Despite adding billions of dollars for mental health care to Department of Veterans Affairs budgets the last four years, and the hiring of 7,000 more mental health professionals at VA clinics and hospitals, many veterans with severe combat-related stress still face long waits to get the care they need. And some VA facilities might be […]
Police looking for jail inmate
November 17, 2011
CNJ staff A Curry County jail inmate is on the loose after a mental health facility in Roswell released him, according to a press release received by fax Thursday from County Manager Lance Pyle. Quran Wiggins was taken Oct. 7 from the jail to Sunrise Mental Health Center for treatment, the release said. He was […]
Children’s sickness wears down mom, too
February 17, 2011
Watching my little guys suffer with sickness is brutal mental torture. I do everything I possibly can, yet I still just have to sit aside and wait for medicine to take its course and assist those poor little immune systems in fighting off the woes of the world. I know that I’m not alone in […]
Children of deployed more likely to seek mental health care
November 19, 2010
By Elaine Wilson: American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON —Young children from military families are more likely to seek mental and behavioral health care when a parent is deployed than when a parent is at home, a military study has concluded. Findings also show that children of married couples — with the father as the servicemember […]
VA secretary spurs revised PTSD regulation
July 20, 2010
By Tom Philpott: Military Update Many veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder must be asking themselves today why it took the Department of Veterans Affairs so long to ease the hassle of qualifying for compensation for mental wounds of war. VA officials aren’t sure themselves. But unsurprisingly they agree with veterans’ advocacy groups that the man […]
VA official stresses mental health screenings
April 15, 2010
By Donna Miles: American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON — Close collaboration between Defense and Veterans Affairs department officials, plus proactive military screening policies are helping to identify and treat mental-health issues in returning combat veterans before they escalate into more serious, long-term problems, said the Veteran Affairs secretary. Secretary Eric K. Shinseki credited Defense Secretary […]
Blanket project keeps group positive
October 10, 2009
CNJ staff photo: Liliana Castillo Rosa Alomar, from left to right, Lucia Daniel, Donna Wilde and Jerri Miller, members of the Positive Expectations program, began making blankets about two months ago for women with children in Afghanistan. By Liliana Castillo: CNJ staff writer A group of Clovis mothers are putting their hands to work to […]
Mental health should be priority
May 16, 2009
By Anita Tedaldi: CNJ columnist This is supposed to be the year of the military family. I know. It’s only the middle of May, there are many months ahead of us and great things can, and hopefully will be done, but I’m an inpatient person. I actually worked on a story on what the year […]
Bingaman bill addresses mental illness among children
May 7, 2009
U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman today introduced legislation aimed at ramping up the number of mental health professionals who specialize in treating children and adolescents.
Military lessens stigma of mental health counseling
May 1, 2008
By Anita Doberman I asked my husband and some of his military friends whether they would seek mental health counseling. Ninety-nine percent, including hubby, answered with a resounding “no” — regardless of the issue.
Bull rider puts faith in prayer
September 23, 2007
CNJ staff photo: Liliana Castillo Mike Strong of Livingston, Mont., received an option for a rerun after his ride Saturday night at the Professional Bull Riders Discovery Event at Curry County Mounted Patrol Arena. By Gabriel Monte: CNJ staff writer Bonner Bolton didn’t need to rub a rabbit’s foot or keep a horeshoe, or even […]
Portales falls in season opener
August 31, 2007
By Mickey Winfield: Freedom New Mexico The Robertson Cardinals erased a two-touchdown Portales lead and beat the Rams 20-15 Friday night at Greyhound Stadium. Robertson quarterback Adrian Martinez threw two first-half touchdown passes to receiver Chris Ellis, followed by a third-quarter connection from Jake Martinez to Jesse Estrada to complete the comeback. “We just didn’t […]
Panic attacks not uncommon
June 21, 2007
Anita Doberman: Columnist I get panic attacks. They’re not frequent, and I’ll go years without one. But inevitably and without warning, they show up like an uninvited guest. I say without warning, but they’re not entirely random. While my husband is trying to assure me I’m not having a heart attack, he’ll gently ask me […]
Panic not uncommon
June 15, 2007
By Anita Doberman: Columnist I get panic attacks. They’re not frequent, and I’ll go years without one. But inevitably and without warning, they show up like an uninvited guest. I say without warning, but they’re not entirely random. While my husband is trying to assure me I’m not having a heart attack, he’ll gently ask […]
Wounds from tragedy not just physical
March 28, 2007
By Marlena Hartz: CNJ staff writer These wounds cannot be seen or felt or touched. But they are just as painful as those that can. Mental health officials said victims of Friday’s tornado can endure the same emotional effects as soldiers in wars. And the mental toll of surviving a disaster can be triggered weeks […]
Hate crime definitions reek of double standards
September 5, 2006
By Mona Charen: Syndicated Columnist The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that two men are being sought in connection with an arson at a Minneapolis mosque — a crime that has attracted the attention of the FBI as a potential bias crime. Liberal City Council Member Gary Schiff arrived at the scene to pronounce: “There’s no […]
Woman involved in standoff sent to mental facility
July 6, 2006
CNJ Staff A 32-year-old Clovis woman involved in an armed standoff in May 2005 was sentenced Monday to 18 years at a secure mental health facility, according to a news release from 9th Judicial District Attorney Matt Chandler. Judge Stephen Quinn found Shireen Simons a danger to herself and others, and ordered her to be […]
Year’s disappointments make good fertilizer
December 29, 2005
By Grant McGee: Local Columnist Remember that hard freeze we had the first week of December? Temperatures were hovering around zero. Thick ice covered the back-yard pond. When the pond thawed there were a bunch of belly-up goldfish on the surface. I had been so proud of those little goldfish. They were born last summer. […]
Lady Eagles beat Gateway Christian
September 9, 2005
By Jesse Wolfersberger: CNJ sports writer Clovis Christian coach Ceil Boatman said when her team struggles, it’s more mental than physical. Outside hitter Tasha Daale recorded 10 kills and senior setter Mollie Peterson dished out 20 assists, but the Lady Eagles needed four games to finish off winless Gateway Christian on Thursday at CCS. “A […]
Location could affect disability claims
December 6, 2004
Tom Phillpot: Military Update More than two years after congressional auditors scored it as a problem, the Department of Veterans Affairs still has no way to assess whether its 57 regional offices are consistent in deciding disability claims for veterans suffering from the same type and severity of impairment. The Government Accountability Office, in recent […]
