Pocono News Section

Mobile Center Helps to Reach Rural Veterans

Mobile Center Helps to Reach Rural Veterans - Monday, September 14, 2009 at 5:25PM EST

Reported by: Mike Trim
Monday, Sep 14, 2009 @ 05:25pm EDT
1 in every 8 servicemen return from Iraq and Afghanistan with a silent killer: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD. If untreated, it can severely disrupt a veteran's life.

There's a wealth of help for p-t-s-d, but some live too far from those facilities. The V. A.'s Mobile Vet Center hopes to help those veterans.

Navy veteran Mark Burrier will drive the facility that looks much like an over-sized RV. "Anything that will help these folks out. I mean it's just very fortunate for me," said Burrier.

The mobile center helps veterans who can't make the trip to the VA Medical Center in Plains Township. Counselors will ride along to help with cases of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and more.

Mobile vet center counselor Joe May said, "To get the help as early as they need it. The sooner they get any of the help they might need the sooner they can get readjusted to civilian life coming back from a combat tour.Ó

A satellite connection in this center brings doctors to the scene through this screen. Vets can also research financial options for college.

The Veterans Adminstration created this and many more centers this year. There's only 50 of these mobile centers in the country and two, including this one are right here in Pennsylvania.

Veterans usually have a five year window to register with the VA after their service. Burrier hopes this bus can make that registration easier for rural vets. Burrier said, "It's very important for me to be a part of it because I lived it. ItÕs a close knit community."

A community that's being serviced a lot easier now that this mobile center is on the road.

The mobile vet center is on display Monday night. It's at a benefit at Smokey Bones Bar and Grill in Wilkes-Barre. It will be at the Tokishi Training Center in Wellsboro, Tioga County this Thursday.