Availability of Resources Causes Concern for Veteran Treatment Court Newcomer
Excitement quickly turned to concern as a newcomer settled into their position as the County Court Coordinator for Veterans Treatment Court.
Jeremy Damia realized how much more there was to know about the specific resources available to Veterans at the county, state and federal levels and he made it his mission to gain a better grasp on the wealth of resources to best serve those Veterans.
Representatives from the offices of the district attorney, public defenders, and probations, are members of the Delaware County Veterans Treatment Court. They review Veterans' cases and make recommendations to the judge on whether the Veteran should be referred for treatment.
Connecting Veterans to resources
As the treatment court coordinator, Damia oversees the treatment court team cases, runs the meetings, and coordinates the referrals for Veterans to treatment resources.
"I had a lot of questions about what went on here on the Coatesville VA campus because a lot of our Veterans in the court are service-connected and the resources they need and are ordered to get through the court are available here on this campus."
Damia asked fellow Treatment Court member Lily Thomas who is Coatesville VA Medical Center's Justice Outreach Coordinator for Delaware County and represents Coatesville VA on the team.
Treatment over jail time
Thomas scheduled a special session at the medical center to explain to Damia and help refresh the other team members about the health services Coatesville VA offers.
"I want everyone on the team to feel comfortable about making referrals because I am often asking them to allow a Veteran to access our health care services, they so desperately need in lieu of jail time."
Having a justice outreach coordinator from the VA on the team helps steer Veterans toward those resources when they are being processed.
"We're trying to provide treatment when it's needed for Veterans who have substance abuse disorders, PTSD or other mental health issues because we know statistically if you have a mental health disorder that you're more likely to become incarcerated."
An agenda for success
Thomas set an agenda loaded with Coatesville VA speakers to discuss intimate partner violence, suicide prevention, sexual trauma, and how they serve Veterans with substance abuse and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at a level of care dependent on the Veterans' needs. Referrals for services may be for outpatient or inpatient services, and residential rehabilitation and treatment programs.
As the orientation session progressed, understanding replaced Damia's concerns.
"I feel like I got a good overview of the Coatesville VA campus today. I don't know everything, but I know a lot, some of the terminology, some of the great things that are happening here. I'm very impressed with what goes on here."
Understanding the services available and how they benefit the Veteran is likely to lead to more referral recommendations from the Treatment Court to the judge and more Veterans getting the health care they need when they need it.
If you are a military Veteran in Crisis, service member, their family or caregiver, call the Veterans Crisis Line by dialing 988 then Press 1.