Are you a service member, veteran, or military family member (SMVF) who needs help and doesn’t know where to go? Are you a community provider who wants to do more to help the SMVFs in our state? Are you a clinician who wants to be better informed about the physical and mental health challenges faced by our soldiers? Help with these and other questions can be found at the Ask the Question website (askthequestionnh.com). Take some time to peruse the site- developed as part of DHHS’s Ask the Question outreach and awareness initiative- and find some help today!

The site’s resource page contains information and links to everything from a comprehensive resource list (excerpted below) and VA FAQs, to educational material on Stigma, BATTLEMIND, and the Invisible Wounds of War, and includes tools for community providers and clinicians who want to better serve our heroes . . . plus more! Read More

Letter to the Editor — For more than 80 years, Easterseals NH has had a proud tradition of providing services to those in need. From birth to end of life programs Easterseals provides services for the full lifespan. Ranging from Early Supports & Services and our Child Development Centers to Community Based services for young adults and our Seniors Program, we are here for whatever you need. In addition, Easterseals has also been on the forefront of issues relating to substance misuse treatment and Military & Veterans Services.

For more than 10 years, our Military & Veterans Services Program (M&VS) has provided services to nearly 12,000 veterans, services members and their families. Through a one-of-a-kind Care Coordination model, individuals have received the help they need for challenges including suicide prevention, employment, homelessness, substance misuse treatment, transportation, legal concerns, and mental health issues resulting from post-traumatic stress and/or traumatic brain injury. Read More

The 2018 Suicide Data Report released by the US Department of Veterans Affair’s Office of Suicide Prevention showed that across the country, the suicide rates increased for both Veterans and non-Veterans, underscoring the fact that suicide is a national public health concern that affects people everywhere. The average number of Veterans who died by suicide each day remained unchanged at 20.

Learn to Recognize the Signs

Not all veterans in crisis will show signs of intent to harm themselves, but some will show signs of depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, and/or hopelessness, such as:

• Appearing sad or depressed most of the time
• Feeling anxious, agitated, or having trouble with sleeping/sleeping all the time
• Neglecting personal welfare, deteriorating physical appearance
• Withdrawing from friends, family, and society
• Losing interest in hobbies, work, school, or other things one used to care about
• Frequent and dramatic mood changes
• Feelings of excessive guilt or shame
• Feelings of failure or decreased performance
• Feeling that life is not worth living, having no sense of purpose
• Feeling trapped/desperate—like there is no way out of a situation, no solution

Read More

We wrapped up Beards, Beers and Battle Scars today! Over $3,000 was raised for veterans, service members and their families! Congrats to Dan F., our Fan Favorite! Thanks to all the participants, voters, supporters, Off Colored Discussions Podcast, Bearded Sinners Beard Club of New Hampshire, and Able Ebenezer Brewing Company!

NH’s service members and veterans have all pledged to put their life on the line for our nation. Military life involves many sacrifices that can create immediate and long-term challenges for veterans and their families. Easterseals Military & Veterans Services’ Care Coordinators stand ready when a service member, veteran, or military family encounters challenges.

Easterseals NH offers Care Coordination to veterans of all eras – from World War II veterans to those who are currently serving. Services are free, confidential, and provided locally – in the veteran’s home or other convenient location. Care Coordinators are community caseworkers with extensive training in military culture.  Their job is to do whatever it takes to help service members, veterans, and their families thrive. Care Coordinators help those in crisis situations, and are also available to help families plan ahead and avoid problems when facing life changes and challenges.  Read More

Easterseals NH Military & Veterans Services has received a $15,000 grant from the TD Charitable Foundation, the charitable giving arm of TD Bank America’s Most Convenient Bank® to help provide a safety net of critical case management and emergency assistance to meet the unexpected crises of veterans, service members and their families. Read More

17 teams gather in mid-June at Abenaqui Country Club for the The Guyton Group Golf Tournament raising more than $14,500 for Veterans Count! We look forward to next year’s tournament on June 10! View photos here.

The Telegraph — U.S. Reps. Annie Kuster and Carol Shea-Porter, both D-N.H., on Friday announced a $206,000 Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program grant for Easterseals New Hampshire.

The grant comes from the U.S. Department of Labor and will help local agencies or nonprofits, such as Easterseals, provide occupational skills, apprenticeship opportunities, on-the-job training and job search placement assistance.

This endeavor is the only federal program specifically focused on providing employment services to homeless veterans.

“No veteran should live without secure housing, and empowering veterans to access stable employment is critical to addressing veteran homelessness,” Kuster said. “Easterseals does incredible work to help veterans who are struggling, and this grant will further support their efforts. Our men and women who have served in uniform sacrificed so much for us, and it’s critical that we provide comprehensive support for them as they reintegrate into civilian life, including skills training and apprenticeship programs. As a member of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, I’ll continue to fight to enhance and expand services for our men and women who have served in uniform.” Read More

Bellavance Beverage Co., donated a percentage of  each case of Budweiser sold in the month of June, and presented a check for $5,005 to Veterans Count on July 2, at a Nashua Silver Knights baseball game.

Portsmouth Herald — With the firing of the gun to kick off the sixth annual Pack and Boots 5K Road Race on July 4 in Portsmouth, some in attendance will reflect on much more than who will “win.”

“Honestly, many of our veterans have not received the recognition and care they deserve,” said David Hampson, who chairs the volunteer committee that plans the event. “At various times in our nation’s history, veterans have returned home to not only be shunned, but denied access to needed medical services and that isn’t right.”

Rick Courtemanche, who served in Vietnam and sits on the race committee, agrees with Hampson and shared his own experience when he returned home.

“There were no parades, no one to greet us at the airport, and a lot of people who just were tired of seeing the war in their living rooms each night,” he said.

Noting they were in combat one day and on a plane home the next, he said they returned to the States with protests and protesters at airports.

“One day, you were proud to be in uniform,” he said. “The next, you couldn’t wait to take it off.” Read More