BG Hammond and Dr. Sylvia were here for a Q&A on 4/10/18 to answer questions about wellness-based programs

BG Jack Hammond — Wed, 04 Apr 2018 10:38:57 -0400

Home Base’s Executive Director, retired Brigadier General Jack Hammond, and Director of Health and Wellness, Dr. Louisa Sylvia, are here to talk about the wellness-based programs Home Base has created to help heal the invisible wounds of war. These initiatives include fitness programs to empower Veterans to take control of their physical wellbeing, as well as mind body courses to help address the negative impact that stress can have on Veterans. What questions do you have for us about resilience and wellness programs for Veterans?

Brigadier General (ret.) Jack Hammond
During his distinguished 30-year military career in the U.S. Army, General Hammond commanded troops from the platoon to brigade level during peace and war, becoming the first Massachusetts officer to achieve the rank of general officer in a combat theater since World War II. General Hammond had multiple combat commands in both Iraq and Afghanistan to include serving as; Commanding General for U.S. Forces in Kabul Province, and multiple Battalion Commands in Iraq.

General Hammond has served as the Executive Director of the Home Base Program since his retirement from the U.S. Army in 2012. During this time he has presented at the White House Summit on Veterans and Military Family Mental Health, President Bush’s Veteran Stand-To Summit, Advised President Obama’s Commission on Military Benefits and Retirement, and served on Governor Charlie Baker’s Healthcare Transition Team & Veteran Advisory Council.

Dr Louisa Grandin Sylvia
Dr. Louisa Sylvia is a staff psychologist and director of Psychology at Bipolar Clinic and Research Program at Massachusetts General Hospital, director of the Health and Wellness at the Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital Home Base Program, and an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Sylvia’s major research interests are developing resilience and wellness programs for veterans and individuals with mood disorders. She was awarded a K23 Career Development grant from the National Institute of Mental Health to develop Nutrition/diet, Exercise, and Wellness Treatment (i.e., “NEW Tx”) for bipolar disorder. She was also funded by the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention to develop a brief sleep intervention for to improve sleep and suicidality.

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Response by CPT David Gowel made Apr 4 at 2018 1:07 PM

CPT David Gowel — Wed, 04 Apr 2018 13:07:42 -0400

BG Jack Hammond, Dr. Sylvia thank you for joining us on RallyPoint and for all that you do in support of the military community's mental health. Can you talk about the geographic reach of Home Base services for our RP members who are dealing with PTS or other mental health challenges? Do you have referral programs outside of Massachusetts, remote access programs, etc. for those who need help outside your coverage area? Thanks again for your exceptional service to our country.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 4 at 2018 1:45 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 04 Apr 2018 13:45:05 -0400

BG Jack Hammond I have seen some academic texts in which the trauma that is experienced can be reduced to minimize long term effects of PTSD if the event is discussed and counseled within a 3-7 day period following the event. Is it possible to do this during after action reports? Would this be beneficial to our troops in the long run?

Thank you so very much for all that you and Dr. Sylvia are doing for our veteran community.

Response by Cpl Mark A. Morris made Apr 4 at 2018 8:46 PM

Cpl Mark A. Morris — Wed, 04 Apr 2018 20:46:09 -0400

Greetings BG,
Do you think we could reduce these wounds by using the military as a broad sword and stay away from COIN?
For example, using overwhelming force from the sea with support to take ground. Allowing special operators a fortified position to come and go. Then, leaving before the enemy can mass it's force?
I'm not an extremist. But, I can see exceptions. We are increasing those wounds with door to door city operations IMO. That is just one example.
Regards,

Response by Lt Col Charlie Brown made Apr 6 at 2018 11:00 PM

Lt Col Charlie Brown — Fri, 06 Apr 2018 23:00:35 -0400

I am a licenced behavioral health counselor and I volunteer for the Red Cross . We have a series of psychoeducational workshops for military and veterans on subjects such as Stress, Anger, Depression and now Mind-Body skills. How can we partner with you to reach more military, veterans and their family members?

Response by SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth made Apr 7 at 2018 10:37 AM

SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth — Sat, 07 Apr 2018 10:37:35 -0400

No questions General, just wanting to thank you for your service to our great country, and your continued dedication to the troops.

Response by SPC Margaret Higgins made Apr 8 at 2018 11:08 AM

SPC Margaret Higgins — Sun, 08 Apr 2018 11:08:04 -0400

BG Jack Hammond: WOW, SIR, BRIGADIER GENERAL JACK HAMMOND! WHAT A GREAT, GREAT HONOR IT IS TO HAVE YOU WITH US; HERE ON RALLY POINT!
I don't have any questions for you; but please, Brigadier General Hammond: ENJOY, THOROUGHLY, YOUR STAY WITH US!
I HONOR YOU NO END, SIR; AND, CONGRATULATIONS ON MAKING BRIGADIER GENERAL!
Most Sincerely, Margaret C. Higgins U.S. Army Retired: Coach/Photographer

Response by 1SG Clifford Barnes made Apr 8 at 2018 12:16 PM

1SG Clifford Barnes — Sun, 08 Apr 2018 12:16:09 -0400

Keep up the great job Sir

Response by SPC David Willis made Apr 9 at 2018 5:15 PM

SPC David Willis — Mon, 09 Apr 2018 17:15:32 -0400

Thanks for what y'all do and go Red Sox!

Response by 2LT Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 9 at 2018 6:21 PM

2LT Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 09 Apr 2018 18:21:17 -0400

BG Hammond and Dr. Sylvia,
I would love to learn more about your 6-week Resilient Warrior course for veterans and service members. Is the program modeled after the Army's Master Resilence Training course? Do you refer individuals to the program, or do they seek it out on their own? Do you envision the program expanding beyond Home Base in future years?
Thank you for all that you do.
Respectfully,
a medical student in Boston and big fan of Home Base

Response by CPL Dave Hoover made Apr 9 at 2018 7:38 PM

CPL Dave Hoover — Mon, 09 Apr 2018 19:38:11 -0400

Go SOX, been a Red Sox fan since 1990 (stationed at Ft Devens) .

Response by Capt Brandon Charters made Apr 10 at 2018 12:07 PM

Capt Brandon Charters — Tue, 10 Apr 2018 12:07:21 -0400

BG Jack Hammond & Dr Sylvia, thanks for joining us today. I have 2 questions for you:
1. General Hammond - What have been some of the most impactful milestones you've seen your troops accomplish while deployed in theater?
2. What resilience & wellness programs have been most effective with veterans you've worked with at Home Base?

Response by CPO Nate S. made Apr 10 at 2018 2:15 PM

CPO Nate S. — Tue, 10 Apr 2018 14:15:53 -0400

Dear General Hammond and Dr. Sylvia,

Often the Invisible Wounds of War (IWoW) are ignited when veterans returning home get out and despite their IWoW still need to provide for themselves and their families. I have been retired > 20 yrs now and thank God I am stable on a number of fronts. However, that is not true for my "shipmates" as we call them in the US Navy and often refer to them in the other services. It is a term of endearment.

With this said, in a review of un / under-employment working age veterans (e.g. 18 - 64 yo age group , as defined by US Census/Dept of Labor) is the lost economic impact because of veteran un / under-employment. The Officer / Enlisted veteran ratio is ~ 20/80. With 4x the number of enlisted service members needing to have financial stability post military service, the below is a graphic that is important to consider regarding that veteran financial stability piece of the wellness pie for resilience leading to post-military success.

How is Home Base addressing the issue of veteran employment as a Social Determinant of Health issue? And, then creating mitigation strategies to, as part of the MIND-BODY dynamic, improve resiliency in veterans in the 18-64 yo age group. Despite the media hype, the real numbers tell the story.

The graphic below is organized by HHS regions. In Region 1, your neck of the woods, there are an estimated 90K+ plus working age vets un / under employed. Veteran resilience, is about overall veteran quality of life. How is Home Base attacking and holding "this hill" in terms of resiliency assuring a holistic approach to vets that participate wellness programs in your area who are also looking to develop, redevelop and expand their soft and other skills.

Response by BG Jack Hammond made Apr 10 at 2018 2:58 PM

BG Jack Hammond — Tue, 10 Apr 2018 14:58:50 -0400

Good Afternoon, RallyPoint! I look forward to answering your questions about Home Base’s wellness-based programs today. I have served as the Executive Director of Home Base since my retirement from the U.S. Army in 2012 after a 30-year military career. I look forward to hearing from you today!

Response by Louisa Sylvia made Apr 10 at 2018 2:58 PM

Louisa Sylvia — Tue, 10 Apr 2018 14:58:56 -0400

Good Afternoon, RallyPoint! Dr. Louisa Sylvia, Director of Health and Wellness at Home Base, here to answer your questions about our wellness-based programs. As the daughter of a Vietnam Veteran – my father served as a 1st LT in the Marines and deployed to Da Nang – I am especially honored to be part of the Q&A today. I am looking forward to hearing from you!

Response by Patricia Overmeyer made Apr 10 at 2018 3:20 PM

Patricia Overmeyer — Tue, 10 Apr 2018 15:20:23 -0400

What programs do you offer for the families (spouses/children)? In my line of work, this is one of the biggest reasons for divorce...there is no mental health support for the family.

Response by BG Jack Hammond made Apr 10 at 2018 4:04 PM

BG Jack Hammond — Tue, 10 Apr 2018 16:04:30 -0400

A message from Home Base’s Executive Director, retired Brigadier General Jack Hammond, and Home Base’s Director of Health and Wellness, Dr. Louisa Sylvia: We would like to thank you all for your desire to learn more about the mental health challenges and issues some of our former military Service members face when they return to civilian life. We consider ourselves exceptionally fortunate to work daily with our nation's Veterans and are grateful so many of them—and their loved ones — have trusted Home Base with their care. We would also like to thank Rallypoint, not only for the organization of this live discussion, but for taking the initiative to host this effort to raise awareness and bring to light Home Base’s mission to heal the invisible wounds. We know that much important work remains to be done to continue removing barriers to mental health services for Veterans, Service Members and their families. Our most valuable resource is our community. If you have additional questions about Home Base, our wellness-based programs, or would like to donate to our cause visit homebase.org or call [login to see] . Thank you to each of you for your service, and for sharing your thoughts and questions through this discussion. Their mission is complete. Ours has just begun.