ANNAPOLIS, MD (March 31, 2009) -
Maryland Lt. Governor Anthony G. Brown
today joined representatives of
the public mental health industry and
veterans affairs as Maryland
became the first state in the nation to
launch a "Network of Care"
Website devoted to the state's veterans.
The Maryland
Veterans Network of Care portal is an
on-line resource that
provides simple and fast access
to information on local, state and
national behavioral health
services available to veterans. The
portal is part
of Network of Care online community.
"We ask a great deal of our military
families and our veterans and for
that we owe them a debt of
gratitude. When we saw men and women
falling
through the cracks of a large and out
dated federal VA system, we didn't
point fingers. We chose to act,"
Lt. Governor Brown said. "Maryland's
Commitment to Veterans initiative
is a national model for what states
can do to improve veteran
services, especially behavioral health
services. We are proud to be the
first state in America to launch the
Veterans Network of Care portal.
We hope that other states follow our
example and make veterans health
a leading priority."
Last year, the O'Malley-Brown
administration introduced to the General
Assembly one of the most
comprehensive veterans packages in the
nation.
The cornerstone of the package was the
Veterans Behavioral Health
Initiative that set aside $2.3
million for behavioral health services
for veterans of Iraq and
Afghanistan. The initiative provides
funding for
four regional resource coordinators who
help direct behavioral
health services to veterans in
need. The administration introduced a
bill this year that will expand
the Veterans Behavioral Health
Initiative to include all
veterans. Brown is working closely with
leaders in the General Assembly
to protect funding for this program.
"Many veterans do not sign up for
services through the VA, and their
families don't know where to turn
for help," said Department of Health
and Mental Hygiene Secretary John
M. Colmers. "The Veterans Network of
Care portal is a comprehensive
Website that includes information to
help veterans
find and sign up for these services."
Studies show that as many as one out of
three veterans returning from
Iraq and Afghanistan suffers from
mental health problems, including
traumatic brain injury and
post-traumatic stress disorder. Of those
veterans, more than two out of
three do not receive the proper medical
attention that is necessary.
Other studies have found that today's
returning veterans have a
significantly higher rate of suicide
than veterans
from previous conflicts.
"The Veterans Network of Care portal
will serve as a bridge between
federal, state and local services
available for veterans. As a unique,
new outreach and information hub it will
serve all of Maryland's
veterans regardless of their
geographic location," said Maryland
Department of Veterans Affairs Deputy
Secretary Wilbert Forbes.
Found at
www.mdveterans.networkofcare.org,
Maryland's Veterans Network
of Care portal builds on the
success of the state's Network of Care
site which
launched last year. It is hosted by the
Department of Health and
Mental Hygiene (DHMH), with
assistance from the state Mental Health
Association, National Alliance on
Mental Illness-Maryland, On Our Own of
Maryland and the Maryland
Association of Core Service Agencies.
DHMH is in the
fourth year of a five-year $13.7 million
federal grant to
implement transformation
initiatives in mental health care.
The Network of Care community allows
consumers to have a lead role in
addressing their needs for
behavioral health services, and also
allows them to
store medical records, advance
directives and personal wellness
plans in a password-protected
personal folder. The site also contains
a library of
mental health articles, links to support
and advocacy
organizations, and reports on
legislation.
"This is a flexible system that can be
updated within 24 hours," said
Renata J. Henry, DHMH Deputy
Secretary for Behavioral Health and
Disabilities. "It is compatible with the
2-1-1 system and is available
to anyone, including providers
and those who staff crisis response
systems."
The Network of Care online community was
developed by Trilogy Integrated
Resources. California's Network
of Care system was showcased by the
President's New Freedom
Commission in 2003 as a model program to
help transform
mental health care in the nation and is
recognized as a
leading force in the
transformation of mental health care
from a system
that relied primarily on clinical
treatment to one that empowers an
individual to make decisions
regarding his or her care.
"We were so proud to be able to work
with both the veterans and mental
health leadership of Maryland to
develop this remarkable resource for
our returning soldiers," said
Trilogy president Bruce Bronzan.
"Maryland now
has the most advanced and comprehensive,
locally-based information
resource for veterans and their
families in the country."
More information about Maryland's main
Network of Care Web site is
available by clicking on
"Maryland" found through the
"Mental/Behavioral
Health" link at
www.networkofcare.org.
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