November 20, 2023
Natchaug Hospital is hosting Hartford HealthCare’s first-ever Military Mental Health Symposium on Dec. 1 to help support veterans and connect them to care. The symposium will be held in person at the HHC Eastern Region System Support Office, 11 Stott Ave., Norwich and also on Zoom. The event is open to HHC colleagues as well as the public, including military and civilian healthcare and behavioral health providers and community agencies. The symposium is important to Carla Schnitzlein, DO, medical director at Natchaug and one of the organizers, in part because of her experience as a military psychiatrist. “What I realized is that Connecticut has a very large veteran population, as well as a strong active military community,” she said. “Sometimes we are not always very aware of the life cycle of a military member, from active duty to veteran. And questions arise about how we can support these soldiers at different phases of their lives. According to Dr. Schnitzlein, health care providers are seeing challenges within the veteran community including post-traumatic stress disorder, substance use disorders and feelings of isolation that can lead to mental health problems. “We can see post-traumatic stress disorder in veterans who have served in various conflicts and operations,” she noted. “And many veterans are struggling with what we are seeing in the Middle East now, it may make them reflect on their time in this region. » One of the goals of the symposium would be to work on ways to help support veterans facing these issues and across the state, she said. “We are deeply committed to the health and well-being of the people who have sacrificed for this country, as well as the sacrifices of their families,” said James O’Dea, senior vice president of the Behavioral Health Network at Hartford HealthCare. What we can do to support this group of people who support us so much is something we are fully committed to. “We know that there are particular vulnerabilities for people in these roles, particularly around mental health and substance use issues and we want to ensure that we provide the opportunity to detect these issues as early as possible and provide appropriate treatments so that they do not develop into a more serious problem,” he added. Dr. Schnitzlein hopes this year’s event will be the first of many on the subject. The program of the day :
- 8:30 a.m.: Registration opens (coffee and buffet)
- 9 a.m.: Opening remarks, Dr. Carla Schnitzlein
- 9:10 a.m.: Soldier’s Story, Scott Hamby
- 9:30 a.m.: Behavioral Health and Fitness Standards in the U.S. Army, Dr. Moravecek
- 10:45 a.m.: The granddaughter who witnessed Normandy’s survival, Dr. Leah Russack-Baker
- 12:30 p.m.: Emergency treatment for suicidal ideation in military personnel, Dr. Vanessa Green
- 1:30 p.m.: Testimony from a member of a military family, Tessa Harrington
- 1:50 p.m.: Closing remarks, Tom King
Register for this event and find credit information at: https://hhchealth.cloud-cme.com/MilitaryMentalHealth_2023
Zoom link for the conference: https://hartfordhealthcare.zoom.us/j/92601584070
