Anne Arundel?s military veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan could get help with mental health and substance abuse treatment, under a proposed county plan.
“We have more returning veterans than any other county, and we owe our veterans this kind of help,” said Fran Phillips, director of Anne Arundel?s Health Department.
The department wants to spend at least $50,000 to help those returning from war zones to overcome mental health issues, in particular post-traumatic stress disorder.
About 5 percent to 10 percent of veterans return with such issues, but a more pervasive problem is substance abuse, which will be addressed through the new program, Phillips said.
Phillips said of the 2,123 veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan between October and April, 363 returned to Anne Arundel, the most of any county in the state.
The program also is open to veteran?s families.
“We know families of soldiers who are deployed who are under treatment due to stress,” Phillips said. “It?s not just the soldiers who need this.”
The program would start July 1 with the beginning of fiscal 2009. The money comes from the county?s $2.3 million Opportunity for Treatment Fund.
But some members of the County Council, which reviewed the Health Department?s budget Wednesday, were concerned the program would sap the fund that also provides the same service for free to people referred by the court system.
“A lot of them lack the means to pay for such treatment,” said Councilman Josh Cohen, D-District 6, a former probation officer.
Phillips reassured the council that an additional $200,000 will come through outside grants to cover the needs of both groups.
But veterans will get top priority, she said.
The department?s budget also includes continued funding for education programs on infant mortality, particularly for black infants.
Phillips said the gap between the infant mortality rate of white and black babies has significantly increased over the years.
An education program also will focus on colorectal cancer, the No. 2 killer of cancer victims in the county.
