Continuing to Serve Our Communities in Life After Service

By Chris Meek

Last year the Department of Veterans Affairs released a report that found that 32% of veterans work in public service or charitable organizations. This is higher compared to their non-veteran counterparts, of which 22% work in those particular fields. Some may ask what makes veterans more likely to work at these types of organizations, but the fact that they do should come as no real surprise. It makes sense that those who choose to serve their country would find new ways to serve their communities in life after service.

There are a number of reasons that many veterans choose to serve their own communities. Many of those reasons are deeply personal. But I think there are also several positive key elements that draw a great number of veterans to volunteer or work in public service or charity and non-profit organizations. My hope is that in bringing light to some of these positive elements, other Veterans (and quite frankly, civilians as well) will be inspired to serve in similar outlets.

I have made it a mission of mine to help veterans take their next steps into life after service in my work through the non-profit I co-founded and serve as chairman for, SoldierStrong. As many veterans have experienced, it can often be difficult to transition from the military into everyday civilian life. However, volunteering, taking leadership roles within the community and serving the public can serve as an essential part of making that transition easier. It can be a good first step forward for many veterans, especially for those who are looking to give their life renewed meaning and purpose.

These types of roles also allow veterans to utilize many of the leadership and management skills that they developed during their time in the military and use them in outlets that are extremely beneficial to their communities. As many know, military capabilities are certainly applicable to other aspects of life and choosing to follow a path that allows you to harness skills learned during your time in the service can make you feel that your work in the civilian world is worthwhile and constructive.

Lastly, I would be remiss if I failed to mention the overwhelmingly positive impacts that this type of work ultimately can have on one’s mental health. Work in the public service and non-profit spectrums can serve as a great launching pad for beginning to lessen depression and anxiety, as well as providing a deeper sense of identity.

Even if working directly in these fields is not feasible for you, there are still great ways to give back to your community. Throughout the past few months as our country has waded through unprecedented and stressful times, there has been a greater shift to focus on mental health and to find what it is that makes us all feel happy as a way to de-stress and gain a better sense of control over our well-being. I encourage everyone to take what it is that they love and turn it into a way to give back to your community. For example, if you love to bike then organize a community bike ride to raise money for a local charity. Or if you like to knit, consider knitting hats for premature babies at your local hospital. There are many unique ways to take what you love and find a way to turn it into something that allows you to show your love for your community and its members.

Though there are a vast number of additional positive aspects of veterans working in public health and non-profit fields that I admittedly did not have enough space to cover above, I encourage those who are interested to continue their own research and hopefully take those initial next steps to serve your communities. I am entirely convinced that the number of veterans working in public service and charity outlets will only continue to rise in the years to come. Thank you to those for your service and your continued service as well.

The re-emergence of the opioid epidemic and what it means for veterans

By Chris Meek

Out of the COVID-19 pandemic, an opioid epidemic in our country has re-emerged with a vengeance. Today, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 220 Americans will lose their lives due to an opioid overdose.

To put the current number of deaths by opioid overdose into perspective, a report on substance use amid COVID-19 indicates that opioid overdoses in the U.S. increased by 42% in May 2020 when compared to May 2019. Data from the Department of Veterans Affairs also tells us that veterans continue to remain more susceptible to opioid overdoses.

The good news is that despite the seemingly overwhelming nature of the situation, COVID-19 has highlighted a number of key areas where there are viable policy options to address the opioid epidemic. However, addressing the epidemic will require targeting populations, particularly veterans, that are at a higher risk for overdose.

But what exactly can and should leadership do?

1. An effective method of preventing opioid overdose is to co-prescribe a drug known as naloxone with all opioid prescriptions. Naloxone has a 75-100% efficacy in blocking or reversing the fatal effects of an opioid overdose by reversing the respiration of individuals who experience extremely delayed breathing or have stopped breathing altogether due to ingesting a lethal amount of opioids.

Veterans Affairs hospitals already provide naloxone free of charge to veterans that are enrolled in their care programs. However, veterans receiving care outside of the VA system should have increased access to the life saving drug as well.

States could look to the precedent set by those that have a mandatory co-prescription plan currently in place, or follow the lead of California and Ohio where providing the option of a co-prescription is required for those who may want or feel they need it. Providing naloxone to a greater portion of the veteran population, which has twice the number of overdoses as their civilian counterparts, is perhaps one of the most effective ways that we can prevent death by opioid overdose among veterans.

2. Medical providers can change their approach to treating veteran patients and how they prescribe opioids. Prescribing opioids and other medications should never entirely replace traditional therapy practices, including talk therapy, physical therapy and other effective therapy methods. In fact, a study on the reasons a group of veterans discontinued using opioids as a part of their treatment plan found that they were more likely to do so because their clinician stopped prescribing the opioids as opposed to discontinuing use on their own volition.

This research highlights the critical role that clinicians can play in preventing or combatting addiction through the manner in which they prescribe opioid medications. It must be ensured that clinicians receive proper training both when it comes to prescribing opioids and detecting substance misuse.

3. Ending the opioid crisis and expanding access to substance education, prevention and treatment was a platform on which President Biden ran on during his 2020 campaign. President Biden has a fairly thorough plan laid out on his website for how his administration intends to combat the opioid epidemic. Though the plan does indicate the president’s intention to target vulnerable populations, including veterans, by expanding access to treatment and training VA clinicians in safe opioid prescribing practices, more directives must be included in the plan in order for it to truly impact opioid abuse among veterans.

The same can be said for initiatives carried out on the state level. For instance, making expanded access to rural broadband a priority in state legislatures, like Iowa and North Dakota are currently doing, would drastically improve the delivery of telemedicine. Ensuring that veterans have access to both virtual mental and physical healthcare has the potential to assuage opioid use, especially in rural areas of the country.

The public has demanded action for far too long and that demand has only become justifiably heightened in the midst of the pandemic. The political leadership on the state and federal level that we trust to protect and better the lives of veterans must act and use their platforms to help end the opioid epidemic once and for all. This includes providing tailored education, prevention and treatment options to our nation’s heroes.