The VA Black Hills Health Care System is hosting a series of mental health summits designed for veterans, their families, veterans’ service organizations and local agencies. The goal of the events is to create collaborative efforts to enhance the mental health and well-being of veterans and their families.
Rich Rainer is a mental health specialist for the V.A. He says this is the 4th year the annual mental health summit has taken place but the first time there has been a concerted effort for outreach in rural areas.
“Most of South Dakota…western South Dakota…is highly rural…depending on how you look at it,” observes Rainer. “Or isn’t even considered rural anymore. It’s considered frontier. And so when we have veterans leave our facility we need to know folks in the community that we can hook them up with…especially individuals that are transitioning out of residential so that if there’s a crisis they know who to contact and how to connect with care.”
Rainer admits that finding mental health support in rural areas can be a challenge. He says this is part of the reason for the mental health summit.
Rainer says it’s because of this that the VA invited everyone from Veterans Service officers to mental health providers to vocational rehabilitation organizations to the events.
The 2016 Veteran’s Mental Health Summit takes place in Rapid City and Hot Springs on Wednesday and Thursday respectively.
VA Black Hills Health Care System 2016 Veteran’s Mental Health Summit -
Rapid City Mental Health Summit – Wednesday – September 14
S.D. National Guard Camp Rapid, Building 802
Hot Springs Mental Health Summit – Thursday – September 15
Hot Springs VA Domiciliary, Building 11 Auditorium
Both events will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.