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2013 -- S 0582 | |
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LC01877 | |
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND | |
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IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY | |
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JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2013 | |
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S E N A T E R E S O L U T I O N | |
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RESPECTFULLY REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES PROVIDE | |
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ENHANCED BEHAVIORAL CARE SERVICES AND BENEFITS FOR RHODE ISLAND | |
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VETERANS | |
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Introduced By: Senators Ottiano, Bates, Pichardo, Felag, and Lynch | |
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Date Introduced: February 28, 2013 | |
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Referred To: Senate Special Legislation and Veterans Affairs | |
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WHEREAS, As of December 2008, an estimated 25 to 40 percent (400,000 to 640,000 |
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soldiers) of the over 1.6 million American service members deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan |
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have returned with psychological and neurological injuries associated with post traumatic stress |
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disorder (PTSD) or traumatic brain injury (TBI), dubbed the “signature injuries” of the Iraq War; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, The current estimate of service members who will develop PTSD within a |
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year of leaving combat is between 10 and 30 percent; and |
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WHEREAS; The call back rate of the state’s own National Guard to active duty status is |
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the second highest in the entire United States, with over 10,000 unit deployments; and |
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WHEREAS, The number of veterans living in Rhode Island who served in the Gulf Wars |
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is three times higher than the national per capita average, and is expected to grow as troops begin |
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to withdraw from Afghanistan; and |
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WHEREAS, Approximately 3,000 veterans per year encounter the state’s behavioral |
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healthcare system, but there are many more veterans in need of services who do not receive |
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timely help; and |
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WHEREAS, A 2006 study illustrates the need in Rhode Island for trauma-related |
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services for veterans from the Gulf Wars (between 2,019 and 6,183 veterans in need), and other |
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wars (between 10,794 and 33,054 veterans in need); and |
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WHEREAS, Rhode Island does not currently have adequate resources to offer Post |
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Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) screening, referrals, and |
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treatment to all veterans upon return from deployment; and |
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WHEREAS, The Rhode Island Senate has further resolved and requested that the |
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Congress of the United States pass legislation to establish funding for individual states, including |
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Rhode Island, to implement recommendations from the President’s Joining Forces Initiative to |
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strengthen behavioral healthcare systems and supportive services for returning service members, |
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veterans, and their families; now, therefore be it |
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RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations |
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respectfully requests the Rhode Island Department of Human Services: |
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1. Further explore joint State and US Veterans’ Administration funding opportunities to |
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implement recommendations from the President’s Joining Forces Initiative to strengthen |
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behavioral healthcare systems and supportive services for our Veterans and their families. |
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2. Expand Screening Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment Programs (“SBIRT”). |
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3. Prioritize Veteran and National Guard populations in future grant applications; and be |
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it further |
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RESOLVED, That this Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to |
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send a duly certified copy of this resolution to the Rhode Island Department of Human Services |
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LC01877 | |
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