The Nebraska Association of Local Health Directors VetSET Nebraska project, in partnership with The Brain Injury Association of Nebraska, is coordinating 5 No Wrong Door training and networking events across the state. It will be held in Scottsbluff on July 21at the Harms Center from 8:00 to 5:00 and is made possible locallythrough efforts of Panhandle and Scotts Bluff Public Health VetSET program and WNCC’s Veterans UpwardBound Program. Registration is $50 with $25 reimbursed if you register by July 16 and attend the conference. There are 8 nursing CEU’s available and contact hours for other professionals.
No Wrong Door trainings have been developed by the multi-disciplinary Veteran’s Brain Injury Task Force over the past several years to give community members from a range of professions and organizations information to better serve the veterans and their families in their communities. In this one-day training, participants will hear from veterans and their families, as well as experts in the field, to learn about military culture, how military experiences, PTSD, and Brain Injury influence the emotions and behaviors of military members and their families, and available resources and support through the VA and other organizations. Additionally, they will connect with others in their communities who have the same goal.
Invited to attend are professionals and community members who have contact with or work with returning service members or veterans. WNCC’s Veterans Upward Bound Assistant Director, Chris Wolf, encourages those in the community who have not traditionally worked with veterans to attend. “We especially want to make sure that folks who might not think their work relates to Veterans know that these trainings are coming up andthat there really is value for everyone… teachers, principals, health professionals, county clerks, clergy, employers, law enforcement… etc. It’s a great way to network with a cross-section of our communities toward a common goal.”
The training makes service members more visible to community providers, says Kendra Lauruhn, Air Force Veteran and local VetSET Coordinator. “At our last training, we asked participants if they served military members. Just over a third of them didn’t think they did. When we followed up with them after the training, they reported more frequent interactions with Veterans and their families in their day-to-day business.”
The training isn’t new. It began in 2009 when the Veterans Brain Injury Task Force, led by the Brain Injury Association of Nebraska, recognized that service members and veterans were returning to communities that had limited knowledge of the invisible wounds of war, brain injury and PTSD. “We designed a two day workshop targeted for health care professionals,” says Peggy Reisher, Executive Director of the Brain Injury Association of Nebraska. “Over the years, it has evolved into a one-day event that includes a broader group of community members and providers. To date, over 1400 individuals across Nebraska have attended the trainings and the feedback we get from those attending the trainings continues to indicate that participants value the information and opportunity to network.”
Those who are interested can visit http://nalhd.org/nwd.html for more information or to register.
Some Quotes from previous attendees:
“At first I didn’t think this training was going to be relevant to me. I just don’t think of myself as working with soldiers. No Wrong Door made me realize that I am in constant contact with them. If I don’t ask the right questions, they and their families fall through the cracks.”
“One of the presenters talked about how military families are invisible. They’re right. I had never thought about the needs of military families in my school – or even that they were there.”
“The panel of veterans was the best thing I ever heard. It was very interesting to hear first-hand accounts from actual veterans and their families.”
“I knew a little bit about how PTSD and TBI affect Vets, but I didn’t realize how much it affects the entire family. I walked away with so many resources – websites, services, and connections I never knew were there.”
Those who are interested can visit http://nalhd.org/nwd.html for more information or to register.