NYSHealth Announces RFP Seeking First Comprehensive Needs Assessment on New York's Returning Veterans and their Families

August 21, 2008

NYSHealth to Commission a Statewide Assessment of Social Service Needs

Facing Veterans and Their Families

August 20, 2008 (New York, NY) – The New York State Health Foundation (NYSHealth) today announced that it is soliciting proposals to conduct New York State’s first comprehensive needs assessment of the health, mental health, and social service needs of returning veterans and their families.

“As New York State is home to more than 1.4 million veterans and one of the most prominent and active military bases in deploying troops to Iraq and Afghanistan, we should be leading the way in providing a comprehensive and integrated approach to caring for our veterans and their families,” said James R. Knickman, NYSHealth President and CEO. “This needs assessment will provide us with a clear picture of the challenges these returning veterans face and will better inform crucial work that is being done to provide them with the support and resources they deserve.”

National data show that one in three Iraq veterans will face serious psychological injury including depression, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or anxiety. Returning veterans who do not receive timely and appropriate care for mental health issues are at risk for chronic mental illness, substance use issues, divorce, unemployment, homelessness, and even suicide.

“Many returning veterans and their families are facing some daunting hurdles.” said Jacqueline Martinez, NYSHealth Senior Program Director. “In order to properly serve our veterans and their families, it is critical that we have an in-depth understanding of the challenges they face so that at the local, state, and national level appropriate services and resources can be provided to prevent adverse outcomes like substance use, homelessness, unemployment, or even suicide .”

The needs assessment will include:

identifying existing sources of data on returning veterans’ health, mental health, socioeconomic status, and other relevant demographic factors;
collecting and analyzing data related to the health, mental health, and social needs of returning veterans and their families;
cataloging existing resources for veterans and their families; and
identifying model state-level strategies for addressing the needs of returning veterans and their families.

With thousands of returning Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans in the State, NYSHealth has taken an active role in ensuring that veterans and their families receive the comprehensive services they deserve. The NYSHealth Initiative for Returning Veterans and Their Families focuses on the health, mental health and substance use issues experienced by returning veterans and their families because they are important public health issues that require immediate attention in communities throughout New York State. NYSHealth views this needs assessment project as a critical step to advance improvements in this area.

Please click here to read the RFP.