CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — As we get closer to Veterans Days at the end of the week, we at 3News want to be a helpful connection for veterans to the local resources that are available to them, year-round, in the Coastal Bend.
Whether that is through a local non-profit, support-groups, or accessibility to the V.A. clinic. In Corpus Christi, there is a new facility with more space to accommodate multiple appointments, for various needs, right there on the spot. Among those needs: addressing the mental health & wellness of those who've served.
In this month's On Your Mind, we hear from staff and a local veteran there, as to how needed the mental health resources are for this area.
For Dr. Joel Wendell it's all about removing barriers (and the stigma) surrounding mental health for our local veterans. Wendell is a clinical psychologist as well as the primary care mental heath integration program manager there at the V.A. clinic.
"I really firmly believe that mental health is just part of health, and I think there’s often a lot of barriers to people getting engaged in mental health care," said Dr. Wendell.
"Something we hear often from veterans is ‘Oh, I'm sure there’s somebody else that needs this services more than I do, or what I'm dealing with is fairly minor,' and we really want to dispel that myth that we’re only here for folks who are having really serious things going on."
And while many veterans do seek help for things like PTSD, anxiety, panic attacks and more, Dr. Wendell encourages there is someone there to help with every need within general health, insomnia or making the transition to civilian life.
"Military culture is a really unique culture. It's very structured it's very goal-driven, kinda everyone is on the same page working on shared goals," Dr. Wendell explained.
"In civilian life, there's just not a lot of structure and definitely not all on the same page, and that can be really hard to adapt to."
Over the years, Dr. Wendell shared he's heard the notion that it's difficult at times to get into the V.A.
He assures that whether it's through an appointment or a walk-in, there are people ready to serve you. He adds, that if you know someone who has not been to the V.A., to encourage them to come in and just learn about what's available.
"I think sometimes there’s the perception that it’s really difficult to get an appointment or get connected, and it’s not," Dr. Wendell said.
"If you know someone who is struggling a little bit, I really encourage them to come in and get connected."
Frederick Cortez, is one of those local veterans who knows first-hand the importance of someone taking a chance on him, recounting the moment he got connected to the clinic for the first time.
"At a comic book shop of all places, I didn't know he was a veteran, we just got to talking and it just came up in conversation, 'hey what’s your rating?' And I was like, 'what’s your rating?' Because I had never come to the VA," Cortez said.
"He’s like, 'look dude, what’s your address, I'm gonna pick you up tomorrow, I'm gonna take you to the VA.'"
Cortez spent four years active-duty in Germany and Bosnia, and then went to the reserves. He was deployed to Afghanistan twice, and would later return to South Texas. Cortez's chapter in the service came to a close in 2005.
However, that interaction with the veteran at the comic book store wouldn't take place until 2017. Cortez explained why it took him so long, and why it may be the case for many others, to seek out that extra support.
"We come back, we feel like we’re fine, we have 10 fingers ,10 toes we’re good to go, but as time progresses, we find out, we may not be too well in the head and we need resources, we need to be able to reach out and talk to somebody."
And because a veteran at a comic book store stepped in to help him, he now feels called to pay it forward.
"We can kinda 'smell' our own you know? And sometimes something as simple as a shirt, DD214 or branch, or a 'hey thank you for your service,' and we’ll strike up a conversation and I'll ask them, 'are you getting your services at the VA?'" Cortez said.
"You gotta check in with yourself. I've learned a lot about myself, and it's helped me a lot in life."
To make an appointment with the West Point VA Outpatient Clinic in Corpus Christi, click here.
They can also be reached at: 361-806-5600.
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