http://vawatchdog.org/07/nf07/nfJUN07/nf061707-1.htmhttp://www.defenselink.mil/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=11015IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 749-07
June 15, 2007
DoD Receives Mental Health Task Force Results
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates received the Department of Defense Task Force on Mental Health results and forwarded them to the Congress on June 14. The department will have six months to develop and implement a corrective action plan.
“This report points to significant shortfalls in achieving goals and taking care of our service members and their families,” said Dr. S. Ward Casscells, assistant secretary of defense for health affairs. “We will continue to address the need for mental health care in order to reinforce our commitment to providing the best care in the world to our service members and their families who deserve no less.”
Significant findings include:
* Mental health care stigma remains pervasive and is a significant barrier to care.
* Mental health professionals are not sufficiently accessible to service members and their families.
* There are significant gaps in the continuum of care for psychological health.
* The military system does not have enough resources, funding or personnel to adequately support the psychological health of service members and their families in peace and during conflict.
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