The Veterans Administration is trying to reach American Indianveterans in their own communities to let them know about an array ofservices and benefits available, from health care and mental healthservices to telemedicine programs.
'One of our highest priorities is Native American veterans,' saidJames R. Floyd, director of the VA Salt Lake City Health CareSystem, during the Region 8 Tribal Consultation Session held at theHuntsman Cancer Institute on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The gathering included tribal representatives from Utah,Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming and Montana, as wellas officials from various state and federal health and humanservices programs.
Floyd said the VA earned a poor reputation among Native Americansin the Vietnam era.
'The VA is kind of the last place they want to go,' he said. 'Wemade them feel that way.'
But those perceptions are changing through face-to-face outreachefforts and programs that take services to the veterans, rather thanforcing veterans to leave rural communities to come to the programs.
Efforts include tele-health programs and outreach volunteers whoare tribal members trained to help others in the tribes get health,education and other benefits they're entitled to because of theirmilitary service.
The progress began with listening, said W.J. 'Buck' Richardson,Minority Veterans Program coordinator in the VA's Rocky MountainHealth Care Network. He and Floyd attended a meeting with NativeAmerican veterans several years ago, where 'for a day and a half,they let us know how they felt.' It was rough, but they went backfor more and eventually earned some trust, he said.
Effort has led to formation of a program that trains NativeAmerican representatives to help the veterans deal with bureaucracyand learn what they're entitled to and how to get it, Richardsonsaid. The representatives are volunteers, and there are now 125trained in 15 states, which include 23 American Indian nations. Mostof the volunteers themselves saw combat in a variety of wars.
The VA also employs tribal outreach workers, who are localveterans who work about 10 hours a week for the VA on outreach.
The goal, said Floyd, is to reach veterans who are in crisis.
E-mail: lois@desnews.com
