With Veterans Day being observed on Nov. 12, it’s a good time to reflect on how we can better serve these American heroes.
The week of Nov. 12-16 has been deemed Joining Forces Wellness Week by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). To recognize the week and honor our country’s veterans, the AAMC is asking its more than 100 members to make sure that future physicians are educated to treat the unique needs of the military.
Today’s returning war veterans face many challenges. Of the more than 2.6 million service members who have deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq, it’s estimated that between 13-20 percent of them either have or will develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) caused by improvised explosive devices (IED) has become the signature injury of returning veterans. More than 11,800 troops have been seriously injured in IED attacks, and many thousands more have been near enough to suffer a concussion.
It is believed that between 10 and 20 percent of Iraq veterans, or 150,000 and 300,000 people, have some level of TBI. Among wounded troops, the rate of TBI rises to 33 percent.
In conjunction with Joining Forces Wellness Week, we will be exposing our first- and second- year medical students to the AAMC’s campaign as part of their Integrated Clinical Experience. Devin Nickol, M.D., internal medicine, will work with first-year students, while Regan Taylor, M.D., internal medicine, will work with second-year students.
UNMC has always had a strong presence in serving our veterans. Many of our faculty provide clinical care to veterans at the VA Medical Center. In addition, more than 400 medical students and 100 resident physicians from UNMC and Creighton University receive training each year at the VA Medical Center.
We owe our veterans for the huge sacrifices they make in keeping our country free. I urge all of you to take a minute next week and recognize a veteran. You’ll be glad you did.