Veterans and Mental Health: Community Coffee Chat with Valley Cities

Did YOU know that....

• In 2022, Washington had about 469,565 veterans. USAFacts
• Veterans make up ~7.70% of the adult civilian population in WA
• A bill summary (House Bill 1181) says: although veterans are only ~7% of Washington’s population, they account for 19% of all suicides in the state. Washington State Legislature+1
• Over the last five years (from when that data was cited), nearly 1,000 veterans have died by suicide in WA.
• A 2018 report found that among veterans in WA enrolled in Medicaid/or receiving state social services, 56% had an identified mental health treatment need.
• It’s estimated that within King County there are 127,000 veterans who have served the U.S. Military. Of these, 20,000 veterans have likely experienced Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), or Military Sexual Trauma (MST).

Learn about the various mental health issues that our Veterans community is facing in king County, and Washington State and what Valley Cities does to help our veterans in EVERY community we serve.

Agenda

• 9:00AM-Sign In
• 10:10AM-Welcome/Introductions
• 10:15AM-Speaking with Q/A
• 10:30AM-Closing Announcements

Presenters Include

• Robert Wilson | LMHC, SUDP | CLINICAL SERVICES MANAGER, VETERANS SERVICES: Robert is a retired U.S Navy Chief Petty Officer and a veteran of Desert Storm. Prior to joining this team, he worked as a school counselor, case manager, chemical dependency counselor, and court clinician at King County Regional Veterans Court and Seattle Veterans Court.

• Sarah Faison | BS | HOUSING NAVIGATOR: Sarah Faison is a U.S. Army Veteran who served during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Prior to joining the team, Sarah was a student at Central Washington University where she earned a degree in Psychology. Sarah works as a Housing Navigator for homeless veterans in King County, and aids in helping veterans find stable, secure housing in the King County communities.

• Bryan Fry (King County Vets): Bryan Fry is a Program Manager for the King County Veterans Program (KCVP). He has over 20 years of experience in various mental health and criminal justice roles to include Clinician, Probation Counselor, Social Worker, and Program Manager. As a Program Manager for KCVP, Bryan supervises a team of case managers committed to providing compassionate and high-quality services to veterans, service members and their families. This includes comprehensive case management, financial assistance, support services, and community partnerships to individuals and families with the goal of achieving their highest quality of life. Additionally, Bryan is a United States Navy veteran and holds a Master of Arts Degree in Mental Health Counseling.

• Joshua Wheeldon: Josh Wheeldon grew up in Kelso, Washington. He comes from a long line of Veterans; his great-grandfather, grandfather, father, uncles, and cousins all served. Like his family, he served in the Army for five years, traveling to Korea and Iraq. After getting out of the military, Josh traveled to Afghanistan as a contractor. Josh settled in Puyallup, Washington, with his wife, Kate, and their sons, Maverick and Rhett. He worked for the Veteran Benefits Administration on the Public Contact Team, developing strategic outreach for the Seattle Regional Office. Six years ago, Josh came to work as a Transition Coordinator for the US Army Soldier Recovery Unit (WTB) at JBLM, WA. His hobbies include spending time with family outdoors, working on the yard, and coaching High School football for the Puyallup Vikings.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

625 S 4th St, 625 South 4th Street, Renton, United States

Concerts, fests, parties, meetups - all the happenings, one place.

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