Hopeful words from the VA Hospital in White River Junction, VT

[ Me2/Orchestra gave a free performance at the VA Hospital in White River Junction, VT last Sunday afternoon. Dr. Richard Wren, Acting Chief of Mental Health at the VA Hospital, joined us to share some remarks during the concert. We appreciated his words so much that we wanted to share them with everyone who reads this blog. Enjoy! ]

Good afternoon. My name is Richard Wren. I am a psychologist here at the WRJ VA Medical Center and the Acting Chief of the Mental Health Service. I am delighted to be here this afternoon and I would like to take a moment to thank the Me2/Orchestra for the gift of this wonderful concert today which is in honor of Veterans and Veterans Day. I also would like to thank all of the Veterans, Service Members and their families in attendance today – thank you for your service and devotion to our country. It is because of your commitment, courage and sacrifice to our country that we have the quality of life that we enjoy and the freedoms we prize.

Before this week I did not know much about the Me2/Orchestra. So I’d like to share some things I learned about the Orchestra from their website that really impressed me. The Me2/Orchestra is “a model organization in which people with and without mental illness work side-by-side in an environment in which acceptance is an expectation, patience is encouraged, and supporting each other is a priority.” Wow! The world will truly be a better place when each of us adopts these goals in all of our lives. So, I thank the Me2/Orchestra for modeling and reminding us of the importance of these values. I think some of this sentiment is captured by the English composer, Malcolm Arnold, when he said: “Music is the social act of communication among people, a gesture of friendship, the strongest there is.”

I’ve been asked to say a few words about Mental Health Services at this VA. If the truth be told, most of us have experienced mental health challenges at one time or another. Whether this is in the form of a bout of depression, persistent worries or anxiety, dealing with the consequences of traumatic experiences or just dealing with the vagaries of life. These really are human experiences that we all share to a greater or lesser degree. One of my favorite American poets, Theodore Roethke, who coincidentally had bipolar disorder, put it this way: “What is madness but nobility of the soul at odds with circumstance.” (From “In a Dark Time”).

What I would like to share with you is that I think the VA, and this VA in particular, is really something special. I was talking with a colleague who works for a local agency in Vermont and she was expressing her frustration about a lack of resources and the difficulty helping some of her patients with the challenges that sometimes accompany mental health concerns. This is not the case at our VA because we are able to offer a fairly comprehensive array of services that allow us to attend to many aspects of a person’s life. So we are able to attend to not only the psychological concerns of our Veterans but also to their problems in living daily life. We offer supports in times of crisis through our inpatient MH unit as well as ongoing psychotherapy and treatment so that difficult and painful concerns can be addressed over time in a safe and supportive setting. We also have specialized programs for problems that often occur along with psychological difficulties, including help finding housing and support around work as well as treatment for addictions that often result when people try their best to manage psychological concerns on their own.

We really can and do offer a comprehensive array of services designed to help the whole person.

• Our Primary Mental Health Clinic – a walk-in clinic in which Veterans can be seen, by a therapist and a medication prescriber, usually within 30 minutes.
• Our Specialized Mental Health Clinic – for ongoing, intensive outpatient treatment
• Our Inpatient Mental Health Unit – for those times when more intensive services are needed to help Veterans through difficult times
• Substance Abuse Treatment services with both outpatient care and a six-week resident program when a safe environment is needed to get sober.
• Services for homeless veterans – help getting them medical care, housing and for those who are able, help getting back to work through our Compensated Work Therapy program and supported employment.

Thank you for coming today and for your support of Veterans and mental health care. I will leave you with a quote from the composer George Bizet. Though he does not specifically mention mental illness, I think it is implied: “As a musician I tell you that if you were to suppress adultery, fanaticism, crime, evil, the supernatural, there would no longer be the means for writing one note.”

Dr. Richard Wren
Acting Chief of Mental Health Services
VA Hospital, Vermont