from County of Berks
Photo courtesy of Joshua Hoehne on Unsplash
The Berks County Department of Veterans Affairs (BCVA) will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, Nov. 22, at 11:30 a.m., to officially open the new and improved Etchberger Veterans Center at 20 Commerce Dr., Wyomissing.
The event is open to the public and is scheduled to feature remarks from Berks County’s Commissioners; Congresswoman Chrissy Houlahan (PA-6); Maj. Gen. Terry Koudelka, Deputy Adjutant General-Air, Pennsylvania National Guard; State Senator Tracy Pennycuick (Berks/Montgomery); State Representative Mark Gillen, House Department of Military and Veterans Affairs Chairman; Jeffrey A. Beiler II, Director of Lebanon VA Medical Center; and Walt Gensemer, President of Vietnam Veterans of America Berks Chapter #131 and member of the Berks Military Hall of Fame.
Berks County Veterans Affairs Director Jay Ostrich said an unprecedented increase in demand for services coupled with significant spikes in compensation claims for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and increases in military sexual trauma claims caused the office to examine carefully how and where they were administering services, which ultimately drove the need to relocate.
“When the needs of our Berks warriors change, we, too, must collectively and rapidly rise and meet those needs,” said Ostrich, a combat veteran with more than 22 years of service in the United States Air Force and Pennsylvania National Guard. “Thanks to broad-based, bipartisan support from our county commissioners who were willing to take decisive and immediate action, we are proud to say we have done just that.”
To accommodate this changing demand, the new and improved Etchberger Veterans Center is a stand-alone building, designed thoughtfully with a trauma-informed care model. This attention to the facility’s function is essential to decreasing veteran stressors and triggers, while simultaneously increasing the trust and open communication needed to handle sensitive and traumatic information.
Trauma-informed care prioritizes the development of a more complete picture of a veteran’s life situation, both past and present, to provide the most effective services with the most optimal outcomes for well-being.
“But [providing trauma-informed care] requires the right environment,” said Ostrich, which is “something the new facility meets abundantly.”
“Six individual offices with closeable doors add a private and powerful tool where veterans can more comfortably unpack their traumas, openly tell their stories, and get to the heart of a solution they have earned,” said Ostrich. “Combine that with an office filled with combat veterans with more than 125 years of uniform service, and we believe we have what it takes to put Berks County veterans and their families first in everything we do.”
The new facility offers several other improvements, including extensive free parking, convenient handicap parking directly at the office entrance, and closer proximity to the federal Berks VA Clinic.
“The new Etchberger Center facilitates an environment that will help us to more easily put together what can often be a very difficult and traumatic puzzle,” said Ostrich.
The move comes at a pivotal time as BCVA takes on a record-breaking surge in successful compensation claims, positioning the office as the No. 2-rated county in Pennsylvania for successful compensation claims. According to the latest statistics released by the Pennsylvania Department of Veteran and Military Affairs, the BCVA is on track to return a remarkable $40,968,213.16 to Berks County veterans this year alone.
The Etchberger Center is named after U.S. Air Force Medal of Honor Recipient, Chief Master Sgt. Richard Etchberger, who gave his life so others may live during a top-secret mission in Laos during the Vietnam War.
Berks County is home to more than 23,000 veterans and family members.
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Source: bctv