Legislature(2015 - 2016)BUTROVICH 205
04/14/2016 08:30 AM Senate STATE AFFAIRS
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HB126 | |
| HJR30 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| += | HB 126 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | HJR 30 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
HJR 30-POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS INJURY
10:07:54 AM
CHAIR STOLTZE called the committee back to order and announced
the consideration of HJR 30.
10:08:17 AM
REPRESENTATIVE BOB HERRON, Alaska State Legislature, Juneau,
Alaska, sponsor of HJR 30, read the following sponsor statement:
Before us today is an issue that covers a lot of
people, post-traumatic stress; it does have a label
and this resolution asks people to continue the
conversation about maybe changing the label.
One thing that has recently hit me hard is the ripple
effects of post-traumatic stress and that is a parent
that has experienced a traumatic experience and then
they come home; the children of that parent have
experiences related to what has happened to their
parent. Of course post-traumatic stress can come from
any traumatic experience including combat, sexual
assault, torture, child abuse and others. The symptoms
are flashbacks, nightmares and insomnia. One of the
issues that hits especially veterans is thoughts of
suicide.
Hundreds of thousands of American service members have
been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder or
injury and they estimate that at least eight million
Americans suffer from post-traumatic stress. In
Alaska, 18,000 combat service veterans and 8,000 still
in uniform suffer from post-traumatic stress.
This resolution asks that the American Psychiatric
Association consider changing "post-traumatic stress"
to "post-traumatic stress injury" in their next
revision in their manual, urges the governor to
support the usage of "post-traumatic stress injury,"
request the congressional delegation to continue to
champion the change in Congress, designates June 27,
2016 as "Post-Traumatic Injury Awareness Day," and
encourages the Department of Military and Veterans'
Affairs and the Department of Health and Social
Services to continue post-traumatic injury programs.
10:11:05 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HERRON detailed the effects on children as
follows:
The ripple effects of post-traumatic stress really
tugs at your heart because the three most common
effects of post-traumatic stress on children are: they
start experiencing it, the child starts assuming an
adult role to compensate for the parent's
difficulties, and then children in these homes receive
little emotional support from the parent; these
children are prone to: depression, anxiety and
difficulties at school. The stress-related anger
issues can be a problem and really challenge the
parent-child relationship. These children have
symptoms that include: tantrums, getting in fights and
increased drug and alcohol use. The Veterans
Administration does have family services that can
help.
Historical references from time immemorial is that
people expressed post-traumatic stress in books and
even Shakespeare has written about post-traumatic
stress. The disorder is a label and this resolution
asks that we continue to talk about it. Battle-fatigue
was used during World War II, shell-shock in World War
I; but, this resolution doesn't talk about the label
more than it's about removing the stigma.
In the resolution, which was an amendment by a veteran
who chaired House State Affairs, Bob Lynn, this is not
about changing the criteria of receiving a Purple
Heart, it has nothing to do with that, it's about
changing the stigma.
10:13:26 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HERRON addressed the stigma with post-traumatic
stress as follows:
Post-traumatic stress carries a stigma when it has
this label of "disorder." The stigma is that it's
untreatable, in fact it is a treatable injury. Post-
traumatic stress has historically been viewed as a
mental illness caused by a pre-existing flaw in an
individual's brain or character, but the stigma
discourages people not to seek treatment.
This resolution is to make people more aware of it and
the likelihood that whether you are a combat veteran
or you had a traumatic experience like a car crash,
sexual assault or child abuse, is that people should
seek help. With treatment that's proper and timely, we
can reduce outcomes and one of the biggest outcomes
that's been documented is people taking their own
lives.
CHAIR STOLTZE opened public testimony.
10:15:17 AM
FAITH MYERS, volunteer and mental-health advocate, Anchorage,
Alaska, testified in support of HJR 30. She detailed her
experience and own struggle with post-traumatic stress injury.
She set froth that post-traumatic stress was a long road to
recovery, but treatable where a person can recover from trauma
to the brain. She asserted that the term "injury" provides hope.
10:16:30 AM
BOB DOEHL, Deputy Commissioner, Department of Military and
Veteran Affairs, JBER, Alaska, testified that the department
supported HJR 30. He set forth that HJR 30 addresses a condition
that affects thousands of Alaskans. He revealed that 57,000
veterans have seen combat and as many as 30 percent or 17,000
Alaskan veterans were likely to suffer from some degree of
combat post-traumatic stress. He said post-traumatic stress
injury affects family members as well due to the subsequent
disruption of daily life. He remarked that post-traumatic stress
injury takes a devastating toll and continues to do so if not
treated. He revealed that many victims cannot hold down a job,
become estranged or lose their lives. He asserted that the term
"disorder" may make sense to clinicians, but implies a deviation
from normal and exasperates a stigma that discourages diagnosis
and treatment. He specified that post-traumatic stress injury
does not arise from a genetic condition, personal values or
decisions, but as a result of an externally imposed event or
events. He set forth that changing from "disorder" to "injury"
makes it clear that the appropriate action was treatment.
CHAIR STOLTZE closed public testimony on HJR 30 and asked the
will of the committee.
SENATOR COGHILL moved to report the CS for HJR 30(STA) from
committee with individual recommendations and attached zero
fiscal note.
10:20:21 AM
CHAIR STOLTZE announced that hearing no objection, CSHJR 30(STA)
moved from committee.
SENATOR MCGUIRE thanked Representative Herron for bringing the
legislation forward as a veteran on behalf of the men and women
that have been experiencing post-traumatic stress injury. She
commended Representative Herron for redefining the issue and
educating members of the Legislature about it. She stated that
there was so much that was not understood, not just with post-
traumatic stress, but with mental-health diseases and disorders
in general.
SENATOR HUGGINS commented that Representative Herron was by far
the most active members of the veterans' caucus and HJR 30 was
the sort of thing that comes out of his efforts.
10:22:52 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HERRON revealed that he had the privilege of
speaking at the Chris Kyle Patriots Hospital ribbon cutting
ceremony in Anchorage. He detailed that Chris Kyle was the
American-sniper that was able to work through post-traumatic
stress by treatment. He summarized that post-traumatic stress
was about people that are going through a very difficult time
and the awareness of post-traumatic stress is very important.
CHAIR STOLTZE thanked Representative Herron.