Nonprofit Opens New Mental Health Clinic For Struggling Veterans – By Rick Sallinger & Kelly Werthmann for CBS Denver
The Cohen Veterans Network opened the brand new clinic in Greenwood Village at 7800 E. Orchard Road. It is being run in conjunction with the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.
The foundation was founded by billionaire Stephen A. Cohen.
Cohen’s son was a Marine and urged him to open clinics around the country to help vets. This is the eighth in the U.S.
Tiffany Morgan is a Navy veteran and a case manager at this new clinic.
“The VA is a great referral source for us and vice versa. A lot of people that we’ll see are already utilizing services at the VA. This is just another option for them,” she said. “Mental health is no different than your physical health, but unfortunately [our country doesn’t] view it that way. So a big thing we’re doing is ‘let’s break that down.’”
The clinic offers free mental health treatment for post 9/11 veterans and their families without insurance. It accepts insurance from those who have it.
The significance of the opening was marked in part by the presence of former Army Sgt. Kyle White, a recipient the Medal of Honor.
He is not afraid to admit what happened in Afghanistan had an impact on his mental health.
“The 9th of November 2007 was undoubtedly the worst day of my life having lost my best friend and five other service members,” White told CBS4’s Rick Sallinger.
Caught in an ambush, he was awarded the Medal of Honor for risking his life beyond the call of duty.
White later felt what is referred to as “transition stress.”
“For me, it was like I had emotional outbursts. Didn’t have quite the patience I had before. Maybe I did isolate myself a little,” he said.
