Penn State Berks will host a mental health summit for veterans titled “Bridging the Gap” from 8:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Friday, June 8, in the Perkins Student Center Auditorium. The summit will be presented by the Lebanon Veterans Affairs Medical Center as part of their 2018 Community Mental Health Summit Series.
Designed to bring together key stakeholders within the veterans community who reside in Berks and Schuylkill counties and members of local community agencies who serve veterans, the goal of the summit is addressing the mental health care needs of veterans and their family members and enhancing access to mental health services.
This summit will focus on multiple topics to further awareness of VA services and community resources. The underlying principle is to recognize that truly veteran-centered, recovery-oriented care requires active and ongoing cooperation with veterans, caregivers and community partners. The Community Mental Health Summit (CMHS) Series is intended to further develop, strengthen and sustain the working relationships between veterans, the Lebanon VA, and community stakeholders.
This event is the second of three mental health summits to be held in 2018. To register, visit https://2018cmhs3.eventbrite.com. For more information, contact C. Brubaker (christine.brubaker@va.gov) or M. Haley (moneca.haley@va.gov).
About Penn State Berks
Currently, approximately 150 veterans and dependents are enrolled at Penn State Berks. The Office of Veteran Affairs on campus offers support to help with the transition from military life to the college environment, peer mentoring, assistance with making the transition from college to the workforce, VA certifying officials, college credit for military experience, a Student Veterans of America–Penn State Berks Chapter, veterans and dependents information workshops, and priority registration.
The Student Veterans of America–Penn State Berks Chapter received a $10,000 grant from The Home Depot Foundation and Student Veterans of America (SVA) for its veterans center on campus, as part of their Vet Center Initiative. The grant was used to renovate space in the Gaige Technology and Business Innovation Building and turn it into a new student veteran center on campus. The lounge is a place where student veterans can go between or after classes to study, eat lunch, socialize with other veterans, and learn about things like the GI Bill and VA benefits and health care.