03/30/2017 03:00 PM House HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES

        HB 100-POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS INJURY AWARENESS DAY                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
3:20:55 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ  announced that the  next order of  business would                                                              
be HOUSE BILL NO.  100, "An Act establishing June  27 of each year                                                              
as Post-Traumatic Stress Injury Awareness Day."                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
3:21:55 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  CHRIS TUCK,  Alaska  State Legislature,  explained                                                              
that the  term "Post-Traumatic Stress  Disorder" had  been changed                                                              
to  "Post-Traumatic  Stress  Injury."   He  paraphrased  from  the                                                              
Sponsor Statement [Included in members' packets], which read:                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
     Post-traumatic   stress   injury  (PTSI)   can   develop                                                                   
     following  any  event  that  makes  you  fear  for  your                                                                   
     safety,  especially  if the  event  feels  unpredictable                                                                   
     and   uncontrollable.  PTSI   can   affect  people   who                                                                   
     personally experience  the threatening event,  those who                                                                   
     witness  the event,  or  those who  pick  up the  pieces                                                                   
     afterwards,  such  as emergency  workers.  Symptoms  may                                                                   
     include flashbacks,  nightmares, and severe  anxiety, as                                                                   
     well as uncontrollable  thoughts about the event.  It is                                                                   
     estimated  that  almost  260  million  people  worldwide                                                                   
     suffer  from PTSI.  In the  U.S., about  3.5% of  adults                                                                   
     are  diagnosed   with  PTSI  annually.  The   impact  of                                                                   
     traumatic   events  on  children   is  often  more   far                                                                   
     reaching  than trauma  on adults, not  only because  the                                                                   
     child  has fewer  emotional  and intellectual  resources                                                                   
     to cope,  but also  because the  child's development  is                                                                   
     adversely  affected. According to  one study, more  than                                                                   
     60% of  children ages 0-17  experienced or witnesses  at                                                                   
     least  one  traumatic  event.  Between  2000  and  2014,                                                                   
     approximately  139,000 active-duty service  members were                                                                   
     diagnosed  with  new  onset   of  post-traumatic  stress                                                                   
     within  the  Military  Health System  (MHS).  Of  these,                                                                   
     roughly   112,000   service   members   were   diagnosed                                                                   
     following  a  deployment  of  30  days  or  more  to  an                                                                   
     overseas  contingency operation.  The numbers  presented                                                                   
     reflect  only those  service members  identified by  the                                                                   
     MHS. As such,  they may underestimate the  true scope of                                                                   
     the  problem since  they do  not  reflect those  service                                                                   
     members  who choose  not to seek  assistance because  of                                                                   
     concerns  around  stigma  and other  barriers  that  may                                                                   
     discourage  them  from  seeking  help.  Referring  to  a                                                                   
     post-traumatic stress  injury as a disorder  perpetuates                                                                   
     the  stigma which  in  turn discourages  people  seeking                                                                   
     proper  medical  treatment.  Raising  awareness  of  the                                                                   
     condition  and  eliminating  the  stigma  may  encourage                                                                   
     people affected  to seek help voluntarily and  allow for                                                                   
     timely treatment  that may  alleviate PTSI symptoms  and                                                                   
     even prevent  suicide. The United States  Senate, United                                                                   
     State  House  of  Representatives  and  27  states  have                                                                   
     united  by bringing  national  awareness to  individuals                                                                   
     who  are  suffering  with  PTSI.  House  Bill  100  will                                                                   
     establish  June  27  as  Post-Traumatic   Stress  Injury                                                                   
     Awareness Day  in Alaska, providing an  opportunity each                                                                   
     year to raise awareness and conduct outreach.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
3:24:54 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
KENDRA  KLOSTER, Staff,  Representative Chris  Tuck, Alaska  State                                                              
Legislature, explained  the proposed bill, which  established June                                                              
27 of each  year as Post-Traumatic Stress Injury  (PTSI) Awareness                                                              
Day.  She  reiterated that a  resolution had been passed  in 2016,                                                              
during the  previous legislative  session,  to designate  June 27,                                                              
2016, as  a day  of awareness.   She relayed  that the  date, June                                                              
27, had  been inspired  by the  birthday of  National Guard  Staff                                                              
Sergeant Joe Beale,  who suffered from PTSI and took  his own life                                                              
on April 26, 2007.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
3:26:49 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
KENT HALL, Vice President, Honor For All, spoke about post-                                                                     
traumatic stress  injury, and offered his personal  story of PTSI.                                                              
He   reported   that   although   he   left   Vietnam   in   1969,                                                              
"unfortunately, Vietnam  never left me."  He shared  that he still                                                              
had issues,  and attended group  therapy with other veterans.   He                                                              
reported  that Lansing,  Michigan had  four such  groups of  10 or                                                              
more veterans.   He credited  the founders  of "Honor For  All" as                                                              
working hard  to create awareness  for this by creating  the first                                                              
PTSD   (post-traumatic   stress   disorder)   Awareness   Day   in                                                              
Washington, DC in  2011, and that Michigan became  the first state                                                              
to  pass a  resolution  for  June 27  to  be recognized  as  Post-                                                              
Traumatic  Stress Injury  (PTSI) Awareness  Day.   He shared  that                                                              
the subtle  change of  term allowed him  to understand  the reason                                                              
for his  problems, as  he was  not diagnosed  until 2011,  and had                                                              
dealt with his personal  issues for four decades.   He stated that                                                              
Honor For Allow  showed him that his problems were  a wound, not a                                                              
weakness,  and  with  this  understanding,   he  became  a  public                                                              
spokesman.   He  noted  that  there were  still  20  - 22  veteran                                                              
suicides  daily,  declaring  "that's  just not  acceptable."    He                                                              
stated  that his  organization would  fight  for any  help to  end                                                              
this.     He   shared   that  30   states   were  "on-board   with                                                              
resolutions."   He  lauded Alaska's  reputation  for "looking  out                                                              
for veterans."                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
3:31:17 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ  expressed  appreciation for  his service  and his                                                              
passion  for this program,  and  offered hope  for his success  in                                                              
healing.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
3:32:01 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
VERDIE BOWEN,  Director of  Veterans Affairs,  Office of  Veterans                                                              
Affairs,  Department of Military  & Veterans  Affairs, stated  his                                                              
support for  the proposed bill.   He shared that the help  was out                                                              
there, but  that the  awareness of  injuries caused through  post-                                                              
traumatic  stress needed  to be  promoted.   He  noted that  often                                                              
veterans did  not seek  assistance, reporting  that 30  percent of                                                              
veterans  from   combat  zones   were  experiencing   this  injury                                                              
according to the  Veterans' Administration.  He  stated that there                                                              
were  now 1600  new  mental  health professionals  throughout  the                                                              
U.S. working  with the Veterans'  Administration.  He  offered his                                                              
belief that signifying  PTSI instead of PTSD would  help eliminate                                                              
the stigma to the injury.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
3:35:24 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
ROBERT    DOEHL,    Deputy    Commissioner,    Office    of    the                                                              
Commissioner/Adjutant  General, Department of Military  & Veterans                                                              
Affairs,  stated support  for  the proposed  bill.   He  clarified                                                              
that PTSI was not  limited to veterans and there  was no intent to                                                              
demean  any of  the struggles  faced  in dealing  with  this.   He                                                              
reported  that police  officers  had  also expressed  support  for                                                              
this as a tool when working with veterans "having a bad day."                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
3:37:03 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ  reiterated that post-traumatic stress  injury was                                                              
an injury not  only experienced by veterans, and  pointed out that                                                              
many  survivors of  adverse  childhood experiences  also  suffered                                                              
from  PTSI.    She  offered  a  personal  story  from  her  family                                                              
regarding PTSI.   She  pointed out that  anyone could  suffer from                                                              
this if put in the wrong circumstances.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
3:38:42 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  EDGMON moved  to report  HB 100  out of  committee                                                              
with  individual  recommendations   and  the  accompanying  fiscal                                                              
notes.   There  being  no objection,  HB 100  was  moved from  the                                                              
House Health and Social Services Standing Committee.