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A long road to recovery : Special report to the Minister of National Defence

27 Nov 2008

Unfortunately, the Ombudsman also found that little progress had been made in the areas of outreach and training, the collection of data, and the overall level and effectiveness of leadership and coordination at the national level regarding post-traumatic stress disorder and other operational stress injuries. [...] Although given the responsibility to “take the lead in representing the Chief of the Defence Staff’s interests in implementing solutions, working closely with the Committee and Environmental Chiefs of Staff,” the terms of reference specified that the positions were a “secondary duty” with access to the Chief of the Defence Staff on a regular basis but reporting to the Assistant Deputy Minister – H [...] The original intent of the Ombudsman’s 2002 recommendation to create a “PTSD Coordinator” was to put in place a senior military officer who could, on behalf and at the direction of the Chief of the Defence Staff, ensure national leadership and coordination of the Canadian Forces’ approach to post- traumatic stress disorder and other operational stress injuries. [...] In order to put in place a more coordinated and holistic approach to post- traumatic stress disorder and other operational stress injuries, health care providers in the Department and the Canadian Forces must have the tools available to properly understand the extent and seriousness of the problem. [...] One of the original recommendations in the 2002 special report called on the Canadian Forces to “take steps to improve support programs designed for the families of members diagnosed with PTSD, at all elements and locations.” During the course of this follow-up investigation, Ombudsman investigators found that the treatment of military families, including the services and support available to them
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Authors

McFadyen, Mary

Pages
62
Published in
Canada

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