Over the holiday, the San Jose Mercury News ran a story on Stanford's Vets Connect program, which provides free mental-health services to men and women who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan. As explained in the piece:
Unlike the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Stanford's program takes veterans regardless of whether they were honorably or dishonorably discharged.
Also, Stanford says it will not share medical information with the military about active-duty veterans who are receiving residential care.
In the military, "There's definitely a culture of you take care of things on your own, so I think making the first step is difficult," said Dr. Bruce Arnow, co-director of Vets Connect and a professor of psychiatry at the Stanford School of Medicine.
More background on the program can be found in this release from Stanford Hospital.
