterans Town Hall meeting, August 8th

Dayton VA Director to retire in October VA Greater Los Angeles HCS New $10M Patient Monitoring System Installed

VA West LA Gets New CAT Scan

Minneapolis VAHCS Clinic Offers Advantages for Veterans and New MDs

Roseburg Health Care System Relay Newsletter - July 2017

VA OIG Reports

Audit of Alleged Inappropriate Scheduling of Electromyography Consults at the Memphis VA

Medical Center

Clinical Assessment Program Review of the Lexington VA Medical Center Lexington,

Kentucky

Healthcare Inspection – Quality of Care and Other Concerns Robert J. Dole VA Medical

Center, Wichita, Kansas

Administrative Investigation - Conflicting Interests and Misuse of Government Equipment,

Overton Brooks VA Medical Center, Shreveport, Louisiana

Healthcare Inspection—Quality of Care Concerns at Two Veterans Integrated Service

Network 23 Facilities and a Veterans Readjustment Counseling Center, St. Cloud VA Health

Care System, St. Cloud, Minnesota; the Minneapolis VA Health Care System, Minneapolis

Clinical Assessment Program Review of the El Paso VA Health Care System, El Paso, Texas

Clinical Assessment Program Review of the Aleda E. Lutz VA Medical Center, Saginaw,

Michigan Additional resources from my blog

LIST OF VA TOWN HALLS & OTHER MEETINGS NATIONWIDE: http://bit.ly/1Gg1DN6

OHIO

Membership Open: Veterans Courts & Military Affairs Subcommittee (VCMAS) of the Ohio Attorney General’s Task Force on Criminal Justice and Mental Illness http://bit.ly/1A4PoOQ

VCMAS assists the justice system in dealing with the civil and criminal justice needs of our

military and veterans, with emphasis on the physical and emotional causes that led to

involvement in the criminal justice system.

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Special focus is on: development of veterans treatment courts; raising awareness of various

community programming for veterans; creating political and legal environments to best

serve veterans through the V.A. and community partners; fostering pro-bono programming

for civil needs of veterans; and supplying a forum for Ohio courts and agencies to exchange

ideas, resources, and best practices for serving veterans.

Bi-monthly meetings are held via telephone’conference on the 4 th Wednesday of the month

at 4:00 p.m.

NEXT MEETING: Wednesday, July 26, 2017, at 4:00 p.m.

CALL: 1-(800)-555- 2350 Pin# 312116

AGENDA ITEMS:

Justice for Vets’ Vet Court Conference Recap

Hon. Taryn L. Heath, Lisa Williams, Melissa Knopp

Presentation by Warrior Beat Therapeutic Drumming

Trevor Meyer, CEO, Co-Founder

Veterans Treatment Court Survey

Hon. Gary A. Loxley

Update on ABA’s Project for Pro Bono Services

Former Ohio Supreme Court Justice Evelyn Stratton

Contact Co-Chair Tammy Puff (North Central Ohio Regional Director of Veterans Outreach—

Ohio Attorney General’s Office) at 1-567- 231-6719 or at

Tammy.Puff@OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov if you are interested in joining this committee or call

in on Wednesday!

Cleveland judge gets national award for veterans treatment court http://bit.ly/2vJRHN6

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court judge was honored by a

national group this week in Washington D.C. for starting a drug and mental health court

docket that serves veterans.

Judge Michael Jackson, himself a decorated Marine Corps veteran, accepted the 2017 Hank

Pirowski Award from Justice For Vets at the end of the National Association of Drug Court

Professional's annual training conference on Wednesday, the court announced in a news

release.

The award is given to those "who have exemplified courage and perseverance in the mission

to connect justice-involved veterans with the benefits and treatment they have earned," the

release said.

Jackson began work to create the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court Veterans

Treatment Court soon after he was elected to the bench in 2013. He presided over the first

cases in 2015.

Cincinnati Hosts National Wheelchair Games http://bit.ly/2vK62JA

Last year, Navy Veteran Jeff Deleon of Salem, Oregon, signed up for seven events and

announced that he planned on taking home seven gold medals.

That’s the spirit of competition that hundreds of Veterans bring each year to the National

Veterans Wheelchair Games.

It’s the 37th year for the event, being held this year in Cincinnati July 17 – 22.

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The purpose of the National Veterans Wheelchair Games is to provide Veterans with physical

disabilities an introductory experience to a variety of wheelchair sports and expose them to

the numerous organized wheelchair sports and recreation activities available nationwide.

The games serve to encourage Veterans to become aware of their abilities and potential

while promoting a spirit of healthy activity and camaraderie.

The games are presented each year by the Department of Veterans Affairs and Paralyzed

Veterans of America with additional support from numerous corporate and community

sponsors.

Request for Proposals: $3 Million Dollars in Grants for Ohio Law Enforcement Diversion Programs, Proposal Due Date August 18th http://bit.ly/2uUaKYu

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine’s Office (AGO) is currently accepting proposals to

replicate or expand successful law enforcement diversion programs that address the opioid

epidemic that are similar to the Drug Abuse Response Team in Lucas County and the Quick

Response Teams in Hamilton and Summit Counties.

The total allocation for this grant program is $3 million, over two years (FY 2018 and FY

2019). The AGO anticipates approving an average award of $150,000 over two

years. There is no minimum award request amount.

Request for Proposals: Law Enforcement Diversion Programs Application

Law Enforcement Diversion Programs Budget Worksheet

All proposals in response to this RFP are due no later than 5 p.m. EST on Friday, August

18, 2017.

To submit an application or for technical assistance with any requirements of this

solicitation, contact HeroinUnit@OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov.

Applications will be accepted by e-mail at HeroinUnit@OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov.

EVENT: The 2017 Ohio Women Veterans Conference, Columbus. August 12th , Advanced Registration Deadline including lunch August 3rd http://bit.ly/2uQMGWv

Celebrating Generations of Service - 67,000 Veterans Strong Saturday, August 12th at The

Ohio Union at The Ohio State University.

Don’t miss the Ohio Women Veterans Conference, one of the largest gatherings of women

veterans in the nation. This year’s conference is August 12, 2017 from 9am - 4pm at The

Ohio Union on the campus of The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio.

Meet your sisters in military service of all eras from WWII to present day Iraq and

Afghanistan.

Network with fellow veterans — Ohio is home to 67,000 women veterans — and learn about

the benefits, resources and opportunities you have earned with your military service. You

will find information about Ohio’s new fast track to jobs and education for veterans, services

available locally through 88 County Veterans Service Offices, and the U.S. Department of

Veterans Affairs will share information on its Women Veterans programs and benefits.

More importantly, you will be empowered by Ohio women veterans' strength in numbers.

We look forward to seeing you in August!

Note: Lunch option is not available with onsite registration. All attendees must have a ticket

to attend.

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Ohio Crime Victim Justice Center offers free cross-disciplinary victims' rights training http://bit.ly/2vMDFu8

Ohio Crime Victim Justice Center offers free cross-disciplinary victims' rights training to

SANE nurses and medical personnel, law enforcement officers, prosecutors, attorneys,

judges, victim advocates, and victim service providers in counties and regions across Ohio.

These trainings serve to provide the education and tools necessary to protect victims' rights

in Ohio. As part of the training, OCVJC hopes to bring together varying perspectives within a

county or region to begin a conversation on crime victims' rights.

4 Hour Training

3.5 CLE (including 2.5 ethics) and 3.5 CPE Credits Available!

Please see flyer at link above for convenient locations, dates and times for the training

sessions which will be held in Richland, Stark, Lucas and Hamilton Counties.

Scholarships: Central Ohio MILVETS Veterans Day Scholarships – Applications due November 1st www.milvetsohio.org

Five (5) scholarships of $1,000.00 will be awarded to a veteran, or their child or

grandchild. These scholarships are awarded annually at the City of Columbus ceremony

preceding the annual Veterans Day Parade. Recipients will be guests of the Veterans Day

parade. Applications must be received by November 1, 2017.

For more information, download the Scholarship Application and additional information can

be found on the MILVETS Web Site.

Dayton VA Director to retire in October http://bit.ly/2uQTL9Q DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — The CEO/Director of the Dayton VA Medical Center is retiring in

October.

Glenn Costie will step aside on October 28th. Costie says he’s making the announcement

now in order to give the VA time to find his replacement.

Costie says the advance notice will also allow the VA to train his successor in day-to-day

management of the Dayton VA.

The 400-acre facility serves 40,000 veterans each year.

Costie has served as the Director/CEO of the Dayton VA Medical Center since December,

2011.

Ohio veteran can keep ducks to relieve PTSD, depression http://bit.ly/2vJQtS0 COLUMBUS, Ohio — An Ohio veteran who sought to defy local law and keep pet ducks,

that he says help relieve his post-traumatic stress disorder and depression, can now keep

them.

The Coshocton Tribune reports the West Lafayette Village Council this week granted Darin

Welker a variance to an ordinance prohibiting farm animals in the village, about 80 miles

east of Columbus.

Welker was convicted in 2014 of a misdemeanor for violating the ban on farm animals. A

state appeals court later upheld his conviction and the Ohio Supreme Court declined to hear

his appeal.

Welker argued his six ducks have been therapeutic. He served in Iraq with the Army and

was medically discharged from the Ohio National Guard. His doctor says the ducks have

helped.

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Vietnam experience helped shape Brunswick, Ohio soldier's mission to aid other vets http://bit.ly/2uRbldN

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Death followed Willie Springer home from combat in Vietnam in 1969.

That's the bad part of its impact on his life since then.

And the good part.

He still has nightmares of nightly rocket attacks and of the blood smeared on the tracks of

his bulldozer as it pulverized Viet Cong bunkers.

Once, the memories nearly killed him.

But the experience also gave him the conviction that God is guiding him as a chaplain and

bereavement counselor with Pathways Hospice to help other veterans deal with their "last

journey," as he calls it.

Additional resources from my blog

OPERATION LEGAL HELP OHIO http://bit.ly/1Gg0HbK

RESOURCES FOR VETERANS http://bit.ly/1Gg21LH

OHIO JOBS FOR VETERANS http://bit.ly/1CL3Ay0

RESURRECTING LIVES FOUNDATION http://bit.ly/1R9toOV

EVENTS FOR OHIO VETERANS http://bit.ly/1Tx7tix

EVENTS FOR LAWYERS & OTHER SERVICE PROVIDERS FOR OHIO VETERANS http://bit.ly/2fQHYN7

RESOURCES FOR OHIO VETERANS http://bit.ly/2fQNEql

STEPPING UP INITIATIVE Editor’s Note: Closely associated with Veterans Treatment Courts and other specialty docket courts dealing with mental illness is the new STEEPING UP INITIATIVE. Stepping Up is a national initiative to reduce the number of people with mental illness in Jails. Stepping Up and similar initiatives are an important evolution in the treatment of veterans and others incarcerated with mental illness. Supreme Court of Ohio Justice Evelyn Lundeberg Stratton (Retired) is the Director of Stepping Up Ohio. We have decided to create this new section of Retired Justice Stratton’s News Clips, rather than bury the stories somewhere else. We particularly wish to thank County Court Judge Ginger Lerner-Wren in The Criminal Division of the 17th Judicial Circuit, Broward County of Florida, a Pioneer and Creator of America's first mental health court dedicated to the decriminalization of people with mental illness, for sending us news articles to share with you.

*****************************

AL: Dwindling mental health care resources put strain on first responders http://bit.ly/2uQjqPN

(WIAT) — Members of law enforcement across Alabama are calling for better access to

mental health care.

“It’s a subject that we’ve talked about many times. It makes me angry,” said Cullman

County Sheriff Matt Gentry Tuesday, as he told reporters that a man with a history of

mental illness came into a prominent attorney’s home and killed him.

Later Tuesday night, a spokesman for the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office suggested that

mental illness may have played a role in a situation that ended with a deputy fatally

shooting a man in Clay.

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“The number of community health beds in the State of Alabama are not adequate for the

amount of patients that we have,” said Lt. Cody Sumners with the Shelby County Sheriff’s

Office. “And law enforcement is encountering the mentally ill on a more regular basis.”

Allison Boyd is the Mental Health Coordinator and a legal counsel in Shelby County, who

says she often has to tell families that there is no bed space available for their loved one in

a state mental health facility.

AR: Arkansas Mental Health Court Act law goes into effect Aug. 1st http://bit.ly/2tONJkK

A three-pronged strategy to decrease the strain on local county jails includes crisis

intervention training for police officers, crisis stabilization units and mental health specialty

courts.

Electronic monitoring programs for nonviolent misdemeanor offenders are also being used

by county jails to decrease both the number of inmates and costs associated with housing

inmates.

State Rep. Justin Boyd, R-Fort Smith, pointed out in a recent phone interview that he and

state Sen. Terry Rice, R-Waldron, co-sponsored a bill earlier this year that provides a

framework for Arkansas judicial districts to set up a mental health court program.

The Mental Health Specialty Court Act of 2017 becomes law Aug. 1 and aims to reduce

recidivism rates using “evidence-based practices of supervision, policies, procedures and

practices.” Recidivism is the tendency of a person to reoffend.

Mental health court programs were being done in Craighead and Crittenden counties

already, Boyd noted, but the bill gives judicial districts “more structure” for statewide

implementation. The courts are not mandated for judicial districts, but encouraged, Boyd

added.

IA: Scott County Mental Health Court secures funding for second year http://bit.ly/2tOtWlB

DAVENPORT, Iowa -- The Scott County Mental Health Court will get another year to help

participants on the road to recovery.

On Friday, June 30, Genesis Philanthropy pledged $75,000 to continue the program through

its second year. The group originally donated $50,000 for first-year costs.

Mental health court helps non-violent offenders manage their mental health symptoms,

rather than put them behind bars.

"To be able to work with people who are really dedicated to recovery and to bettering and

improving their lives, their families' lives, their children's lives, is an honor, and it's really

exciting to see that happening," said Courtney Stenzel, care coordinator for the Scott

County Mental Health Court.

MA: State Senate OKs mental health education http://bit.ly/2vJUKVG

BOSTON — Three women from north central Massachusetts were on hand Thursday to

watch as the Senate passed a bill they wrote to give high schools the option of adding

mental health education to their health courses.

The Senate’s approval of the bill marked a milestone for the college-aged women, who

began their quest to add a mental health component to health education while attending

Leominster High School.

The bill, filed by Sen. Jennifer Flanagan, would expressly state that public high schools may

supplement their physical health education with mental health education in areas including

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mental illness, teenage brain development, stress management, physical health, violence

prevention, ecological and community health and overcoming mental illness stigma.

Though the bill is only a few lines long, the women spearheading the effort — Kyrah Altman,

Lauren Wilkins and Alex Buckman — also developed more than 900 pages of curriculum for

a course to teach physical and mental health to high schoolers in one course.

“It has been designed to meet all of the Massachusetts health education standards and the

national health education standards,” said Altman, who now serves as president of Let’s

Empower, Advocate and Do (LEAD), the nonprofit that grew out of their advocacy. “So our

vision is for a school to literally incorporate our curriculum as our health class because it

teaches both physical and mental health equally and it meets all the standards.”

MS: Mental health court pilot could save lives http://bit.ly/2uRdeXE

A pilot mental health court enabled in Neshoba County but not funded by the Legislature

would, among other things, test offenders to make sure they’re taking their medications.

Circuit Court Judge Chris Collins has a heart for the mentally ill having spent two decades in

private practice representing many of them and recognizing the clash that comes between

the law and order of the criminal justice system and the needs of the mentally ill.

For him, seeing a woman who is eight months pregnant and now drug free and productive is

highly rewarding.

With the noted success of the Drug Court, Collins now hopes that the proposed Mental

Health Court can have the same impact and fill a void in many people’s lives.

“There is nothing that I do, day in and day out, more rewarding than my work with Drug

Court,” Collins said. “When I walk into Drug Court on Thursday morning, I see a lady sitting

right here that is eight months pregnant and she is having a drug free baby.”

Collins had an idea for a Mental Health Court in the state of Mississippi, an idea, thanks to

his Drug Court Coordinator Marcus Ellis, is set to come to fruition over the next couple

months.

TAC RESEARCH WEEKLY

RESEARCH WEEKLY: Minorities with Mental Illness and Diabetes

VETERANS TREATMENT COURTS William & Mary Law School: ONLINE CERTIFICATE IN MILITARY AND VETERANS HEALTH, POLICY AND ADVOCACY, First Classes start August 21st http://conta.cc/2s6r07L

William & Mary Law School's Lewis B. Puller, Jr. Veterans Benefits Clinic is now offering the

first-of-its-kind online Certificate in Military and Veterans Health, Policy and Advocacy

(MVHPA), and is currently accepting registrations for its inaugural classes in 2017-2018.

The curriculum can be helpful to a variety of individuals, including attorneys, advocates, law

students, veterans, service members, transition personnel, legal officers, veteran services

officers, family members and caregivers. There is a discount for veterans and active duty

service members.

Benefits of the Certificate:

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Learn from William & Mary Law School experts about the legal and psychological

challenges facing service members and veterans today, and how to help them as a

volunteer, or in veteran-serving employment.

Develop persuasive writing skills in order to effectively advocate for service members

and veterans in the disability and discharge upgrade systems.

Gain the necessary knowledge and skills, and the education required, for accreditation

by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), in order to successfully represent veterans

in the disability compensation process.

Obtain a distinguishing credential demonstrating intensive training in veterans benefits

law, skill in persuasive advocacy, knowledge of separations and discharges and how to

address them, legislative policy work, and the psychological challenges our service members and veterans face.

IN: Veterans get past minor, post-military brushes with law in program http://bit.ly/2uRgjqC

Four veterans are the first graduates from a local court program specifically designed to

help them turn their lives around from low-level criminal behavior.

They were honored Tuesday at an evening ceremony at YES Cinema for completing

requirements of the Bartholomew County Veterans Court program, established last year as

an intensive program geared toward helping veterans turn away from the lingering after-

effects of combat, which sometimes manifests itself in committing crimes.

. . . Bartholomew County’s Veterans Court was established in February 2016 as an 18- to

24-month second-chance program for offenders who have served in the military and have

been adversely affected by long-term combat conditions.

The program initially started as an all-volunteer effort with county employees taking on

additional responsibilities, said Brad Barnes, director of Bartholomew County Court Services

and chief probation officer. The Indiana Judicial Center appropriated $44,751 for the

program last year and has received about $60,000 to offset operational expenses, Barnes

said.

Other funding comes into the program from various fees paid by participants. Veterans

charged with misdemeanors pay $100 upfront in initial and administrative fees as well as

$20 per month for up to 18 months. For veterans charged with felonies, it is $200 in upfront

fees, followed by $30 a month.

Bartholomew County’s program is one of 84 problem-solving courts offered around the state

which have different areas of focus — courts for domestic violence, family dependency,

drugs and mental health, among others, said Indiana Supreme Court Justice Steven David,

a Columbus native.

MI: Kent Co. veterans court celebrates major milestone http://bit.ly/2uJu4XQ

WYOMING, Mich. (WOOD) – The Kent County Veterans Treatment Court celebrated a major

milestone Friday.

For the first time, the program held a multi-generational graduation.

For the two graduates — Dennis Johnson and another who asked that 24 Hour News 8 not

to identify him — their age and when they served are separated by decades.

But their stories are incredibly similar.

“I came home and I didn’t realize what I had pent up inside me,” Johnson, a Vietnam

veteran, said.

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The other veteran served in Iraq in the early 2000s, but shared a similar story.

“The circumstances that got me here, unfortunately, are something that most vets deal

with,” he said. “Unfortunately, it got the better of me.”

Both Johnson and the other graduate served in the U.S. Marine Corps and were diagnosed

with post-traumatic stress disorder after returning home from combat. They both turned to

the bottle to cope.

It was alcohol use landed them in trouble — and eventually brought them to the veterans’

program in Wyoming District Court.

Now, they’re sharing something yet again — as the program’s newest graduates.

Veterans court, which was new to Kent County about two years ago, was spearheaded by

district court Judge Pablo Cortes and is supported by Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker.

Before the graduation, Cortes welcomed a handful of veterans who were just joining the

program.

NE: Programs offers second chances for veterans http://bit.ly/2uU6lVI DOUGLAS COUNTY, Neb. (WOWT) -- The legal system in Douglas County is taking a new

approach when it comes to keeping inmates from ever returning to prison. The defendants

all have something in common: they are veterans.

Douglas County District Court Judge Mark Ashford oversees the courtroom proceedings

twice a month.

Since November, 15 veterans have admitted guilt to their respective felonies and have been

recommended to take part in Veterans Treatment Court.

Here, it’s not about punishment, but second chances.

. . . “They do get special treatment here,” said Judge Ashford. “There’s no question about

that. In my opinion, they are a special class in this country. And the reason for that is now

we have a volunteer army, these are the folks who are willing to sign their name on the

dotted line to give up their lives for the rest of us.”

TX: Veterans treatment program to expand into Starr County http://bit.ly/2vJVp9g

RIO GRANDE CITY – Veterans who have found themselves in trouble with the law will have

a new recourse through a veterans treatment program that will be expanding into Starr

County.

County commissioners authorized their two judicial districts, the 229th and 381st, to join

the Webb County Veterans Treatment Program, a voluntary three-phased program which

identifies veterans who have criminal cases and provides them with counseling for

substance abuse and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

“If they meet and agree to certain requirements, they are pulled out of the regular dockets

and placed into an intense program through this veterans treatment program,” County

Attorney Victor Canales told the commissioners on Monday. “They check in with them on a

weekly basis and if they’re successful, after 18 months they are released from their

prosecution often times.”

The program was created in Webb County in 2013 and was recently awarded a grant from

the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration totaling nearly $1 million to

expand services, the San Antonio Express-News reported in April.

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The hope is to create a regional treatment court program, Canales said. Jim Hogg County

Commissioners also considered whether to join the program during their regular meeting on

Monday, according to the meeting agenda, with the expectation that Duval and Zapata

County will follow suit.

Additional resources from my blog

1. LIST OF NATIONAL AND STATE LEGAL ASSISTANCE RESOURCES FOR VETERANS http://bit.ly/19DC5zu

2. U.S. VETERANS TREATMENT COURTS LOCATIONS http://bit.ly/1Lf1VX5

PTS/TBI/MST 5 Symptoms Of PTSD After Brain Injury http://bit.ly/2vJVsSF

. . . While I am not a therapist, I have found five common symptoms that I—and my fellow

TBI survivors— have experienced.

1. Anxiety at the scene of the initial accident. I am almost three years out from my

accident and I still have a hard time walking down that same driveway, even on a

dry, sunny summer day. Once snow and ice cover it, I actually cry when I have to

walk down it and I become paralyzed with fear.

2. Fear of hurting oneself again. I go through periods of time where I have an

irrational fear of accidentally hurting myself again (not just from a fall in the

driveway). These thoughts usually creep in as our temperatures start to drop and the

threat of snow and ice comes into the forecast. I worry about hitting my head on the

cupboard, or of being in a car accident, or any other scenario my brain works up.

3. Flashbacks or nightmares. In the beginning I regularly had flashbacks of my fall.

They have subsided, but still surface when we start to get ice and snow. I notice I

also have more nightmares during this time of year, and they mostly involve getting

hurt. I occasionally startle myself awake when I hear my skull impacting with the

pavement.

4. Difficulty talking about the traumatic event. Early on I had a very hard time

opening up about my accident, but have since found it quite therapeutic to write and

speak about it—and I know that I am helping others through my work. Many

survivors find that those who have not experienced a brain injury or any form of

anxiety just simply can’t understand what we are dealing with, and will often dismiss

our feelings, which certainly causes even more anxiety.

5. Self-Isolation. Because many survivors feel misunderstood, we choose not to

attend social gatherings. I also find I don’t want to leave the comfort of my home

when there is ice and snow covering the sidewalks and roads. It is as if we go into

self-protection mode…and hibernate.

After N.F.L. Concussion Settlement, Feeding Frenzy of Lawyers and Lenders http://nyti.ms/2vMyFp8

The sales pitches were filled with urgency and emphasized familiarity. Act now or risk

missing out on millions of dollars. Trust us because we are part of the “N.F.L. brotherhood.”

“You have nothing to lose,” a former N.F.L. quarterback implored in one, “but money you’re

entitled to and that you earned the hard way.”

The pleadings are aimed at former N.F.L. players who stand to receive checks from the

largest legal settlement in sports history, a pool of money that may top $1 billion for

retirees who sued the league for lying to them about the dangers of concussions as they got

their heads pounded on the field.

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Research: EEG and fMRI May Detect Consciousness in Patients With Acute, Severe TBI http://bit.ly/2vNv2zv

Summary: Providing patients with acute TBI access to early fMRI and EEG testing will allow

medical professionals greater ability to detect levels of consciousness. A new Brain study

reports bedside exams may miss critical information about neurophysiological damage.

Source: Mass General.

Massachusetts General study the first to search for covert consciousness in ICU patients.

Additional resources from my blog

RESURRECTING LIVES FOUNDATION http://bit.ly/1R9toOV

EVENTS FOR VETERANS & VETERAN SERVICE PROVIDERS http://bit.ly/1Gg1nOi

SUICIDE

SPRC: The Weekly Spark http://bit.ly/2uQMVAT Suicidal Ideation and Behavior among Young Adults

MICHIGAN: Online Screening Helps Michigan Men Gauge Mental Health

UNITED KINGDOM: British Samaritans Train 15,000 Railway Staff in Suicide Prevention

INTERNATIONAL: Lack of Follow-Up Visits a Factor in Increase in Suicide Rates, Study

Shows

Assessment of Suicidal Ideation and Behavior: Report of the International Society for

CNS Clinical Trials and Methodology Consensus Meeting

Suicide Postvention: The Role of the School Community After a Suicide

Developing Successful and Positive Suicide Prevention Messaging – Planning Ahead for

Suicide Prevention Month

ADDITIONAL MENTAL HEALTH NEWS IS POSTED IN THE SECTIONS BELOW.

COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES

Website helps military and veterans get a handle on college costs http://bit.ly/2uQMx5z The Veterans Affairs (VA) website has a good tool for determining school costs at most

colleges and universities.

The website is called the GI Bill Comparison Tool at www.vets.gov/gi-bill-comparison-tool.

The site is available for everyone to use. It provides an annual cost for tuition, gives a

benchmark of living costs and for veterans it provides the actual living stipend paid per

semester or quarter.

The website provides other useful information such as the number of students currently

enrolled using the GI Bill, retention rates, graduation rates, average salaries, the presence

of a student veterans group, and even the number of veteran complaints. Veterans can

tailor the data to show what their educational specific GI Bill plan will cover and how much

they will receive if they attend online.

Boston University: Walmart Donates $469,000 to the Women Veteran’s Network http://bit.ly/2uQRQlE

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A major grant in the amount of $469,000 from the Walmart Foundation will fund the first 15

months of a program organized by two Boston University (BU) School of Medicine associate

professors of psychiatry.

The goal of the program, called the Women Veteran’s Network (WoVeN), is to help female

vets more successfully reintegrate into civilian life that will bring together women veterans

for learning, conversation, and mutual support.

University of Birmingham Research: New biomarker shows promise for pitch (playing field) -side brain injury test http://bit.ly/2vLUuVS

Researchers at the University of Birmingham have identified inflammatory biomarkers which

indicate whether the brain has suffered injury.

The team, led by Professor Antonio Belli, at the University’s College of Medical and Dental

Sciences, now hopes to use these new biomarkers to develop a test which can be used on

the side of a sports pitch or by paramedics to detect brain injury at the scene of an incident.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Research: When your body becomes eligible for an upgrade http://bbc.in/2vMq1ax

We all like to joke about what might happen if robots, powered by artificial intelligence,

decide they want to overthrow humans.

That scenario is, at best, decades away. But this week I’ve been pondering something much

more immediate, and in my view, more likely. What will happen when humans decide to

become robots?

"We’re at a key transition in human history,” says Prof Hugh Herr, who heads

the Biomechatronics Group at the famed Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

He says the group’s aim is to establish the scientific and technological conditions that will

eventually eliminate disability, whether through paralysis or amputation.

But when that incredible goal has been achieved, then what?

"We’re fusing the nervous system with the built world,” he says.

"We’re transitioning from a relationship where we use technology that is separate from our

nervous system, to a new epoch of integration, of human physiology."

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Research: The Emerging Science of Computational Psychiatry http://bit.ly/2vNraP2

Machine learning, data mining, and artificial intelligence are revolutionizing the study and

understanding of mental illness.

Psychiatry, the study and prevention of mental disorders, is currently undergoing a quiet

revolution. For decades, even centuries, this discipline has been based largely on subjective

observation. Large-scale studies have been hampered by the difficulty of objectively

assessing human behavior and comparing it with a well-established norm. Just as tricky,

there are few well-founded models of neural circuitry or brain biochemistry, and it is difficult

to link this science with real-world behavior.

That has begun to change thanks to the emerging discipline of computational psychiatry,

which uses powerful data analysis, machine learning, and artificial intelligence to tease

apart the underlying factors behind extreme and unusual behaviors.

Computational psychiatry has suddenly made it possible to mine data from long-standing

observations and link it to mathematical theories of cognition. It’s also become possible to

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develop computer-based experiments that carefully control environments so that specific

behaviors can be studied in detail.

University of Nevada, Las Vegas: At UNLV job fair, veterans look for second chance http://bit.ly/2vOcqiR

. . . Work for Warriors Nevada was just one of the veterans service agencies and employers

taking part in the Veteran and Family Career Fair and Workshop. U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez

Masto partnered with the UNLV Military and Veterans Services Center to host the

semiannual event.

Employers including state agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security and

private companies such as Northwestern Mutual set up booths to answer questions and

distribute job applications to inquiring veterans.

Down the hall, a variety of career-focused workshops offered information and tips for job

seekers.

Texas A&M University: Texas A&M bootcamp helps veterans launch new businesses http://bit.ly/2vO4rSP

Ten years ago, the Texas A&M Mays Business School started the Entrepreneurship

Bootcamp for Veterans. The intensive educational and networking program, free for a select

group of veterans across the country, had its largest class this year, and on Saturday, the

24 participants -- who each developed intricate plans for successful businesses -- presented

their ideas.

"This is the largest class we've ever had," said Blake Petty, director of the Texas A&M

Center for New Ventures and Entrepreneurship. "They would say they're the best class ever.

But most importantly, we have an underwriter this year. Reynolds and Reynolds' corporate

office has underwritten this program so that we can have EBV every year."

Petty explained that it costs the university, partners and donors $5,000 to sponsor each

participant. With this new partnership, Mays Business School can guarantee the

continuation of the program for years to come.

Petty noted the bootcamp can be extremely beneficial for participants, as most service

members transitioning out of the military don't have the same training and opportunities as

civilians to create and manage a business of their own.

University of Texas San Antonio: UT Health S.A. launches programs to help veterans, military caregivers http://bit.ly/2uTJ9a3

SAN ANTONIO - This Independence Day week, UT Health San Antonio is announcing two

major initiatives that will help both veterans and their caregivers get counseling and other

services they may need.

According to some studies, up to 15 percent of service members who return from

deployments to Iraq or Afghanistan are diagnosed with some form of Post Traumatic Stress

Disorder.

PTSD has affected hundreds of thousands of veterans since 9/11. All too often, these

veterans aren't able to get the help they need simply because they don't have access to

military-trained providers, and many civilian psychologists aren't trained in dealing with

combat-related PTSD.

"The problem is many of our patients are going to be seen in the civilian setting. To date,

there's been very limited programs to train our civilian providers," said Dr. Alan Peterson,

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director of Strong Star, a nationwide research consortium that looks into PTSD-related

issues.

UT Health San Antonio and Strong Star are launching a program that will train 200 civilian

mental health providers across Texas who will commit to treat at least five veterans the first

year. The program will benefit at least 1000 veterans across the state.

"The majority of veterans that are out there actually probably need to be seen by a civilian

provider," said Peterson.

The training initiative is being funded by a grant from the Texas Health and Human Services

Commission and a grant from the Bob Woodruff Foundation.

If you are a civilian mental health provider interested in getting training to help veterans

dealing with PTSD, you can register for the training at www.strongstartraining.org and email

training@strongstar.org for more information.

Another group of psychologists from UT Health San Antonio are preparing to embark on

their own pilot program for what they call the "hidden heroes" in our military. The program

will provide "telehealth" counseling online for twelve weeks to 50 military caregivers across

the state.

"These caregivers are juggling the medical and psychiatric needs of our wounded and ill

vetearns. They're dealing with a lot of feelings of grief," said Dawn Velligan, a psychologist

with UT Health San Antonio.

The pilot program is being funded by USAA. If you are a military caregiver interested in

joining the twelve-week program, you can contact Cynthia Sierra at sierrac@uthscsa.edu or

call 210 562 5215.

William & Mary Law School: ONLINE CERTIFICATE IN MILITARY AND VETERANS HEALTH, POLICY AND ADVOCACY, First Classes start August 21st http://conta.cc/2s6r07L

William & Mary Law School's Lewis B. Puller, Jr. Veterans Benefits Clinic is now offering the

first-of-its-kind online Certificate in Military and Veterans Health, Policy and Advocacy

(MVHPA), and is currently accepting registrations for its inaugural classes in 2017-2018.

The curriculum can be helpful to a variety of individuals, including attorneys, advocates, law

students, veterans, service members, transition personnel, legal officers, veteran services

officers, family members and caregivers. There is a discount for veterans and active duty

service members.

Benefits of the Certificate:

Learn from William & Mary Law School experts about the legal and psychological

challenges facing service members and veterans today, and how to help them as a

volunteer, or in veteran-serving employment.

Develop persuasive writing skills in order to effectively advocate for service members

and veterans in the disability and discharge upgrade systems.

Gain the necessary knowledge and skills, and the education required, for accreditation

by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), in order to successfully represent veterans

in the disability compensation process.

Obtain a distinguishing credential demonstrating intensive training in veterans benefits

law, skill in persuasive advocacy, knowledge of separations and discharges and how to

address them, legislative policy work, and the psychological challenges our service

members and veterans face.

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GENERAL NEWS EVENT: The American Legion Conference For Women, Reno, NV, August 21st http://bit.ly/2uQLliu

The American Legion will hold it’s 99th Annual National Convention in Reno, Nevada,

August 2017. Please join us at The Conference For Women; developed by women who

have discovered the keys to success-presented by women who will inspire and

invigorate you-and designed with your success in mind:

Career coaching/mentorship

Financial literacy

Professional growth and development

And more!

Mayo Clinic Begins Launch of $1.5B Integrated Epic EHR System http://bit.ly/2vMnDQR

Mayo Clinic is set to begin transitioning its Wisconsin sites to a single integrated Epic EHR

system as part of billion-dollar project.

July 14, 2017 - Mayo Clinic recently started work on launching a $1.5-billion project to

integrate all of its patient health records into a single Epic EHR.

The healthcare organization contracted Epic Systems to provide a single system to house

more than 200,000 patient health records for sites in Wisconsin cities including La Crosse,

Onalaska, Prairie du Chien, and Sparta.

"For Mayo Clinic, this is absolutely a huge milestone,” Regional Vice President for Mayo

Clinic Health System Timothy Johnson, MD, told The Post-Bulletin. “This is the first

implementation of us all being on a single electronic record system. While it is the historical

record, it is also the workhorse. All of our workflows center around the movement of

information, whether it's a prescription or ordering a lab or getting a result back to the right

person.”

Vets-2-Chefs program inspires Suncoast veterans to test their skills in the kitchen http://bit.ly/2uReiL4

SARASOTA CO., FL (WWSB) - A chef training program on the Suncoast is hoping to give

veterans who are struggling a fresh start.

. . . In 2012, Jacobs enrolled in USF Sarasota-Manatee's hospitality management program.

That's when his love for cooking took off.

He started the Vets-2-Chefs program in hopes of helping others just like him.

"When I got out, I had a little bit of a struggle, you know coming home," said veteran Beau

Highland.

"Depression, anxiety...I hadn't seen my family in like five years," added Collin Mapps.

Jacobs partnered with numerous organizations like Goodwill Manasota and USF SM's

culinary innovation lab to help veterans find a place and purpose after serving.

"I wrote a curriculum, I put this brain child together and was like what are the basic needs

and essentials of culinary? What is going to give them the best education the fastest to get

them the fastest job?" said Jacobs.

And the Vets-2-Chefs program is accomplishing just that.

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Canceled $30K wedding becomes dinner for Indiana homeless, veterans http://bit.ly/2vMgosh

INDIANAPOLIS — An Indiana woman didn't want her canceled $30,000 wedding to go to

waste, so she threw a dinner party for the homeless.

A bus pulled up to the swanky event center on Saturday that Sarah Cummins had booked

for the reception in Carmel, a suburb north of Indianapolis. About a dozen veterans from a

local organization were among the guests who dined on bourbon-glazed meatballs, roasted

garlic bruschetta and wedding cake.

Cummins told the Indianapolis Star that she and her fiance called off the wedding a week

ago. She declined to give a reason, but she said they were left with a nonrefundable

contract for the Ritz Charles in Carmel and a plated dinner for 170 guests.

"For me, it was an opportunity to let these people know they deserved to be at a place like

this just as much as everyone else does," Cummins said.

The Smartphone Psychiatrist http://theatln.tc/2vNtXb5 Frustrated by the failures in his field, Tom Insel, a former director of the National Institute

of Mental Health, is now trying to reduce the world’s anguish through the devices in people’s

pockets.

. . . Insel was in his mid-60s. Many people would have been thinking about retirement. But

five months later, he had traded a kingdom of some 3,000 NIMH-funded researchers for a

staff of one assistant, and he began working out of Google’s headquarters. He found in

California’s digital culture a freedom he could previously only dream of.

“We are wildly ambitious,” he says. Insel hopes to use data—especially the rich, ongoing

streams of data that a smartphone can provide—to detect a deteriorating state of mind

faster and more reliably than we can now, and then to respond and turn things around more

quickly. He believes a smartphone can be both a diagnostic instrument and, through the

links it gives us to others, a life-saving mode of connection and treatment.

At any given moment, roughly one in seven of the world’s 7.5 billion people is struggling

with mental illness. “We’re not going to reach all those people by hiring more psychiatrists,”

says Insel. But we might reach them with smartphones.

Already, some 5 billion people worldwide have mobile phones. By 2020, it’s expected that 6

billion will use smartphones with the capability of capturing mental-health data and apps

that can provide a form of treatment.

Insel wants to make those phones the central hub in a new way of delivering mental-health

care. Former longtime colleagues speak of him the way baseball players speak of an ace

pitcher who just signed with a rising franchise: I’m eager to see what he does.

Additional resources from my blog ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR SERVICE PROVIDERS http://bit.ly/1Gg21LH

EVENTS FOR VETERANS & VETERANS SERVICE PROVIDERS http://bit.ly/1Gg1nOi

VETERANS JOB LISTINGS AND HIRING FAIRS WEBSITES http://bit.ly/19Dz2ay NEWSLETTERS & BLOG FOR VETERANS http://bit.ly/1GQzKjf

"VETERANS IN JUSTICE" LinkedIn Professional Group (VIJ)

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Please join us on LinkedIn or Facebook for networking and discussions on the issues regarding

veterans in the criminal justice system. This group's mission is to connect professionals and

advocates who work with and for justice-involved veterans and to share ideas and practices for

assisting those veterans -- from the conditions that lead to justice involvement, through initial

police contact, arrest, criminal case processing, conviction, sentencing, incarceration, and

release. Access our group at http://linkd.in/1947vfS Facebook:

www.facebook.com/veteransinjustice

Join The National Discussion - 1,346 Professionals in VIJ Group

Active Topics

Webinar: New Research on Women Veterans and Intimate Partner Violence (Jul

27, 1-2:30PM Central)

New online tool helps veterans identify legal issues and take action to resolve them

Webcast -- A Guide to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) for Advocates: How to

Effectively Address PTSD in Matters Involving Veterans and Others Affected by Trauma

(9:00-12:30 Pacific, Jul 19th)

California bill would allow troops and vets to avoid conviction on DUI offenses

Pain Management and Opioid Use with Veterans and Service Members

PTSD/TBI and Discharges

Sexual Assaults in Military Drop, Reporting Goes Up, Annual Report Reveals

ADDRESSING THE FLOW OF VETERANS INTO PRISON

LINKEDIN GROUPS

Military and Veteran Benefit Forum Veteran Mentor Network http://linkd.in/1fOlgOt 28,933 members Institute for Veteran Cultural Studies http://linkd.in/1cz3gq1 NAMI http://linkd.in/1cz3Gg7 BI-IFEA (Brain injury-Ideas for Education & Advocacy) http://linkd.in/1cz4e5V Military-Civilian: Hot Jobs and Careers for Veterans and Their Families http://linkd.in/1c59DkM VETERANS IN JUSTICE GROUP http://linkd.in/12APdMS Cuyahoga County Ohio Veterans and Supporters (Bryan A. McGown "Gunny") http://linkd.in/Zxwx1f Veteran Employment Representatives http://linkd.in/ZxwUcc MILITARY MENTAL HEALTH DISORDERS POST DEPLOYMENT FOR PROVIDERS, COMBAT VETERANS & THEIR FAMILIES http://bit.ly/1RVPLFl Midwest Military Outreach, Inc. http://linkd.in/1eiMTkJ Military Veteran Job Fairs & Hiring Conferences http://linkd.in/Zxx4jS Wounded Warrior Resources http://linkd.in/17TMNhJ The Value of a Veteran http://linkd.in/15vD7H4 MILITARY MENTAL HEALTH DISORDERS POST DEPLOYMENT FOR PROVIDERS, COMBAT VETERANS & THEIR FAMILIES http://linkd.in/1fkQLA8 (Please email us other groups that you find and think would be informative and useful for our audience)

VETERANS IN THE COURTS INITIATIVE BLOG estrattonconsulting.wordpress.com

To focus this newsletter on veterans-related criminal justice and mental illness issues and to shorten it to a more

manageable size, we have moved our tables & lists of reference materials and other longer term information to retired Justice Stratton's blog. Please follow the links below for that information.

Operation Legal Help Ohio http://bit.ly/1Gg0HbK

National Legal Assistance http://bit.ly/19DC5zu

VA Town Halls & Events http://bit.ly/1Gg1DN6

Jobs & Hiring Fairs Listings http://bit.ly/19Dz2ay

Events: Conferences, Webinars, etc.

http://bit.ly/1Gg1nOi

Additional Resources http://bit.ly/1Gg21LH

Current Newsletter http://bit.ly/19ovER5

2015 Newsletters http://bit.ly/1FKASAC

Ohio Resources For Veterans http://bit.ly/19ouWn0

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Editor's Note: Thank you to all of the individuals and organizations that provide articles for these news clips

every week. I would especially like to thank and urge you to follow: Marco Bongioanni, MSE Readjustment Counseling Therapist, U.S. Army Veteran,Bronx Vet Center, Bronx, NY Lily Casura, journalist, author and founder of Healing Combat Trauma - the award-winning, first website to

address the issue of combat veterans and PTSD (established February 2006). Lily is also apublic policy grad student, IWMF grantee and NASW award winner.

U.S. Army Colonel (Ret.) Wayne Gatewood, of Quality Support Inc. Wayne disseminates a daily Veterans News e-mail to an international audience

Dr. Ingrid Herrera-Yee, Project Manager, Military Spouse Mental Health Pipeline, National Military Family Association. Dr. Herrera-Yee is currently a Board Member for the Association of the United States Army (AUSA), Military Spouses of Strength, Military Mental Health Project and the National Guard Suicide and Resiliency Council among others. She has also been a special contributor to NBC News, Military Times, Air Force Times, Military Spouse Magazine and BuzzFeed. She spends her free time mentoring spouses through eMentor and Joining Forces. Dr. Herrera-Yee received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and was a Clinical Fellow at Harvard University.

U.S. Army Colonel (Ret.) James Hutton, Dep Assistant Secretary (Acting), U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Col. US Army (Ret) - Iraq War Veteran.

Justice for Vets, Justice For Vets is a professional services division of the National Association of Drug Court professionals, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization based in Alexandria, VA. Justice for Vets believes that no veteran or military service member should suffer from gaps in service, or the judicial system when they return to their communities. As the stewards of the Veterans Treatment Court movement

Judge Ginger Lerner-Wren, Pioneer, America's first mental health court dedicated to the decriminalization of people with mental illness

Kathy Platoni, Psy.D., DAAPM, FAIS, Clinical Psychologist, COL (RET), US Army, COL. Ohio Militia, www.drplatoni.com, Veteran ~ Operation Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, (Joint Task Force Guantanamo Bay and Afghanistan), Co-Author and Co-Editor, Fort Hood Massacre Survivor, National Combat Trauma Expert

Mary Ellen Salzano, founder facilitator of the CA Statewide Collaborative for our Military and Families Patrick W. Welch, PhD, U.S. Marine Corps (Ret), Veterans Advocate & Educator, Buffalo Veterans Treatment

Court - Senior Mentor

HOW TO JOIN OUR NEWSLETTER There are three ways to join my newsletter:

Join my Veterans In The Courts Initiative Google Group at http://bit.ly/1DZ3esD or,

Subscribe to my Veterans In The Courts Initiative Blog for immediate news and for my weekly newsletter at http://bit.ly/1DP1TCi or,

Please contact my editor Pete Miller at cruzzen@gmail.com and request to be added. 1. Please send us a little info about yourselves as we like to introduce our new sign-ups to others for networking purposes. (See our transmittal email page for examples.) If you do NOT wish to be recognized, please let Pete know, otherwise we will list you. 2. We provide these news clips summaries as a way to share information of a general nature and it is not intended as a substitute for professional consultation and advice in a particular matter. The opinions and interpretations expressed within are those of the author of the individual news stories only and may not reflect those of other identified parties.

3. We do not guarantee the accuracy and completeness of these news clips, nor do we endorse or make any representations about their content. We only pass them through to our readers and rely on you to check out their content. We don't intend to make any editorial judgment about their content or politics. 4. In no event will I, EStratton Consulting, or my Editor Pete Miller, be liable for any damages whatsoever arising out of the use of or reliance on the contents of this news clips summary. How you chose to use them is strictly up to you. 5. Please feel free to pass the news clips on to any of your networks, so that we may get the word out as far as possible. You may also send in information similar in content to what we pass on. While we may occasionally pass on such information, we don't intend to promote commercial or for profit products nor be a substitute for your own efforts to promote your own entity or website. We especially welcome information about national funding or training opportunities. 6. If you pass on our clips, please also pass on our Disclaimer. EDITOR/CONTACT

Pete Miller, cruzzen@gmail.com, @OHCircuitRider

Ohio Attorney General's Task Force on Criminal Justice & Mental Illness

Veterans In The Courts Initiative

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Editor/Publisher - Veterans Treatment Court News Daily

Editor/Publisher - Traumatic Brain Injury News Daily