Eliminate barriers

I am writing regarding the Jan. 13 article “Measure Seeks Wider Mental Care Outside the VA System.”

There is debate over whether the Improve Well-Being for Veterans Act will be more helpful or detrimental, which is where the role of occupational therapy comes in. Occupational therapists are trained to help in the exact areas that the act aims to address. The VA network can hire OTs to work directly for them but can have them located in more rural areas, thereby increasing OTs delivery of services and veterans’ access to services.

Occupational therapists are increasingly practicing in the mental health field and can even provide the physical services that veterans often need in addition to mental health services. OTs would be able to keep care in-house while also eliminating many of the barriers veterans currently face when seeking treatment, but they need to be utilized. Many more veterans would be able to receive care this way.

Occupational therapists are a simple and effective solution for keeping care in-house while also ensuring quality of care. Items such as medication management and mental health screenings are integral to an occupational therapists’ training. Occupational therapists, essentially, can act as the “one-stop shop” for any services that veterans who live rurally may need. This is the perfect medium for keeping services inhouse while also providing care to those in need and reducing the ever climbing suicide rate among veterans.

MEGAN DIX

Bloomfield