MENTAL HEALTH

MENTAL HEALTH
Expanding service
FALLS CHURCH, Va. -- The Mental Health Self Assessment Program, funded by the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Force Health Protection and Readiness, will be expanded to better serve military families through telephone technology, Spanish language services and youth suicide prevention programs.
The MHSAP, a DOD program of anonymous mental health and alcohol self-directed screenings, is offered to all branches and components, including National Guard and Reserve members and provides information about services provided through both the DOD and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
It is run through Screening for Mental Health, a nonprofit organization with headquarters in Wellesley Hills, Mass.
The MHSAP provides materials designed to help installations conduct mental health and alcohol education events and an online, self-assessment program available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to all military personnel and their families by visiting www.MilitaryMentalHealth.org.
New services are being added to expand the program's reach and make it more accessible and informative. They include:
Customizable referrals, linking individuals with local services in addition to DoD and VA mental health services.
Online assessment for parents, to help them understand if their children may be suffering from depression or showing signs that could be linked with potential self-injury thoughts.
Telephone self-assessment, to serve those who do not have ready access to the Internet. There will be a new prerecorded, interactive telephone self-assessment program. A toll-free number, (877) 877-3647 will connect callers to the anonymous self-assessment. Callers will be provided with immediate results and phone numbers for treatment or educational resources.
A pilot Spanish language version of the program.
For more information, call (781) 239-0071 or visit www.MentalHealthScreening.org/Military.
DEPLOYED
Residents from the area
Several area residents have been deployed or returned from deployment overseas. They include:
Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Thomas E. O'Neill, who has returned to the 1st Battalion, 94th Field Artillery Regiment, Baumholder, Germany, after being deployed to an overseas forward-operating location in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
O'Neill, a radar section leader, has been decorated with the Bronze Star Medal. He is the son of Wanda M. O'Neill of Edinburg, Pa., and a 1991 graduate of Mohawk High School, Edinburg.
Army Reserve Sgt. Martin E. Mounts has returned to Terre Haute, Ind., after being deployed to an overseas forward-operating location in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
In Iraq, Mounts was a member of a detainee reporting center task force in Baghdad. He is a human resource specialist regularly assigned to the 324th Military Police Detachment based in Terre Haute. Mounts, decorated with the Joint Service Commendation Medal, is the son of Robert and Georgia Mounts of Champion, and is a 2001 graduate of Champion High School.
Army Reserve Sgt. 1st Class Timothy M. Smith has returned to Terre Haute, Ind., after being deployed to an overseas forward-operating location in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. In Iraq, Smith served as a member of a detainee reporting center task force in Baghdad.
The reservist, a human-resource specialist regularly assigned to the 324th Military Police Detachment in Terre Haute, was recently decorated with the Defense Meritorious Service Medal. Smith, the son of Tom P. Smith of East Palestine, and Cathy C. Smith of Columbiana, is married to the former Sarah Johnson, daughter of James and Nancy Johnson of Dublin. Smith is a 1983 graduate of Pymatuning Valley High School, Andover; received a bachelor's degree in 1995 from Kent State University, and a master's degree in 2002 from Franklin University, Columbus.
Army Sgt. Todd J. Brzezinski has arrived for duty in Kaiserslautern, Germany. Brzezinski, a military policeman assigned to the 191st Ordinance Battalion, is the son of Frank S. and Mary Lou Brzezinski of Cortland. His wife, Joanne, is the daughter of Danny and Josephine Busano of Waipahu, Hawaii. He is a 1996 graduate of Lakeview High School, Cortland.
BASIC GRADS
Air Force: Airman Erin M. Jeffco (Howland High School, Howland, '06), daughter of Yvonne Jeffco of Niles; Airman 1st Class Joe M. Barnhouse (East Liverpool High School, '03), son of Joe and Linda Barnhouse of East Liverpool; Airman Nikayla Locher (Boardman High School, '06), daughter of Steve Locher of Boardman.
Army: Pfc. Gaelen A. Lowers (Oak Glen High School, New Cumberland, W.Va., '01), son of Mike Lowers of East Liverpool and Tanya Bonanno of Chester, W.Va.; National Guard Pfc. Samantha L. Leeper (State College Area High School, Pa., '01), daughter of Diana Rhodes of New Castle, Pa., and Michael Leeper of Milroy, Pa.
RESERVE UNITS
Addition to airlift wing
COLUMBUS -- Ohio Air National Guard is increasing the state's engineering capabilities with the addition of a Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineers (Red Horse) unit at the Mansfield-based 179th Airlift Wing.
Part of the Air Force Total Force Integration initiatives, the new unit will augment the Port Clinton-based 200th Red Horse, adding about 200 airmen to the unit and about 150 new positions at the Mansfield location.
The additional mission will mean about 11 million in construction at the Mansfield base, once slated to close under the Base Realignment and Closure process, said Wing Commander Col. Mark L. Stephens. The 179th has also been identified as the future home of a wing of Joint Cargo Aircraft.
Several Ohio Army National Guard and Army Reserve units are also scheduled to be relocated to the Mansfield air base, bringing an additional 20 million or more of federal military construction money to the Mansfield area.
Items of note for the Military Roundup can be sent to The Vindicator, Regional Desk, P.O. Box 780, Youngstown 44501-0780, or e-mailed to alcorn@vindy.com.