How Providers Can Improve Care for Reserve Component Members

By Jayne Davis, DCoE Strategic Communications

Have you ever tried to communicate with a person who speaks a different language? No matter how clearly, or slowly, you speak, the other person just doesn’t seem to understand you. This sometimes happens when military culture and language collide with civilian providers, as when reserve component members seek behavioral health care post-deployment.

Reserve component members often choose civilian health care providers because they may not be able to access services from the Defense Department or the Department of Veterans Affairs for psychological health care and substance abuse treatment.

“When they do [visit civilian providers], what commonly occurs is they voice military references and acronyms in an effort to relate whatever concerns brought them there, which they may not understand themselves, to someone with no understanding of military culture,” said Master Sgt. Stephanie Weaver, National Guard counterdrug liaison, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA).

Weaver is a proponent of what's called “military cultural competence,” a kind of peer support effort to better understand reserve component military culture. According to Weaver, knowing how to communicate in the same language makes it easier to talk about difficult issues and experiences with reintegration. This leads to effective care and more recovery options.

Since 2001, more than 2.2 million service members have deployed, with nearly 40 percent coming from the National Guard and reserves. Because of their unique civilian and military responsibilities, more should be done to help this community.

“Reserve component members are not routinely attached to a base or post and therefore their reintegration period is far shorter than active-duty service members,” said Air Force Col. Christopher Robinson, DCoE deputy director for psychological health. “Also, they’re not apt to be as plugged in to reintegration and transition resources available to all service members, so that’s where DCoE’s online resources can really help.”

Here are some ways civilian providers can improve their military cultural competence:

■Operation Immersion: This military culture immersion program for behavioral health care providers seeks to reduce stigma and substance use disorders. SAMHSA and the Tennessee National Guard serve as two of the co-hosts for the training.

■Military Cultural Competence online course: Center for Deployment Psychology, a DCoE component center, provides this training to help civilian mental health care providers communicate more effectively with service members and their families.

There are additional resources reserve component members can use to improve their reintegration experiences:

■Real Warriors Campaign articles for reserve component members

■Mobile apps: PTSD Coach and Mild TBI Pocket Guide

■SAMHSA Treatment Locator

■Yellow Ribbon Program

■Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve

■Joint Family Support Assistance Program for geographically dispersed military families

■afterdeployment.org

■National Center for Telehealth and Technology, a DCoE component center, just held its first live workshop on how providers can offer mental health care services through videoconference.

Have you found additional resources helpful? Please share them here.

This Day in Naval History - July 26

From the Navy News Service

1812 - Frigate Essex captures British brig Leander.

1912 - First airborne radio communications from naval aircraft to ship (Lt. John Rodgers to USS Stringham).

1942 - Capt. Joy Bright Hancock appointed director, Women's Naval Reserve.

1948 - President Harry S. Truman orders desegregation of the Armed Services.

1954 - Three aircraft from USS Philippine Sea (CVA 47) shoot down two Chinese fighters that fired on them while they were providing air cover for rescue operations for a U.K. airliner shot down by a Chinese aircraft.

Bethesda Leadership Talks with Residents About Upcoming Integration

By Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Dion Dawson, National Naval Medical Center Public Affairs

BETHESDA, Md. (NNS) -- The commanding officer and barracks staff at Naval Support Activity Bethesda (NSAB) held a town hall meeting July 13 to inform residents about how the upcoming integration with Walter Reed Army Medical Center will affect them.

"To prepare for the integration, we have consolidated the rooms," said Chief Culinary Specialist Sarmaine Johnson, Command Senior Enlisted Leader for NSAB. "We are also continuing to ensure basic functions of the rooms are in order."

The mission of the meeting was to inform residents of provisions offered in the wounded warrior barracks and to answer questions from permanent residents.

"There will be some things offered in the wounded warrior barracks that won't be offered in the permanent party barracks," said Johnson.

For example, each suite in tranquility hall will have a washer and dryer and each room will include a computer.

"The reasoning for all of this has to be understood. We don't want any building to feel slighted because of the services offered," said Johnson. "There needs to be some sort of unit cohesion that takes place to continue the success of the integration."

One of the primary missions of the barracks staff is to support the junior enlisted personnel living in the bachelor enlisted quarters (BEQ), providing leadership and supporting their endeavors.

"It's very important that we give 100 percent and show the hard work and care we put forth every day. Right now, we are in the process of assigning the rooms to the staff that's coming over from Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC), so that when they arrive, they can give us their name, collect their room key and go to their new room," Johnson said.

BEQ staff members have noted the satisfied residents stopping by the help desk frequently with compliments.

"I love the barracks. Whenever I have a problem, whether it's with my room or with anything else in the building, I am taken care of every time with quality service and respect," said Hospitalman Joey Gant. "I can sleep better at night because I know now that this is my home."

Vice Chairman: Future of Military Transformation Depends on Service Integration

By Tech. Sgt. Adam M. Stump, USAF
Special to American Forces Press Service

April 18, 2007 – Integration between services and becoming part of the joint community are vital to the U.S. military's ability to transform, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told members of Submarine Group Two and students at the submarine school here yesterday. Integrating the deterrent capability of submarines into the future is important for the nation and in addition, there are operational and tactical reasons for having a vibrant and viable submarine force, Navy Adm. Edmund P. Giambastiani said.

"The ability to collect intelligence, to surveil and to do reconnaissance are so important," he said. "These have been characteristics that have been around for a long time. They will remain around for a very long time. You would be amazed at the importance that these bring within the joint community."

Members of the joint community rely on other services to provide information critical to accomplishing the mission, he said.

"A joint officer who goes out and commands somewhere does not care where he gets the intelligence from," Giambastiani said. "All the joint officer cares about is getting it on time, when he needs it, and accurately to support what he does."

This attitude toward mission accomplishment is a change from the way operations were conducted 20 years ago, Giambastiani noted.

"In the Cold War, we in the submarine force and submarine community did everything in our power not to communicate with other people," he said. "As long as we had the information coming to our submarines, we were happy. That's just the way it was. We focused our attention on not allowing other people to talk with us other than to provide us information."

Giambastiani said that senior leaders in the submarine community realized that mindset had to change. One example of that was a high-speed satellite antenna, which evolved into a tri-band satellite antenna on submarines. Giambastiani and others worked to develop this technology in the early 1990s.

Giambastiani challenged the leaders here with a thought-provoking question about joint operations and how they could impact future generations.

"One of the questions for you as an organization and for you as leaders is, 'What are you doing to think ahead? How you can bring additional capability?'" he said.

(Air Force Tech. Sgt. Adam M. Stump is assigned to the Joint Staff public affairs office.)

Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.