Letter from the ACLU to the Pahrump, NV Jail 3/30/09

(In my never ending searching and researching, I came across this letter from the ACLU addressing critical issues at the Pahrump, NV jail. I have sent an e-mail to Pat's atty. concerning this letter. Here is a link to the actual letter on line http://www.aclunv.org/files/ACLU%20of%20Nevada%20Pahrump%20Jail%20Letter.pdf )


March 30, 2009

Nye County Board of Commissioners Commissioners' Chambers
101 Radar Rd.
Tonopah, NV 89049

By U.S. Mail

Re: Constitutional Issues Raised By Substandard Conditions at the Nye County Detention Facility in Pahrump

Dear Board of Commissioners:

In October 2008. attorneys and staff from the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada visited the Nye County Detention Facility in Pahrump, also known as the Pahrump jail, to investigate and document several conditions that could potentially form the basis of a legal challenge.

The ACLU of Nevada is not the first entity to take notice of the substandard conditions at the jail. Nye County Commissioners have been on notice of the jail's substandard conditions since at least 2003, if not earlier. We reviewed two reports detailing the substandard conditions at the Pahrump jail: one prepared by the National Institute of Corrections (NIC), a division of the Bureau of Prisons, and another prepared by Kitchell CEM, one of the nation's leading program/construction managers for correctional facilities. Based on these reports and our recent investigation, many of the serious violations detailed in those reports continue to exist or have worsened and the ACLU of Nevada is deeply concerned. The NIC report was issued on December 13, 2003, and the Kitchell Report was issued on November 1, 2005.

While the list of deficiencies is long, the main concerns for the ACLU of Nevada are that the Pahrump jail is overcrowded, understaffed, and the living conditions created by the deterioration of the current facility make it uninhabitable. These conditions violate the rights of inmates, the majority of whom are still awaiting trial (95% of inmates according to the 2003 NIC audit). The inmates are being subjected to many potentially unconstitutional prison conditions, such as overcrowding, lack of access to medical care, potential exposure to rust, mold, and lack of air circulation, and lack of access to legal materials with which to prepare for their upcoming trials. While it is true that many innocent people are arrested and charged with offenses, even those who are found guilty are still entitled to constitutional minimum standards of treatment and living conditions.

The ACLU of Nevada has expertise assessing unconstitutional conditions at facilities in Nevada. In concert with the ACLU's National Prison Project, it has filed a lawsuit against the Nevada Department of Corrections to remedy similar problems at Ely State Prison ("ESP"). The ACLU filed suit because the grossly inadequate medical care at ESP is depriving the prisoners at of the minimal civilized measure of life's necessities as required by the Eight and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution.

As noted above, the problems with Pahrump jail facility are well documented. In December 2003, the National Institute of Corrections conducted an audit of the Pahrump jail ("NIC audit"). The NIC audit noted several troubling deficiencies at the facility, including overcrowding and substandard medical care, and warned that major renovations would be necessary to keep it from falling below minimum legal standards.

In December of 2004, Nye County Commissioners contracted with Kitchell CEM, a private company, to develop a Needs Assessment & Master Plan for a new Pahrump jail. This report, known as "the Kitchell report," was finalized in December 2005. The report found that expansion of the existing facility was impracticable and that the jail needed to be rebuilt.

Although it appeared that the County initially took appropriate measures to remedy the overcrowding situation by hiring Kitchell to create a Master Plan, the County has failed to follow through on the plans outlined in the Kitchell report or to take any other remedial steps to correct the conditions at the Pahrump jail.

The current issues are at the facility are as follows:

1. The Jail Is Severely Understaffed.

As noted by the NIC audit, the jail is not adequately staffed. In 2003, the then current staffing levels at the Pahrump facility were insufficient to provide for a safe and secure detention center. During the midnight shift, there was only one officer on duty to supervise the entire inmate population. In the event of an emergency or other crisis situation, then-existing staffing patterns would not have allowed for the safe and orderly evacuation of prisoners to a secure area. It is not hard to imagine a female inmate being assaulted in such a situation.

The understaffing is a concern not only for the inmates, but it also creates a danger for those who do work at the jail.

2. The Current Pahrump Facility is Chronically Overcrowded Resulting in Substandard Living Conditions Which May Result in Constitutional Violations of Inmates' Eighth and Fourteenth Amendment Rights.

The Pahrump jail, which became operational in 1986, is made of a modular steel structure. It was designed to house a maximum 36 inmates (28 males and 8 females) for a short period of time while these inmates are awaiting trial. During 2008, the inmate population averaged 40 inmates per day at any given time. The current facility cannot meet the city's detention needs. It should come as no surprise that the jail has outlived its usefulness: the jail has been chronically at, or over, maximum capacity for a number of years, and due to the type of structure, is nearly impossible to expand.

The 2003 NIC audit noted that the Pahrump facility often had as many as 53 inmates in its 36-bed capacity facility -a 47 % over crowding rate. Since 2003, the male eight person cells have had up to 14 inmates at a time, and the female eight person cells have held up to II at one time. Furthermore, the one-man observation cell which is used to house unruly inmates, detoxing inmates, and suicidal inmates has held up to three inmates at a time. (2 This cell can only house male inmates because it is not separated by sight and sound from the cells for female inmates.)

The 2003 NIC audit found that 95% of inmates in the Pahrump Jail are pre-trial offenders. The inmate population was broken down into the following categories:

4% Charged with violent offenses:
18% Charged with non-violent offenses:
72% Charged with traffic offenses:

In other words, the vast majority of inmates in Pahrump jail are persons charged with non-violent crimes, and are being subjected to substandard living conditions that would not be even be suitable for convicted felons.

These facts raise not only serious concerns about the conditions at the Pahrump Jail, but also why so many low level offenders are being held in detention. Not only does public safety not require that such offenders be imprisoned, but;

After the 2003 NIC audit, Nye County Board of Commissioners was on notice of the substandard conditions at the Pahrump jail. In 2004, the Nye County Board of Commissioners decided to enter a contract with the Kitchell CEM to conduct a more thorough assessment of the Pahrump jail and develop a master plan for a new jail facility. At the request of the Nye County Board, Kitchell prepared a Needs Assessment and Master Plan, addressing the County's detention facility needs in Pahrump. The study found that the Nye County detention facility in Pahrump was then currently overcrowded and unable to house the increase in bookings that had risen by 50% since 1995. The overcrowding problem was still evident in October 2008.

The 2005 Kitchell report highlights similar increases in the jail population. It found that between 1995 and 2004 the total number of adult arrests in the Nye County, Pahrump's jurisdiction increased by 50%, with a 96% increase in number of female arrestees. At its worst, the study found that 61 inmates have been held in the facility at a single time: that's a 69% over crowding rate.

The Kitchell consultant team, in concert with County representatives, developed a Master Plan to build an expandable jail facility in Pahrump. Part of the plan assumed that the existing Pahrump jail would be demolished eventually. The proposed new facility would have housed the inmate population in single and double occupancy cells and dormitories, which would allow for the necessary separation of disorderly, violent, vulnerable and physically or mentally impaired inmates and male and female inmates, something the current jail facility is incapable of doing.

The ACLU of Nevada strongly urges the Nye County Board of Commissioners to remedy the overcrowded conditions at the Pahrump Jail. By allowing these conditions to continue, the County is at risk of violating the Constitution and faces serious legal liability exposure. Regardless of whether the County chooses to follow the recommendations of the Kitchell report or implement some other remedy, the County must begin the process of rectifying the overcrowded living conditions at the Pahrump jail.

3. The Current Pahrump Facility Does Not Provide For Adequate Medical Care or Emergency Medical Procedures For Inmates.

In the 2003 NIC audit, one of the most disturbing features of the current Pahrump facility was that there were no medical personnel on premises. Arriving inmates did not receive any kind of pre-intake medical or psychological screening by a doctor or nurse before being placed into the general population. At the time of the audit. there were no subsequent medical screenings performed during the inmates stay either.

There are still no medical personnel stationed at the jail to examine arriving inmates before they are placed in the general population. Although a physician now visits the jail once a month, inmates must still be transported to a local hospital for medical emergencies and other illnesses. Inmates' requests for medical assistance are reviewed by jail command staff who determine if they are sick enough to see a doctor even though the staff has no medical training nor are there written criteria for the evaluation of medical requests.

The 2003 NIC audit found that the provision of health services at the Pahrump facility was inadequate and recommended that the provision of medical services be improved so that it is in compliance with applicable detention and healthcare standards.

The 2003 NIC audit also found that "there are no policy and procedures for dealing with blood and air borne pathogens ..." Furthermore, access to adequate treatment both as an individual and a public health concern. If diseases such as tuberculosis are not treated correctly, than it could become a problem for the safety of both staff and detainees. The NIC audit also noted that pervasive rust in the cells especially around plumbing fixtures and noted the presence of mold in one cell.

Furthermore, the air circulation in the jail was virtually nonexistent, resulting in stagnate air in all the cells.

As of October 2008, there is still no policy or procedure for dealing with and isolating inmates with blood and airborne illnesses such as tuberculosis, hepatitis and AIDS and the jail recently experienced another mold infestation in the kitchen walls.

Based on the inspection by the ACLU of Nevada, it appears that medical services at the Pahrump jail are still below legal standards. The Pahrump jail lacks many of the required elements of an adequate health care system, including a system of ready access to adequate medical care; readily available medical staff competent to examine prisoners and diagnose illnesses; a system of adequate, accurate, and up-to-date medical recordkeeping; and trained on-site staff for responding to medical and psychological emergencies within the jail.

The new Detention Facility which was proposed by the Kitchell report, at the request of the county commissioners, would house primary medical and mental health facilities for the entire county detention system including provisions for daily sick call, medications and minor treatments.

4. Inadequate Separation and Protection of Female Prisoners from Male Prisoners and Lack of Work Opportunities for Female Inmates Also Raise Constitutional Issues.

Female inmates must be separated by sight and sound from male inmates. Neither of these requirements is being met at the Pahrump jail. The female cell, which can hold up to 8 women, has large windows which look into the hall way in plain view of one of the male cells. The 2003 NIC audit noted that the female cell is on the central corridor of the facility across from and adjacent to cells housing male inmates. Such a configuration does not provide sound separation from the male inmates. The cell door window is covered with foil and paper in an attempt to provide visual separation from male inmates; however, the food slot in the door to the women's cell remains open thus allowing male kitchen and laundry workers to peek in on the women. Furthermore, because only male inmates can work in the kitchen and laundry, males must interact with females to deliver their meals and pick up and drop offtheir laundry.

Furthermore, because there aren't enough deputies to supervise the inmates, female inmates are not allowed out of their cell to work in the kitchen or laundry room. Only male inmates can serve as inmate workers. Inmate workers earn a dollar a day for their labor and receive other privileges that regular inmates, including all female inmates, do not. Inmate workers are allowed to move through out the jail during the day, they are allowed to have more personal supplies, have personal shoes to wear and have a DVD player and DVDs. They also receive extra TV time, and are allowed to have one non-conjugal visit with Family members once per month.

Finally, as noted above, the lack of staffing creates the very real danger that a female inmate could be assaulted.

5. Lack of Ready Access to Legal Materials May Result in Denial of Inmates' Constitutional Right to Due Process.

The vast majority of inmates at the Pahrump jail are still awaiting trial, yet there is no law library or access to legal materials that they can use to help them prepare for their defense. In other words, although a detainee is innocent until proven guilty, that inmate is being deprived of material that could help them prove their innocence. Even prisoners, already convicted of the most heinous crimes have access to law libraries.

If an inmate wishes to do legal research to prepare for trial, he must request to be sent to the detention facility in Tonopah. Transports to Tonopah usually run twice a week. While the Sheriff s office is working to set computer access to legal material it is not currently operational, and inmates must wait to go to Tonopah, ask their attorney, or ask family members to research legal issues. (Under Supreme Court precedent, prison officials must "assist inmates in the preparation and filing of meaningful legal papers by providing prisoners with adequate law libraries or adequate assistance from persons trained in the law." Bound", v. Smith 430 US 817, 828 (1977). )

6. Structural Integrity and Security Hardware at the Pahrump Jail is Substandard and Could Lead to a Break Out.

It should be of concern to every resident of Pahrump is that the 2003 NIC audit found the existing perimeter security at the Pahrump facility to be inadequate to protect the facility from inmate escape attempts or break out attempts from the interior or exterior of the facility. Furthermore, the NIC noted that dangerous and deadly weapons and ordinance are stored in areas that are accessible to inmates or new arrestees.

The NIC audit noted a serious understaffing at the Pahrump facility in 2003. At the time of the NIC audit, there were maximum security prisoners held in the Pahrump facility and one staff member would not have been able to deal with a security or crisis situation involving a high security/escape risk prisoner.

There are still staffing deficiencies at the Pahrump jail. Jail staff consists of two Sergeants and eight jail deputies. During the evening shift there are two deputies for an average of 40 inmates. At night, there is usually only one deputy for an average of 40 inmates. It is not hard to imagine a scenario where the jail must be evacuated and due to the limited number of deputies, a female inmate gets assaulted.

7. The County is Aware of These Issues and Has the Means and Opportunity to Remedy Them.

The DOJ audit and the Kitchell report have made it clear that something must be done about the Pahrump jail. The Kitchell report cost Nye County nearly $99,000 and it is disheartening that the County would willing spend this much money to develop a plan that it now seems unwilling to implement. Proposed construction on a new Pahrump facility was to begin in 2007. The proposed new facility could be expanded in the future if the need arose.

In conclusion, the ACLU of Nevada strongly urges the Nye County Board of Commissioners to remedy substandard conditions at the Pahrump jail, including overcrowding, lack of ready access to adequate medical care, as well as lack of access to legal materials, and the unequal treatment and protection of female inmates. Regardless of whether the County chooses to follow the recommendations of the Kitchell report or implement some other remedy, the County must begin the process of rectifying the unconstitutional conditions at the Pahrump jail.

The ACLU of Nevada is genuinely concerned about the conditions at the Pahrump jail; therefore, we are requesting that the Nye County Board of Commissioners or another Nye County representative contact our office to discuss the resolution of these problems. We look forward to your response, and would welcome the opportunity to discuss these matters with you.

Sincerely


Margaret A. McLetchie - Staff Attorney, ACLU
Allen Lichenstein - General Counsel, ACLU
Judy Carol Cox - Legal Fellow, ACLU


cc: Gary Peck. Executive Director, ACLU of Nevada
ACLU National Prison Project
Nye County Sheriffs Office
Pahrump Town Board
Pahrump Town Manager
U.S. Department of Justice Division

Nye County Initiating Measures To Fix Conditions At The Pahrump Jail

Submitted by Judy Cox on Fri, 07/31/2009 - 09:03.

(click here for complete story: http://www.aclunv.org/nye-county-initiating-measures-fix-conditions-pahrump-jail )

After years of concern about the conditions at the Nye County Detention Facility in Pahrump, (commonly referred to as the Pahrump jail) the Nye County Board of Commissioners has begun the process in earnest to build a bigger and better facility. The ACLU of Nevada applauds the Nye County Board of Commissioners for taking this important step to address the many potentially unconstitutional conditions at the current facility.

The Bottom Line about the Pahrump Jail

Now that you have read both of the postings about the Pahrump jail, there are obviously problems here that pose risks to Patrick.

They are going to build a new jail. That is great - that does not help Pat. He is where he is, and the facility is what it is - basically people should not be there.

I will speak with Pat's attorney on Monday, and there will hopefully be some kind of resolution about the conditions that Patrick is being subjected to which are clearly detrimental to his health.

If it comes to it, I may need every single one of you to write letters..............stay tuned.

In Honor of Joseph G. & Patricia S. Lamoureux's 50th Anniversary - 8/20/09

(yes there is music)

Veterans Pay Twice: Once at War and Once at Home

Veterans Pay Twice: Once at War and Once at Home
(The Student Operated Press; Fred Rendon, August 21, 2009)

"In a town close to Las Vegas a Veteran named Pat also a Veteran suffering from PTSD. Somehow Pat got into a problem and shot at a policeman and so the wrath of the city came down on Pat. He is being treated like a hardened criminal with a lengthy record when this is his very first offense. I am well aware of the implications of shooting a police officer. I have had three brothers who were policemen and I have a great deal of respect for the police and I write about them and how brave they are for doing the job they do. However, in this case you have a sick Veteran who has confronted a policeman due to an illness, PTSD. Everyday a new case of a Veteran committing suicide is publicized and it is mostly due to PTSD."
(click below for the complete article)
http://thesop.org/military/2009/08/21/veterans-pay-twice-one-there-once-at-home

AS VETS AWAIT CHECKS, VA WORKERS GET $24M BONUSES

(As another day passes, an astounding report is released in the media about the Veterans Administration)

By KIMBERLY HEFLING, Associated Press Writer – Fri Aug 21, 12:07 pm ET

WASHINGTON – Outside the Veterans Affairs Department, severely wounded veterans have faced financial hardship waiting for their first disability payment. Inside, money has been flowing in the form of $24 million in bonuses.

In scathing reports this week, the VA's inspector general said thousands of technology office employees at the VA received the bonuses over a two-year period, some under questionable circumstances. It also detailed abuses ranging from nepotism to an inappropriate relationship between two VA employees.
The inspector general accused one recently retired VA official of acting "as if she was given a blank checkbook" as awards and bonuses were distributed to employees of the Office of Information and Technology in 2007 and 2008. In some cases the justification for the bonuses was inadequate or questionable, the IG said.

The official, Jennifer S. Duncan, also engaged in nepotism and got $60,000 in bonuses herself, the IG said. In addition, managers improperly authorized college tuition payments for VA employees, some of whom were Duncan's family members and friends. That cost taxpayers nearly $140,000.
(click below for link to article)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090821/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_veterans_bonuses

VA's Early Prediction For Troops Effected by PTSD

Early warnings ignored

Prior to the U.S. Invasion of Iraq in March 2003, the VA issued a report to Pentagon and White House officials saying that it expected that the number of U.S. troops who would suffer from PTSD would reach a maximum of about 8,000.

But Paul Sullivan, the executive director of Veterans for Common Sense, told lawmakers those estimates were extremely low. He continued to sound early warning alarms about the extent of PTSD cases and the likelihood of veteran suicides during numerous appearances before Congress over the years.

“The scope of PTSD in the long term is enormous and must be taken seriously. When all of our 1.6 million service members eventually return home from Iraq and Afghanistan, based on the current rate of 20 percent, VA may face up 320,000 total new veterans diagnosed with PTSD,” Sullivan told a congressional committee in July 2007. If America fails to act now and overhaul the broken DoD and VA disability systems, there may a social catastrophe among many of our returning Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans. That is why VCS reluctantly filed suit against VA in Federal Court . . . Time is running out.”

Sullivan has urged Congress to enact legislation to overhaul the VA.

“Congress should legislate a presumption of service connection for veterans diagnosed [with] PTSD who deployed to a war zone after 9/11,” Sullivan told lawmakers last year. “A presumption makes it easier for dedicated and hard-working VA employees to process veterans’ claims. This results in faster medical treatment and benefits for our veterans.”

Yet despite Sullivan’s dire predictions and calls for legislative action the issue has not been given priority treatment by lawmakers. Instead, Congress continued to fund the war in Iraq to the tune of about $200 billion and will likely pour another $108 billion into Iraq later next month. Meanwhile, a backlog of veterans’ benefits claims continue to pile up at the VA.
(click for link to entire article)
http://onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/article_3204.shtml
(source: "VA confirms 18 vets commit suicide every day"; Jason Leopold - Online Journal - Contributing Writer; Apr 22, 2008, 00:19)

Bob Delaney goes to Iraq

Below is a link to a story about Bob Delaney. Some of you (probably the men) will know who he is. Bob is a former New Jersey State Trooper, and author of Covert: My Years Infiltrating the Mob; he is currently a referee in the NBA.

In July 2009, he made a trip to Iraq where he spent time with our troops and spoke about his own experiences with post traumatic stress disorder.

I found this story interesting for many reason; one being he visited many of the places that Pat had been during his time in Iraq. I also found it extremely interesting, because he talks of Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, and states the base is a “city unto itself.” He talks about there even being a Starbuck’s there. He mentions that after dinner he goes to a gym where there is a basketball tournament going on. Then, he writes that after the game they go back to the dorm for the evening.

This is all in his first day in Kuwait; July 11, 2009.

Then the next day, he talks about driving through a sandstorm that essentially looks like a blizzard in intensity. (Those sandstorms block out the light of the sun.)

When they arrive at the Ali Al Salem Air Force base, he mentions the soldiers reclining in black easy chairs while watching TV. He speaks of everybody wearing body armor and helmets, and about the intensity of the heat. (This was an Air Force Base, they had air conditioning.)

He talks about trying to sleep while bombs are exploding. He mentions being in a General’s office and hearing the words “Incoming, incoming”; he and the General proceed to a bunker where they stay for about 45 minutes. Then he writes “Since this was our last night, I thank Gen. Brown for making sure we received the full experience on the frontline.”

I could go on and on – but I will let you read the article.

Camp Arifjan, Kuwait was essentially base camp for Pat’s unit. They were just outside Arifjan, and they called it Truckville, and it was a tent city at that time. There was no Starbucks. There was no air conditioning. They didn’t have ice; they certainly didn’t have a gymnasium to play basketball in. There were no dorms, they lived in tents. They had outhouses. There were no easy chairs, and certainly no televisions. During the intense heat, the soldiers wore full body armor and traveled in vehicles that had no air conditioning, and the heat in the cabs of those vehicles would soar near 150 degrees. That is not a typo – 150 degrees. At 9:30 in the morning it would be 136 degrees in the shade; again, they had no A/C, no ice, no dorms, they lived in tents. They did their missions using “strip maps”; there was no GPS either. They did not get flown from destination to destination. They drove, and they were constantly in danger.

Then Bob Delaney writes: “JULY 18-20 After spending the night in a Kuwait hotel, it's time for the next leg of the journey — a flight to Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany. We arrive Saturday night and on Sunday, we spend a day in Heidelburg and I make the comment to Ron Barr that we've lived a compressed version of what real soldiers experience: we've been to war, and now we're on R&R.”

He was there for one week.

Those of you who have come to know me – can imagine my reaction to this article.

Below is the link.
http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/essays/bob-delaneys-journal-of-his-personal-journey-to-iraq/1025832

Mental Stress Training Is Planned for U.S. Soldiers (New York Times)

(and to this I say - where was this kind of intervention at the beginning of the war? It only took 6+ years.....)

August 18, 2009

PHILADELPHIA — The Army plans to require that all 1.1 million of its soldiers take intensive training in emotional resiliency, military officials say.

The training, the first of its kind in the military, is meant to improve performance in combat and head off the mental health problems, including depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and suicide, that plague about one-fifth of troops returning from Afghanistan and Iraq.

Active-duty soldiers, reservists and members of the National Guard will receive the training, which will also be available to their family members and to civilian employees.

(click here for complete story)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/18/health/18psych.html.

Army Lt. Gen. Rick Lynch, commander at Fort Hood, Texas

This article was sent to me by a friend who lives in Austin, Tx. This is the story of an amazing Army leader, Army Lt. Gen. Rick Lynch, commander at Fort Hood, Texas.

Fort Hood, with 340 square miles and 53,000 soldiers (though one-third usually are deployed) is considered the largest military installation in the country.

This is a story of what makes a true leader - not only in the military, but in life.

AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN

Sunday, August 16, 2009

"General focuses on well-being of soldiers, families"

Post commander cuts work hours, institutes programs to reduce stress, suicides and wrecks.

KILLEEN, TX - The general's 15-hour days of high-velocity work always begin in anguish.

At 5:30 a.m., Army Lt. Gen. Rick Lynch shuts his office door at Fort Hood and walks to his desk. He opens a frayed Bible with verses highlighted in yellow and underlined in blue ink.

He is alone in a crowd.

Staring at him are the faces of 153 fallen soldiers. Each soldier died in Iraq under Lynch's command in 2007-08 before he got the top job at Fort Hood. Now, each soldier is immortalized in a color mug shot on a 51\/4-inch-by-31\/8-inch white plastic card.

The deck of lives lost is more than 3 inches thick.

Lynch lifts the laminated cards that he had specially made and cradles them in his heavily freckled hands.

"All those youngsters thought they had a future," he tells himself. "They had aspirations. They had goals. But they died in a place on the battlefield where I placed them. And I gotta live with that the rest of my life."

(click here for complete story)

http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/2009/08/16/0816general.html.

PTSD PANDEMIC

Breaking news: PTSD Pandemic
.

Lamoureux Valley Times -
August 16, 2009

.
By Sue Lamoureux - LVT

Many Americans are concerned about the current swine flu pandemic as researchers work feverishly to develop and distribute a vaccine for the swine flu.

According to the World Health Organization, a pandemic is defined as an epidemic infectious disease that is spreading through human populations across a large region.

On May 20, 2009, MSNBC reported that there are 10,000 worldwide cases of swine flu.

An infectious disease is, of course, that which is contagious that makes you sick, which is generally recognized as being spread by bacteria, virus, fungus, etc. A non-infectious disease is a variety that can be due to exposure to the environment.

Modern medicine has developed medications to combat and or cure a large majority of infectious and non-infectious diseases.

There is no vaccine for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. There is no “cure” for PTSD.

(NOTE: The VA’s “cure” for PTSD is to prescribe as many medications listed in the Physician’s Desk Reference (PDR) as possible. If the right combination of medications is prescribed, the veteran will become suicidal or homicidal and that will alleve the VA of the burden and responsibility of caring for one less Veteran. )

According to the uscensus.gov/population clock on August 16, 2009 at 8:26 GMT, there are 307, 184,190 Americans.

According to Wikipedia, as of February 28, 2009, there were 1,454,515 active duty military personnel, plus the seven reserve component personnel of 848,000 for a grand total of 2,302,515 military personnel serving our country.

On March 23, 2009, Bradley G. Mayes, Director of Compensation and Pension Services, Veteran Benefits Administration, while speaking before the House Committee on Veterans Affairs, stated that from 1999 to fiscal year ending 2008, that service connected compensation claims for PTSD rose from 120,000 to 345,520.

On June 18, 2009, the Army Times reported that the backlog of pending VA claims was 722,000, with an additional 172,000 claims in appeals – which indicates that the VA has a backlog of almost 1 million claims that have not been adjudicated.

The figures from the two previous sources of course, do not include the number of Veterans who have not filed, or will not file a claim with the Veterans Administration.

Out of that one million pending claims, the possibility exists that 100% of them could involve PTSD, among other service connected disabilities.

In 2007, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) 16.7% of active duty military were affected by PTSD; 24.5% of the reserve component were affected.

Therefore, using statistics from over 2 years ago if we take 16.7% of our current active duty military and 24.5% of our reserve component, we could have another 450,664 soldiers diagnosed with PTSD.

Let’s not forget those almost 1 million pending claims. If we take the average of 16.7% and 24.5% and apply 20.6% to those almost 1 million pending claims, that is an additional 206,000 cases of PTSD.

That means we have the potential of an additional 656,664 PTSD service connected disability compensated Veterans in addition to the 345,520 establish claims, for a total of 1,002,184. And guess what? It’s coming to America .

I’m sorry, but that sounds like a pandemic to me.

Our government, the DoD, the VA and the spoiled, ungrateful, apathetic, American public is not ready for this pandemic.

Wake up America - PTSD is on your doorstep.