February 14, 2007

Suozzi Announces New Vet Center Aimed at Helping Returning Soldiers

-- Federally Funded Center to Provide Counseling for Vets Returning from Iraq and Afghanistan

Garden City, N.Y. - Nassau County Executive Thomas R. Suozzi, along with representatives from several veterans organizations, today announced plans for a new Vet Center in Nassau County, which will address the needs of veterans returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The center, funded entirely with federal dollars, will offer individual and group readjustment counseling, marital and family counseling, alcohol and drug education and referral, help in securing employment and education, as well as bereavement counseling for families who have lost loved ones.

The Vet Center will be the first of its kind to be located in Nassau County in recent times. There are an estimated 85,000 veterans in Nassau County, many with combat experience. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, 35 percent of returning veterans will seek some kind of mental health services. Nationwide, there have been 1.4 million deployments to Iraq or Afghanistan.

“We owe a great debt to our soldiers, and I am gratified that the federal government will help us start repaying that debt here in Nassau County,” said Suozzi. “Our returning soldiers gave their best and they deserve our best in return.”

The Suozzi administration’s Veterans Service Agency Director Edward Aulman worked closely with federal officials to convince the agency of the need for a Vets Center in Nassau County.

“Nassau County is uniquely qualified to support a Vet Center,” Aulman said. “Not only do we have a large number of combat veterans from World War II to the present, but our veterans are united in ways that will guarantee the success of a Vet Center. We have 55 American Legion Posts, 35 VFW Posts, 30 other veterans organizations, newspaper columns and a United Veterans Association Television Program all ready to spread the word about the new Vet Center to our returning service men and women.”

Some 17% of returning combat veterans show symptoms that, if left untreated, can lead to post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to reports by the Department of Defense and other federal agencies. The aim of the Vet Center is to address these symptoms early, allowing for a more successful re-entry into civilian life. Thousands of Nassau County residents have served in Iraq and Afghanistan, many on multiple tours.

The County is working with the federal Department of Veterans Affairs to secure the best location for the Nassau County Vet Center, one of 23 new sites nationwide to be opened by the VA. Two other vet centers are scheduled to open elsewhere in New York State.

“Our vet centers lead the world in helping combat veterans successfully readjust to life at home,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jim Nicholson. “It’s an important service which combat veterans have earned. VA continues to expand into communities with our vet centers to bring our services closer to the veterans who need them.”