Canada's first Trauma Healing Center for vets/first responders opens in N.S.

I think it is great to see this up and running . I don't know kyle but I do know trevor and david and im telling ya boys going to this place would be like old home week whether you know them are not . these are just plain good people .

propat

In my conversations over the last year with VAC employees VAC is actually ahead of the game when it comes to medical marijuana. As long as the client follows the proper steps they are paying for the treatments.

This group in NB is doing some spectacular work to help vets and it would be fantastic if a vet who uses this treatment center in Ormocto would provide some info on their experience using medical marijuana in the vaporized form.

They are often the first line of defence and ready to rush into situations that see others running in the opposite direction, but the call to duty often takes a toll on military and emergency personnel.

Some find themselves in need of help, and now they have a place to turn, with the opening of Canada’s first Trauma Healing Centre in Cole Harbour, N.S.

Those behind the centre say the hardest and most rewarding struggles will be waged in the new building.

“Nobody expected the high demand and we’re just another tool in the toolbox for veterans to get the care they deserve,” says Trevor Bungay, the vice-president of veteran relations for the centre.

The centre is open to Canadian veterans, first responders and their families to cope with post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, and chronic pain.

The privately-funded facility fills a void in government services and offers a new approach.

“What sets us apart is the fact we have multiple services under one roof, so you really have a trusted place to go,” says Kyle Atkinson, president of the Trauma Healing Centre.

Clients can access traditional therapies, like counselling, medical advice and massage therapy, as well as alternative treatments, like medical marijuana. Veteran peer counsellors are also available.

“I’ve had three tours,” says volunteer peer counsellor David McCormick. “I went from Ethiopia, Haiti and Afghanistan, so I lost quite a few buddies on my own personal deployment and previous deployments before and after me.”

Those experiences led to his own personal battle with PTSD – a vicious aftermath that has now claimed more Canadian soldiers to suicide than the entire mission to Afghanistan.

“We don’t want to see more men and women taking their lives because of stigma on PTSD or any other injury and losing your life because you don’t want to show you’re weak and broken,” says McCormick.

Bungay also suffered from PTSD after seven tours overseas, including four missions to Afghanistan. Now he is reaching out to members at the Trauma Healing Centre to aid in their recovery.

“Nothing is going to get better if you don’t take that step,” he says.

Veterans need a referral from their family doctor and government agencies are then billed for treatments.

The centre in Cole Harbour is the first of 13 that will open across Canada by the end of 2015. The Trauma Healing Centres will invest 30 per cent of their net profits into PTSD research and support services.

Read more: http://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/canada-s-first-trauma-healing-center-for-vets-first-responders-opens-in-n-s-1.2197063#ixzz3PYHmQsiJ