Mental health resources for veterans during COVID-19

The combination of job losses, social isolation and mounting anxiety connected to the coronavirus pandemic could hit veterans especially hard in the coming weeks and months, according to a report from the Bob Woodruff Foundation.

“COVID-19 could create a ‘perfect storm’ of developments that could threaten the mental health of many veterans,” said Rajeev Ramchand, a research fellow at the Bob Woodruff Foundation and author of the research paper.

About one in every seven veterans employed in America today works in an industry considered high-risk for layoffs in the coming weeks, according to a report by Military Times.

In addition to the financial worries, veterans already facing mental health difficulties could see those problems aggravated by public health efforts to stop the outbreak.

“There is likely to be a surge in demand for mental health care services, but even before COVID-19 the nation was only meeting a quarter of the demand,” the report states.

The Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency has resources available to help you manage the stress, fear, anxiety or feelings of depression you may be experiencing.

The MVAA is available for veterans, family members, and caregivers at 1-800-MICH-VET or visiting michiganveterans.com. For the latest VA updates on COVID-19, visit va.gov/coronavirus.

There are nearly 600,000 veterans in Michigan and Ingham County has the state’s ninth-largest veteran population with about 14,000 veterans.