LIHU‘E — Veterans residing in the North Shore area are invited to the Kilauea Parish Hall of Christ Memorial Church, located across the road from the Shell gas station, starting Monday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to find out
LIHU‘E — Veterans residing in the North Shore area are invited to the Kilauea Parish Hall of Christ Memorial Church, located across the road from the Shell gas station, starting Monday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to find out more about general Veterans Affairs services and benefits.
Charlene Burgess of the VA Rural Mental Health Outreach Team on Kaua‘i said the goal is to reach new veterans in the rural districts of Kaua‘i. These include veterans who have not accessed VA services in the past.
“The Rural Mental Health Outreach Team started holding informational sessions in late February on the North Shore and the Westside of Kaua‘i,” Burgess said. “We have been going out weekly to these locations and are able to provide mental health services. A new location in Kilauea will start Monday and another site in Kekaha is scheduled to start in May.”
Burgess said she encourages veterans who are not currently using VA services to stop by the informational stations and see what the Kaua‘i VA Clinic can provide them.
Veterans are asked to bring a legible copy of their military discharge paper, unless they are already enrolled with the VA.
On Wednesdays, the VA Rural Mental Health Outreach Team hosts sessions at the Hanapepe United Church of Christ from 9:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m., and on Thursdays, the team meets at Hale Halawai ‘Ohana ‘O Hanalei — Hanalei Community Center from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
“The community partners listed have been supportive of this effort to outreach to our veterans in their communities,” Burgess said. “We are so grateful for their dedication and support.”
Burgess said the goal of VA is to increase access to mental health care for veterans who have had difficulty utilizing services for a number of reasons, including homelessness, limited transportation, long drive times, and a lack of private transportation due to financial hardship or a physical handicap.
The VA team consists of a licensed clinical social worker, addition therapist, and mental health nurse practitioner and can provide mental health counseling, addictions treatment, benefits information on VA services, assist veterans in enrolling for VA care, and eventually help create a veteran’s support group to build cohesiveness among veterans and their families in the rural areas of the island.
The project was funded by the VA Office of Rural Health, which added two new positions, a licensed clinical social worker, and medical support assistant, to support this effort.
Burgess said, according to prior years’ VA data, there were at least 1,432 enrolled veterans residing in the Northeast and North areas of Kaua‘i, spanning the area from Kapa‘a to Hanalei. Of these, only 443 are “unique” veterans actively utilizing services at the Kaua‘i VA Clinic.
On the Westside, covering the area from ‘Ele‘ele to Kekaha, there are at least 581 enrolled veterans, but only 193 are “unique” veterans actively using services at the clinic.
Based on the 2000 U.S. Census, there is an estimated total veteran population of 1,869 combined for the towns between Kapa‘a through Hanalei, and an estimated combined total of 1,042 veterans residing between ‘Ele‘ele to Kekaha.
Burgess said this data supports the belief there are still many veterans on the North Shore and Westside of Kaua‘i who have not accessed VA care.
Veterans are encouraged to call 246-0497 ext. 2561 for more information or questions related to these services.
