Conemaugh Health System celebrates Veterans Day with speaker and PTSD workshop

Posted: 2009-11-10

The Pastoral Care Department at Memorial Medical Center will host a Veteran’s Day Celebration on Wednesday, November 11, 2009 at 11:00am in the Atrium of Memorial Medical Center. The celebration will honor and remember all of the men and women currently serving in our military as well as the many veterans from our region. The guest speaker for the event will be Mr. Thomas Caulfield, Regional Director for the Veterans Leadership Program.

At Wednesday’s Veteran’s Day celebration, information on the Combat Stress Intervention Program (CSIP) will be available. CSIP is a collaborative program between the Conemaugh Health System and Washington and Jefferson College designed to help reduce barriers that may separate veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan from receiving much-needed combat stress or general behavioral health services.

Part of the CSIP program includes a survey that is being conducted to help determine the level of community awareness regarding combat stress in  veterans. The public is encouraged to take a few moments to respond to a brief questionnaire by logging on to www.conemaugh.org and clicking on the Help Our Troops button.   In late November CSIP will launch a large-scale public information campaign in Cambria and Somerset counties. The campaign will include public billboards (“War Touches Everyone”), public kiosks, print and broadcast public service announcements, and community education sessions.

On Sunday, November 15, 2009, the Greater Johnstown Clergy Association and PALM will host a workshop to reach out to families who are dealing with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.  The workshop, titled “Beyond the Yellow Ribbon: A Ministry to Veterans and their Families” will take place at the Westmont Presbyterian Church on Luzerne Street. The event is free and open to the public. Anyone planning to attend should call the church at (814) 536-0796. A light meal will be served.

The CSIP project is sponsored by the Department of the Army, Award Number W81XWH-07-1-0593. The awarding and administering acquisition office is the "The U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity”, 820 Chandler Street, Fort Detrick, MD 21702-5014. The content of the information does not necessarily reflect the position or the policy of the Government, and no official endorsement should be inferred.

About Memorial Medical Center

Memorial Medical Center, the flagship hospital of the Conemaugh Health System, has been recognized with the HealthGrades 2009 Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence. This ranks Memorial in the top 5% of all hospitals in the nation for overall clinical performance. For more information, visit www.conemaugh.org.

For More Information, Please Contact:
Amy Bradley, Director of Public Affairs
Phone: (814) 534-3121
Email: abradle@conemaugh.org