Children Of Vietnam Veterans Health Alliance

AGENT ORANGE DARK MATTERS TWISTED BUT TRUE

AGENT ORANGE – The Accidental Inventor – VIDEO

On April 19, 2013 By Children Of Vietnam Veterans Health Alliance

Dark Matters Season 3 Episode 1, Agent Orange – The Accidental Inventor
Synopsis: A chemical that speeds up the flowering process in soybeans turns into a weapon during Vietnam.
Original air date: November 22, 2012

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tw8OS925lUY

Dark Matters: Twisted But True is a television series featured on the Science Channel. Hosted by actor John Noble of Fringe and Lord of the Rings, the show takes the viewer inside the laboratory to profile strange science and expose some of history’s most bizarre experiments. This show uses narration and reenactments to portray the stories in this show

Vietnam War Era Music Columbia Music Historian Compiles Vietnam War Songs

On March 7, 2013 By Children Of Vietnam Veterans Health Alliance

“The Girl in the Picture (Napalm Girl),” released by Yanah in 2004, is one of more than 300 famous and not-so-famous songs and spoken-word tracks about the war that are included in a 13-CD anthology assembled by Keesing, a Columbia resident. He will discuss the collection Tuesday with the aid of slides and songs at the 50+ Center at the East Columbia branch of the Howard County Public Library.

“There has been a renewed interest in Vietnam since the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan bear similarities to it,” said the producer of “Next Stop is Vietnam: The War on Record, 1961-2008,” which is accompanied by a companion book and a 14th disc that contains song lyrics. “In today’s generation, many students have parents, uncles or grandfathers who served in Vietnam,” said Keesing, who took his anthology’s title from the popular anti-war anthem “I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-to-Die Rag,” released by Country Joe and the Fish in 1967 and performed at Woodstock.
For someone who has never studied music, Keesing has attracted the attention of such notable publications as Rolling Stone for his 2010 effort, which one reviewer described as “essential American history in sound — and a lesson in the art of morale.” Lisa Bankman, Howard County library’s events and seminars manager, called the anthology “one of a kind” for its approach to chronicling “the historical, cultural and emotional aspects of the Vietnam War” and advancing understanding of the war’s place in American history. “When vets experience [Keesing's presentation], they often offer up their thoughts and anecdotes through tears,” she said.

The compilation of songs ensures that Yanah’s tune and dozens of other little-known protest songs of all genres have taken their rightful place next to the famous music of the era. Mixed in with songs that defined the war — such as “The Eve of Destruction” by Barry McGuire, “We Gotta Get Out of This Place” by The Animals, and “The Ballad of the Green Berets” by Staff Sgt. Barry Sadler — are unknown songs about topics such as post-traumatic stress disorder, Agent Orange and homelessness among veterans, Keesing said. There are also excerpts from speeches by President Richard M. Nixon and Gen. William C. Westmoreland, who led U.S. troops in Vietnam.

“That’s what makes this anthology so very different from the commercial stuff,” Keesing said, even though such artists as Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Bruce Springsteen and Joan Baez are featured. Some of the lesser-known songs were written and performed by Vietnam veterans such as Phil Ferrazano, whose song, “Bobby’s Saigon Boogie,” made the cut on disc 12.
Reached at his home in Clearwater, Fla., Ferrazano, now 62, said his song details the exploits of a wounded soldier who gets separated from his buddies in town and ends up singing and playing guitar in a bar to escape the war for a day.
“Writing songs is a therapeutic thing, and it made me feel good to be included in this,” he said, noting he has released a CD and also written a book. “I’m still dealing with the war today, but I still hear from other vets who have been helped by my writing.” When Keesing began stockpiling his favorite records in the 1950s, he did not know he was laying the foundation for a lifelong hobby. “I took my records to parties and acted as an amateur DJ,” Keesing recalled. By the time he entered Duke University, he had collected 400 records. When he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in psychology in 1965, he owned 700.
“A lot of them were topical records, one-hit wonders that said something about the time,” he said.

Keesing’s love of music and the impulse to collect have stuck with him through the years, but it was his love of history that tied all of his interests together. As an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland, College Park, he noticed that students sat up and took notice in class whenever he cited song lyrics to bring home a point.

In 1975, his proposal to teach a contemporary U.S. history course based on popular music was approved by the university’s American studies department, and three years later he was pulling in 75 students per class. By 1980, he averaged between 280 and 300 students, and the class was one of the university’s most popular electives, he said. He stopped teaching the course in 1991 after 16 years because he “couldn’t relate to heavy-metal and rap music,” he said. When he completed the anthology, Keesing had amassed 2,000 songs from which to pick and choose. Since the anthology’s release, he has more than doubled that number to an inventory of 5,000 recordings, he said.

“What I’ve found is music is a vehicle that gets vets to talk about their experiences,” he said, noting he sent invitations to his talk to eight area chapters of the Vietnam Veterans of America. And with an ever-expanding selection of stories “that could otherwise be lost or never told,” Keesing is planning a second compilation.

“We now know more about Vietnam’s role in shaping our country’s history and foreign policy,” he said. “We must look back to learn and relearn the lessons of war.”

http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2012-01-14/news/bs-ho-neighbors-vietnam-music-0115-20120112_1_songs-vietnam-war-music-historian

I Was Just There Last Night

On January 30, 2013 By James J. Alonzo

I Was Just There Last Night

“Jim, do you still think about Viet Nam?’ asked Dr. Tallutto, my shrink at Veterans Hospital.

“How do you stop thinking about it.” I Laughed, “everyday for the last 30 plus years, I wake up with it, go to bed with it. Yeah, I think about it, I can’t quit thinking about it. I never will, but most of the time I have learned to live with it. I’m mostly comfortable with the memories, the flashbacks, I’ve learn to stop trying to forget, and I am trying to learn to embrace it. It just doesn’t scare me anymore.”

“Jim, if you weren’t being affected by the experience of war, combat, and death, that would be abnormal.”

When he told me that , it was like he’d have just given me a pardon, Read Full Article →

monsanto agent orange vietnam veterans gmo news

Agent Orange, Vietnam Veterans, Monsanto, GMO News – November & December 2012

On December 26, 2012 By Children Of Vietnam Veterans Health Alliance

What is A.O.F.D, Agent Orange Food Disorder, and how many …

Agent Orange Food Disorder, AOFD, is an ongoing mutation of cells from …. suffering birth defects as terrible as those found in the Agent Orange contaminated …

‘Legacies of War’

Coeur d’Alene Press Dewey Parker worked on a flight line inspecting airplanes that sprayed the Agent Orange herbicide during the Vietnam War. Today, the Air Force veteran who …

Agent Orange, United States Military Veterans, And Myelodysplastic …

The MDS Beacon I often see Vietnam-era military veterans in my clinic who have been diagnosed with MDS, and they always ask me, “Could Agent Orange exposure have …

What Are GMO? What Is A GMO? What Foods Are Genetically Modified …

OpEdNews … PCB’s & Agent Orange), Dow (Agent Orange and Agent Blue – Arsenic), Bayer (CCD – Colony Collapse Disorder of Bees), BASF (GMO Potatoes), DuPont

AO Victims Grateful to British PM

Salem-News.Com … of Agent Orange, was asked by the Viet Nam Association of Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin (VAVA) to present the gifts in person. The gifts comprised a selection of beautiful hand-embroidered linen and colourful hand-painted pictures made by….

Ten Top Reasons Why Food with GMO Ingredients Should Be So Labeled

Meridian Magazine In the past, Monsanto also assured us of the public safety of DDT and Agent Orange as household items, both of which were produced by Monsanto with devastating results. 7. GMO labeling has nothing to do with excessive government intervention and …

@DA NANG: Perception gap over Agent Orange is déjà vu after Fukushima

Asahi Shimbun Highly toxic dioxin, the main ingredient in Agent Orange, continues to be detected … is a Vietnam War veteran, and her mother was born with birth defects.

The pesticides you eat

Salt Lake Tribune Their answer to a failing Roundup system is now “Agent Orange Corn.” The corporate sales pitch is that GMOs increase crop yields and so are needed to feed …

A daughter faces demons of father’s war
CNN
“Yeah, because they’ve seen bad things,” Caitlin said. Christal had spoken with other grown children of Vietnam veterans. But this was the first time she saw herself in a child. Christal contained herself in front of Caitlin. But when she and her mom …

Tribute to Vietnam fallen helps keep Dad in her life
Tribune-Review
Rihn, a respiratory therapist, and about 70 other children of veterans went to Vietnam in 2003 to retrace the footsteps of their fathers. She and her husband, John, and their daughters, Megan, 20, and Alyssa, 17, make several trips a year to Washington …

Fifty years later, US, Vietnam deal with Agent Orange
USA TODAY
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs recently ruled that numerous ailments are presumed to have been caused by Agent Orange among the Vietnam veterans who have them. The ruling meant these veterans would qualify for certain benefits that had been …

Living With MDS: Why Did I Get Cancer?
The MDS Beacon
Dr. Steensma’s recent column about Agent Orange reminded me of the many months (or was it years?) I spent kicking myself over every poor decision I had ever made about my health. It also caused me to re-visit having lived near a dioxin superfund …

Agent Orange leaves lingering, costly aftermath
Reading Eagle
Some were casualties of Agent Orange. “A lot of them that were there had limbs … Tumors, rashes, miscarriages and birth defects were reported in the years …

Deadly rainbow: Veterans suffer from Agent Orange exposure
Montgomery Advertiser
The main dioxin in Agent Orange, 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin, or TCDD, is one of the most toxic. During the 1970s, veterans returning from Vietnam …

Air Force Vietnam veteran wants other vets to learn about Agent Orange Registry
ABC Action News
It did, it floored me,” recalled Bob Wood. When Wood suffered a heart attack two years ago, doctors at the Haley VA Hospital told him his exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam contributed to his heart disease. “This is unbelievable,” Wood thought at the…

A Battle Unending: The Vietnam War and Agent Orange
the Diplomat
By Simon Roughneen While the Vietnam War ended decades ago, its effects continue to linger on.Agent Orange haunts the lives of the people it has touched.

Monsanto and Genetically Engineered Food: Playing Roulette With …
Truth-Out
Is Monsanto the most pernicious global corporation when it comes to GMOs, … They lied to us about the safety of PCB’s, DDT and Agent Orange, …

Sister of Agent Orange victim says battle for recognition far from over
GlobalNews.ca
Bertrand was one of about 30 people who got compensation from the federal government after it overturned a decision to deny claims for people diagnosed with Agent Orange-related illnesses past a June 30, 2011 deadline. Timeline: The fight for Agent …

WMU professor’s book analyzes effects of Agent Orange
Western Herald
Ed Martini, Associate Professor of History and Associate Dean in the College of Arts and Sciences, recently published Agent Orange: History, Science, and the Politics of Uncertainty, a book that better explains the chemical used during the Vietnam War.

Dioxin, TCE Drums, U-235 and El Toro’s Panhandle
Salem-News.Com
We do know that one El Toro Marine who never served in Vietnam died from Agent Orange exposure, Dr. Chuck Bennett over 12 years ago cited two Orange County experts who examined soil samples from the panhandle and found weapons grade U-235 …

Vietnam Veterans Memorial 30 years later | Invisible Children Blog
Three decades ago, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington DC was officially dedicated on Nov. 13th 1982. Consisting of two reflective walls that span …

Veterans Corner: Vietnam service ‘presumptive’ disability benefits
Hanford Sentinel
Certain conditions are also recognized for the children of Vietnam veterans. Covered birth defects include a wide range conditions. Eighteen defects are specifically included and others not specifically excluded are covered. Vietnam veterans who served…
****COVVHA HAS RESPONDED TO THE ABOVE ARTICLE****

THE INFORMATION INCLUDED IN THE ARTICLE IS MISLEADING AND INCORRECT

“VA does this because of the unique circumstances of their military service. If one of these conditions is diagnosed in a veteran, VA presumes that the circumstances of his/her service caused the condition and disability compensation can be awarded.”

Let’s start with using the term, Agent Orange Dioxin. This is the “unique circumstance” our military members were exposed to, by their own government.

I think it’s totally disrespectful to not mention what the disability compensation is connected to.

The government used a chemical herbicide nicknamed Agent Orange (due to the orange stripe on the barrel). They used 22 million gallons on Southeast Asia to kill the vegetation, and deny the enemy cover. This chemical was also used along the Korean DMZ. Our government told our military was safe. What our troops were unaware of is that it contained Dioxin the most poisonous chemical known to man. Well, they found out, alright. Years later, our Vietnam Veterans began becoming seriously ill. Many died young, many young men acquired “old man” diseases with no prior family history all while our government denied their poison had any role in harming them.

The government waited till 1991 to help our veterans, prior to that they were called crazy or faking. The process has been so slow to help our Vietnam Veterans that even after they started to “Presume” a few illnesses, many Vets succumb to their illnesses leaving their families with only more questions and no support. There are claims dating back to the early 1980’s for Ischemic Heart disease (Added only to the presumptive list in 2010) still in appeal. This is not an easy process no matter what you may be led to believe. It is a tragedy.

Secondly, this article is disseminating incorrect information about the Children of Vietnam Veterans. After coming home from war, Veterans tried to move on with their lives and start their families. They soon discovered their children were being born with horrifying deformities, cleft Palate, Club foot, hip dysplasia, rare disorders, and strange illnesses. Our Government again turned it’s back.

“Certain conditions are also recognized for the children of Vietnam veterans. Covered birth defects include a wide range conditions. Eighteen defects are specifically included and others not specifically excluded are covered”

“Vietnam veterans who served in the Republic of Vietnam between Jan. 9, 1962 and May 7, 1975, and later contracted any of these conditions, or have children with birth defects, should apply for disability compensation benefits.”

This is very frustrating especially if this is supposed to be by someone knowledgeable in this field. There are not 18+ birth defects covered in the children of Male Vietnam Veterans. There is only one Spina Bifida. From the VA website:

Children who have spina bifida (except spina bifida occulta) and meet the following requirements may be eligible for VA compensation, health care, and vocational training:

Are biological children of Veterans who served:Were conceived after the date on which the Veteran first entered Vietnam or the Korean demilitarized zone during the qualifying service period
- In Vietnam during the period from January 9, 1962 through May 7, 1975, or
- In or near the Korean demilitarized zone between September 1, 1967 and August 31, 1971 and were exposed to herbicides. Veterans who served in a unit in or near the Korean demilitarized zone anytime between April 1, 1968 and August 31, 1971 are presumed to have been exposed to herbicides.
If you are the child of a Male Vietnam Veteran you are NOT eligible for compensation unless you have Spina Bifida (NOT OCCULTA- the most common form)

There is no help for the thousands and thousands of children of male Vietnam Veterans that are suffering from congenital deformities, Cancers, Autoimmune Diseases, Reproductive Problems and other rare illnesses. There were 2.8 million people that served in Vietnam. Six to eight thousand of them were women.

The eighteen, plus birth defects you talk about in this article are only covered in the children of WOMEN Vietnam Veterans NOT in the children of Male Vietnam Veterans even though the children of Male veterans suffer greatly with the same illnesses!

Anyone else who have the birth defects listed whose mother was not a Vietnam Veteran WILL BE DENIED.

Covered birth defects include, but are not limited to, the following conditions: NOT COVERED IN THE CHILDREN OF MALE VIETNAM VETERANS!!!!!!!!!!

Achondroplasia
Cleft lip and cleft palate
Congenital heart disease
Congenital talipes equinovarus (clubfoot)
Esophageal and intestinal atresia
Hallerman-Streiff syndrome
Hip dysplasia
Hirschprung’s disease (congenital megacolon)
Hydrocephalus due to aqueductal stenosis
Hypospadias
Imperforate anus
Neural tube defects
Poland syndrome
Pyloric stenosis
Syndactyly (fused digits)
Tracheoesophageal fistula
Undescended testicle
Williams syndrome

If you are confused over what is or isn’t covered for the Children of Vietnam Veterans feel free to email us at COVVHA@gmail.com

Medical History Should Include Military History, Doctor Says
New York Times (blog)
So he was surprised to learn not long ago — from reading a newspaper article — that at least one of those ailments, ischemic heart disease, has been linked to exposure to the defoliant Agent Orange, which was used widely in Vietnam. It dawned on him …

Over 200000 veterans exposed to Dioxin
VietNamNet Bridge
VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnam currently has more than 200000 veterans exposed to Agent Orange/Dioxin and infected with some diseases identified by the US …

Agent Orange remains big health concern
Herald Palladium (subscription)
JOSEPH – A vestige of the Vietnam War is present front and center at the Berrien County Veterans Service Office. Dozens of veterans of the war, which ended in 1975, call or visit to get help in filing claims for illnesses and conditions attributed to …

Monsanto On Verge of $40 Million GMO Bailout in Europe: Report
DeathRattleSports.com
Monsanto GMO Bailout in Europe A Sign of Things to Come? … a company that moved from producing Agent Orange during the Vietnam War to using their …

Conditions recognized as related to exposure to Agent Orange
Journal Times
The following presumptive conditions are recognized by the Veterans Affairs as related to Agent Orange exposure for veterans who served in county in Vietnam during Jan. 9, 1962, through May 7, 1975. • AL Amyloidosis — A rare disease caused when an …

Vietnamese still fighting for recognition of Agent Orange impact
Toronto Star
They are, she believes, victims of the Agent Orange dumped on Vietnam’s … found “compelling evidence” linking a rise in birth defects and miscarriages in …

A toxic disaster
The Korea Herald
Authorities estimate that 4.8 million were exposed to Agent Orange dioxin in … causing men exposed to Agent Orange to father children with birth defects.

Children Of Vietnam Veterans Health Alliance | AGENT ORANGE
Memories of the Vietnam War are dimming, but veterans and Vietnamese nationals who were exposed to Agent Orange and other dioxin-laced defoliants are …

agent orange gmo monsanto children of vietnam veterans www.covvha.net

Agent Orange, Children Of Vietnam Veterans, Monsanto, GMO – The Video That Explains Everything

On December 18, 2012 By Children Of Vietnam Veterans Health Alliance

On October 16, 2011, Kelly L. Derricks (TRUTH TELLER) traveled to New York City where she gave a public speech about Agent Orange after being invited by Millions Against Monsanto to participate in the rally event for World Food Day. Below is the video recording of that speech.

Kelly has battled severe health issues since she was born that continue today. Some of her illnesses, presumed to be associated with the inter-generational effects of Agent Orange, include but are not limited to the following:

• Chronic kidney disease
• Crohn’s disease
• Addison’s disease
• Congenital adrenal hyperplaysia
• Intersticial cystitis.

*Her complete list of illnesses staggers to 30 different things.

Kelly continues to fight for the Children of Vietnam Veterans as well as Vietnam Veterans and their families. In January of 2012 She Co-Founded The Non-Profit Organization (COVVHA) Children Of Vietnam Veterans Health Alliance INC

Visit The Main Website At WWW.COVVHA.NET

https://www.youtube.com/user/teppnme?feature=watch

Agent Orange Okinawa Japan Documentary #COVVHA

VIDEO – Agent Orange Okinawa Documentary

On December 10, 2012 By Children Of Vietnam Veterans Health Alliance

Published on Nov 4, 2012
This is the English-language version of Defoliated Island, a Japanese
award-winning documentary about the usage of Agent Orange on Okinawa
during the Vietnam War. Produced by Okinawa TV station, QAB, the show won national acclaim in Japan when it was first aired in May 2012.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=5tRkP2b3dsM

Veterans Healthcare Children of Vietnam Veterans Health Alliance

Improving Healthcare For Veterans On College Campuses

On December 4, 2012 By Children Of Vietnam Veterans Health Alliance

Improving healthcare for veterans on college campuses

By DAVID ROSENMAN, MD AND GLENN L. LAUDENSLAGER IV, MBA on March 24th, 2012 in CONDITIONS

http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2012/03/improving-healthcare-veterans-college-campuses.html

The healthcare needs and challenges presented by the nation’s returning veterans are complex and critical.

That’s not news to all, yet not all clinicians realize how close and relevant the issues actually are. More than half of all returning veterans are treated outside of the military healthcare system and the VA, which means community-based clinicians are on the front lines of care delivery to veterans.

Very often, this also now means that veterans seek care on college campuses, which are seeing a huge surge in veteran enrollment. Some campuses have seen an increase of more than 50% in student-veterans as they take advantage of the Post 9/11 GI Bill after their service is complete.

The need for increased education on assessing and treating veterans in the campus environment became obvious during recent conversations with leaders of college-based healthcare and mental health services. Some weren’t aware of basic resources like the VA’s PTSD 101 online modules or the PTSD Check List – Military (PCL-M).

Some also were naïve as to why it was not safe to assume that everyone discharged from the military was properly screened for both PTSD and TBI.

And there’s good reason why you can’t assume that. Often, the Post-Deployment Health Reassessment Program (PDHRA) gets postponed (despite the best efforts of the Service branches) until a day before final discharge, and the “scuttlebutt” from veterans is that if you answer any of the screening questions affirmatively, you can be “held back” for a work-up (and possible Medical Board Evaluation) of any problems disclosed.

It’s therefore not a surprise that many symptoms go unreported at these exit evaluations.

As proof of this, consider the case of a Veteran whom I (Dr. Rosenman) saw at a community college where I did volunteer work. He was late thirties, 6′ 2″, close to 200 pounds with 1% body fat, blond hair, blue eyes, and a firm handshake. He could have stepped out of a recruiting poster.

He was registered as a student at the college and connected with the VA system so that his GI Bill educational benefits could start, but to the dismay of his case manager, he was unable to complete a class schedule, or to register for any classes. At that point, the student services personnel brought him over to chat with me.

I learned he had started and left the DOD at nearby military base, and was married and had 3 children.

My first question was whether or not he had been concussed in Iraq because of IEDs. His reply was: “Four times that I can remember.”

I quietly explained that sometimes these concussions cause damage to the brain that would not be apparent to him and, that with his permission, I was going to check for this, and he agreed – which, in essence, was a Mental Status Exam (MSE). He was oriented as to person, place and time.

However, he could remember none of the six items I asked him to remember, only got to 93 on Serial 7′s before he stopped and asked for a pen and paper, and remembered only one President.

Given his in-theater history, the reason why he was brought to my attention, and his clearly impaired MSE, I strongly suspected a TBI diagnosis.

I said to him, “Sir, I know that some people are so anxious to be discharged, that when they take the PDHRA, they report that they are totally symptom free. Was that the case for you?”

He paused, smiled sheepishly, and said, “Yes, Doc.”

At that point it was clear to me that he needed more thorough treatment. So I gently conveyed my thoughts to him and then called the local VA hospital, where a caseworker accompanied him and where later that day that based on further screening, an MRI, and their clinical evaluation the diagnosis was confirmed.

He was admitted for further care, and ultimately received a Medical Board 100% permanent Disability Rating secondary to his TBI.

That’s meaningful, because he got access to VA social workers to counsel his family on the diagnosis, a Palm Pilot to help with short-term memory, vocational training, and more significantly, a substantial disability payment – which means a much smaller financial impact on his family, and a decreased chance of divorce and/or homelessness.

Drawing on this example, we strongly encourage you to access the many resources that exist for community and college-based physicians, nurses, counselors and psychologists.

It’s imperative that on this very day you become more familiar with standard assessment tools for veterans, as well as next-step treatment-referral resources. There are plenty of educational resources on Medscape, a wealth of information from the VA’s National Center for PTSD, free online training from the Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital Home Base Program and the National Center for PTSD, and more.

It’s critical to identify individuals who need assistance, like the Veteran described in the example above. He may be sitting in front of you tomorrow, but may look more the part of scattered student than wounded Veteran. They served this country with courage and selflessness, and we have to show those same characteristics to raise our knowledge of the issues, screen effectively, and get them the best care possible.

David Rosenman is a psychiatrist and Emeritus Director, Student Health and Counseling Service, California State University-Fullerton. He has worked as a civilian psychiatrist at two Department of Defense hospitals with returning troops. Glenn L. Laudenslager IV is President of Charge Ahead Marketing and has worked on initiatives and education in veterans’ healthcare for several years.

(COVVHA) Children Of Vietnam Veterans Health Alliance Lapel Pins On Sale Now!

On November 21, 2012 By Children Of Vietnam Veterans Health Alliance

JUST IN TIME FOR THE HOLIDAYS!!!

The Perfect stocking stuffer gift that will shine the whole year through!!!

Children Of Vietnam Veterans Health Alliance is proud to introduce our new Lapel Pins for purchase

Individual Pins Are Priced At $12.00

Email Us At PMASON@COVVHA.NET To Place Your Orders!!!!

COVVHA Organic View Radio Agent Orange Veterans

Children Of Vietnam Veterans Health Alliance On The Organic View Radio Show – Veterans Day Episode

On November 13, 2012 By Children Of Vietnam Veterans Health Alliance

On Monday November 12, 2012, Kelly L. Derricks and Karen Y. Wengert were please to return to the Organic View Radio Show, hosted by June Stoyer, for a special Veterans Day feature about Agent Orange and the children of Vietnam Veterans.

Click the player below to hear the show!

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/theorganicview/2012/11/12/the-children-of-vietnam-veterans-health-alliance

Listen to internet radio with The Organic View on Blog Talk Radio

COVVHA BY DESIGN CUSTOM CLOTHING LINE

On November 5, 2012 By Children Of Vietnam Veterans Health Alliance

WE ARE PROUD TO ANNOUNCE OUR NEW AGENT ORANGE AWARENESS CHILDREN OF VIETNAM VETERANS HEALTH ALLIANCE CUSTOM CLOTHING LINE “COVVHA BY DESIGN” SPONSORED BY

RED ZONE GRAPHIC EMBROIDERY

Check out some of our photos for our different brand lines like :

COVVHA SPORT FOR WOMEN

COVVHA GEAR FOR MEN

COVVHA COMFORT SLEEP LINE

COVVHA VETERANS & MILITARY

COVVHA LAPEL PINS

R2M CUSTOM

For Ordering and product Information Please Contact

PMASON@COVVHA.NET

To View Photos, please Click HERE

Assessment and Diagnosis of PTSD

On January 29, 2012 By Children Of Vietnam Veterans Health Alliance

Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a chronic and debilitating mental condition that develops in response to catastrophic life events, such as military combat, sexual assault, and natural disasters. The symptoms of PTSD are divided into 3 symptom clusters: reexperiencing, avoidance, and hyperarousal. In addition, trauma survivors often experience guilt, dissociation, alterations in personality, difficulty with affect regulation, and marked impairment in ability for intimacy and attachment.
1,2 Disorders comorbid with PTSD include depression, substance abuse, other anxiety disorders, and a range of physical complaints.3,4

Over the past several decades, considerable progress has been made in the development and empirical evaluation of assessment instruments for measuring trauma exposure and PTSD as well as related syndromes, such as acute stress disorder. The measures that have been developed, including questionnaires, structured interviews, and psychophysiological procedures, have been extensively validated and many have been widely adopted internationally. PTSD assessments were developed to be psychometrically sound; to collect information from multiple sources across response channels; and to use across different trauma populations, settings, genders, ethnic groups, and cultures.5-8

This article, based on a comprehensive review by Weathers and associates,9 provides a selective and brief summary of trauma and PTSD assessments in adults.
Diagnosing PTSD

The current diagnostic criteria for PTSD include10:
• Exposure to a traumatic stressor (criterion A)
• The development of a characteristic syndrome involving reexperiencing, avoidance and numbing, and hyperarousal symptoms (criteria B through D)
• Duration of at least 1 month (criterion E)
• Clinically significant distress or impairment in social or occupational functioning (criterion F).

A comprehensive assessment of PTSD evaluates all of the diagnostic criteria, assesses associated features and comorbid disorders, and establishes a differential diagnosis. Although some of these tasks can be accomplished with self-report measures, most are best accomplished with a structured interview. Clinical interviews provide opportunities to ask follow-up questions, to clarify items and responses, and to use clinical judgment in making the final ratings.
It is necessary to establish that an individual has been exposed to an extreme stressor that satisfies the DSM-IV definition of trauma as described in criterion A. The patient must have directly experienced the event, witnessed it, or learned about it indirectly; the event must have been life-threatening, involved serious injury, or threatened physical integrity; and it must have triggered an intense emotional response of fear, horror, or helplessness.

In addition to identifying an index event for symptom inquiry, it is important to assess for exposure to other traumatic events across the life span. Exposure to multiple lifetime traumas is typical, and previous traumas may influence reactions to the index event.3,11 The target trauma is identified as the one that is currently causing the most frequent and severe symptoms. The 17 PTSD symptoms are then rated in relation to that event (Table 1). In addition to evaluating the diagnosis and severity of PTSD, a comprehensive assessment often includes an evaluation for the presence of comorbid disorders and associated features.
Several measures are available to help diagnose PTSD and assess its severity. These include structured interviews, self-report measures, and multiscale personality inventories (Table 2).

CHECKPOINTS

■ Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) assessment instruments are psychometrically sound, can be used to collect information from multiple sources, and can be used to measure different trauma populations.

■ Although structured interviews, self-report measures, and multiscale personality inventories are available for assessing PTSD, a structured interview is recommended to evaluate all of the diagnostic criteria, assess associated features and comorbid disorders, and establish a differential diagnosis.

■ In addition to identifying an index event for symptom inquiry, it is important to assess patients for exposure to other traumatic events across their life span.

Read Full Medical Report

Assessment and Diagnosis of PTSD

On January 29, 2012 By Children Of Vietnam Veterans Health Alliance

Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a chronic and debilitating mental condition that develops in response to catastrophic life events, such as military combat, sexual assault, and natural disasters. The symptoms of PTSD are divided into 3 symptom clusters: reexperiencing, avoidance, and hyperarousal. In addition, trauma survivors often experience guilt, dissociation, alterations in personality, difficulty with affect regulation, and marked impairment in ability for intimacy and attachment.
1,2 Disorders comorbid with PTSD include depression, substance abuse, other anxiety disorders, and a range of physical complaints.3,4

Over the past several decades, considerable progress has been made in the development and empirical evaluation of assessment instruments for measuring trauma exposure and PTSD as well as related syndromes, such as acute stress disorder. The measures that have been developed, including questionnaires, structured interviews, and psychophysiological procedures, have been extensively validated and many have been widely adopted internationally. PTSD assessments were developed to be psychometrically sound; to collect information from multiple sources across response channels; and to use across different trauma populations, settings, genders, ethnic groups, and cultures.5-8

This article, based on a comprehensive review by Weathers and associates,9 provides a selective and brief summary of trauma and PTSD assessments in adults.
Diagnosing PTSD

The current diagnostic criteria for PTSD include10:
• Exposure to a traumatic stressor (criterion A)
• The development of a characteristic syndrome involving reexperiencing, avoidance and numbing, and hyperarousal symptoms (criteria B through D)
• Duration of at least 1 month (criterion E)
• Clinically significant distress or impairment in social or occupational functioning (criterion F).

A comprehensive assessment of PTSD evaluates all of the diagnostic criteria, assesses associated features and comorbid disorders, and establishes a differential diagnosis. Although some of these tasks can be accomplished with self-report measures, most are best accomplished with a structured interview. Clinical interviews provide opportunities to ask follow-up questions, to clarify items and responses, and to use clinical judgment in making the final ratings.
It is necessary to establish that an individual has been exposed to an extreme stressor that satisfies the DSM-IV definition of trauma as described in criterion A. The patient must have directly experienced the event, witnessed it, or learned about it indirectly; the event must have been life-threatening, involved serious injury, or threatened physical integrity; and it must have triggered an intense emotional response of fear, horror, or helplessness.

In addition to identifying an index event for symptom inquiry, it is important to assess for exposure to other traumatic events across the life span. Exposure to multiple lifetime traumas is typical, and previous traumas may influence reactions to the index event.3,11 The target trauma is identified as the one that is currently causing the most frequent and severe symptoms. The 17 PTSD symptoms are then rated in relation to that event (Table 1). In addition to evaluating the diagnosis and severity of PTSD, a comprehensive assessment often includes an evaluation for the presence of comorbid disorders and associated features.
Several measures are available to help diagnose PTSD and assess its severity. These include structured interviews, self-report measures, and multiscale personality inventories (Table 2).

CHECKPOINTS

■ Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) assessment instruments are psychometrically sound, can be used to collect information from multiple sources, and can be used to measure different trauma populations.

■ Although structured interviews, self-report measures, and multiscale personality inventories are available for assessing PTSD, a structured interview is recommended to evaluate all of the diagnostic criteria, assess associated features and comorbid disorders, and establish a differential diagnosis.

■ In addition to identifying an index event for symptom inquiry, it is important to assess patients for exposure to other traumatic events across their life span.

Read Full Medical Report

www.COVVHA.net

Veterans Win PTSD Settlement

On January 23, 2012 By Children Of Vietnam Veterans Health Alliance

A federal judge has approved a settlement that will deliver better benefits to nearly 2,100 veterans who have been medically discharged since 2002 with post-traumatic stress disorder. Under the settlement, affected veterans discharged with PTSD will get lifetime health care and post-exchange privileges. The affected veterans had been discharged with disability ratings that were too low to receive such benefits. The class action lawsuit was Sabo v. United States. Similar legal efforts are currently underway.

The “Sabo” lawsuit was brought by the National Veterans Legal Services Program (NVLSP). It involves veterans who:

(a) served on active duty in the U.S. Army, Navy, Marine Corps, or Air Force, (b) were found by a Physical Evaluation Board to be unfit for continued service due, at least in part, to the individual’s PTSD, (c) were assigned a disability rating for PTSD of less than 50%, and, as a result, (d) were released, separated, retired, or discharged from active duty after December 17, 2002, and prior to October 14, 2008 (regardless whether such release, separation, retirement, or discharge resulted in the individual’s placement on the Temporary Disability Retirement List).

The Sabo class action lawsuit was assigned to Judge George Miller, of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. In 2010, Judge Miller ordered that a legal notice be sent to all the veterans described above. As a result of this legal notice, 2,166 veterans filed a timely request to join the Sabo lawsuit.

THE SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT: Recently, NVLSP and the military departments reached a settlement agreement covering the 2,166 veterans who joined the Sabo lawsuit.

On August 12, 2011, Judge Miller gave his preliminary approval to the settlement agreement. The website has several documents that describe the agreement: (1) NVLSP’s press release (click Press Release on the left side of this page); (2) the Motion for Preliminary Approval; (3) Judge Miller’s Order giving his preliminary approval to the settlement agreement; and (4) the Settlement Agreement. See Website

If you have questions, please feel free to contact NVLSP at its toll-free telephone number — (877) 345-8387.