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Helping veterans and active duty military members cope with service related trauma to lead healthy, happy lives takes normalizing the need for mental health care and connecting with people who know this struggle.

We have peers that are suffering, and if we can make them feel less stigmatized by it and show them that it's okay, be a role model for them and encourage them.

That's how we're going to make a positive change.

We'll hear from veterans about how they're working to help their service colleagues find connection, help and hope.

Right now on Alaska INSIGHT.

Good evening.

Active duty military members and veterans can access a wide range of treatment and support options to cope with service related trauma.

And a growing number of veterans are helping each other feel less isolated.

The need is clear.

A 2021 VA report on national suicide rates found that although suicide numbers have fallen across the U.S. in a few states, including Alaska, the opposite is true.

This evening, we'll learn more about what's being done to address these troubling Alaska statistics to help active duty members and veterans lead healthier, happier lives.

But before we get to that discussion, we'll start off with some of the top stories of the week from Alaska Public Media's collaborative statewide news network.

The Alaska legislature struck a budget deal Thursday evening that includes a 1300 dollars permanent fund dividend and a $174 million one time boost for public education funding.

The deal came on the first day of the special session called by Governor Mike Dunleavy after the legislature failed to pass a budget before the final day of the regular session.

Throughout the final weeks of the 121 day session, the House and Senate remain divided over the size of the FD.

The House had initially proposed a 20 $700 payout but couldn't muster the votes required to dip into savings to pay for it.

The final budget included a provision to pay an additional $500 if oil prices exceed predictions.

The budget now goes to the governor, who can still veto all or part of the bill.

First Lady Jill Biden and Interior Secretary Deb Haaland visited Bethel this week to tout a telecommunications project financed with federal infrastructure funds.

The two were met by Congresswoman Mary Pell tola.

Alaska First Lady Rose Dunleavy and Bethel Mayor Rose Sugar Henderson.

In a speech at Bethel Regional High School, Biden spoke on the Biden-Harris administration's work to invest 100 million in the region to bring in an affordable, faster and more reliable Internet to Alaska.

The first lady is the first spouse of a sitting president to visit Bethel.

A joint investigation by Alaska Public Media and APM Reports has found that an Anchorage nonprofit organization, Beanz Cafe, made nearly $10 million in profits while it was running the city's pandemic homeless shelter.

The money came from a generous city contract funded by federal taxpayers.

Means also build the city.

Hundreds of thousands of dollars for services the city says were never provided.

And more than a year after Bean's lost its contract to run the shelter at the Sullivan Arena.

The billing dispute remains unsolved.

You can find the full versions of these stories and many more on our website, alaskapublic.org, or by downloading the Alaska Public Media app on your phone.

Now on to our discussion for this evening.

Alaska has one of the highest per capita populations of retired military service members of any state in the country.

There's a lot of services out there for retired service members.

But as Alaska Public Media's Madeleine Rose reports, veterans in Alaska are one of their own greatest resources.

Thunderbird Falls Trail isn't a particularly difficult hike.

Anyone want to track and poll.

But for these veterans and family members, today's hike isn't necessarily about the challenge.

It's more about just getting outside.

To get in nature.

To begin with, you strip away all those things are distractions from focusing on ourselves and those that are around us.

The hike was organized by Eric Collier and Remedy Alpine, a group of veterans dedicated to helping other veterans seek empowerment, self-discovery and connection outside.

I love getting outdoors, kind of getting off the grid and connecting with nature and seeing this beautiful landscape.

And then I realize how therapeutic it is.

The premise is simple Remedy organizes hikes and gatherings for veterans.

Over time, they build a network of friends and support.

The exercise certainly helps, but one of the biggest things that builds these connections is a bond of shared experience.

You find people who understand your struggle and can help you work through it in a setting that isn't a counselor office.

But the counselors become the people who have experienced exactly what you've experienced, and those connections make you feel.

A sense of normalcy.

And from there, the network grows after just one hike that's going to become volunteer guides, trained and equipped by Remedy Alpine so they can help others.

We have a policy where when you come out with us and done a hike, if you yourself want to go and take a couple of your friends, take some other military veterans or your family, it doesn't matter how long you have the gear, we'll send it out to you.

Those connections go beyond individuals and spanned organizations.

Remedy Alpine regularly works with other veterans groups like Wounded Warriors or the 98th Fund, which supports veterans and their families.

And now we're like two families that are inseparable because whenever they need help, they come to us and whenever we need help, we go to them.

Now Remedy Alpine has a full board of directors and connections across Alaska in the U.S., including a new branch opening in Arizona, the plan to continue helping veterans and growing that network of support.

We need to acknowledge and understand that we have peers that are suffering.

And if we can make them feel less Hekmati's by it and show them that it's okay, be a role model for them and encourage them, that's how we're going to make a positive change.

And whether in Alaska or Arizona, Thunderbird falls or Crow Path.

The folks at Remedy plan to keep making that change one step at a time.

For Alaska Insight, I'm Madilyn Rose.

Joining me tonight to describe the various paths to help and healing for active duty military and veterans is Luke Bushatz.

Luke is with the nonprofit veterans support organization Remedy Alpine that was featured in the story we just saw.

Also on hand this evening is Rebeca Peleaz.

Rebeca is the community engagement and partnership coordinator for the Alaska VA.

Welcome, both of you.

Thank you.

Thanks so much for being on hand.

Appreciate your both of you being here.

Luke, give us a brief back story on how and why Remedy Alpine came together.

Remedy Alpine really came out of a couple of veterans.

David Joslyn and Eric Collier, who you saw on the piece there.

They were veterans here in Alaska and they really enjoyed going backpacking and getting out into nature and experiencing the healing capacity that nature really provides for veterans by providing both solitude and community at the same time.

So when veterans are able to go out with each other into nature and spend time in the solitude of our beautiful city, there's this healing that comes from that.

And they wanted to share that with other veterans.

So they founded Remedy Alpine in 2017.

I went on my first trip with them in February of 2018.

We we hiked out and did some winter camping up the Eagle River Valley.

And ever since Lake, I was hooked and I was like, Hey, we got to continue to share this with other veterans.

And we find that the a a solution to a lot of the problems of isolation that are inherent in post-traumatic stress and dealing with being a veteran and the trauma that comes from military service.

The antidote to that is connecting with other veterans in a space where you can find both solitude but also connection with other like minded individuals.

That's such an important distinction.

The difference between isolation and solitude.

Yes, so important.

Thank you for that.

You were at the White House last week.

I was at the White House that visit.

We were.

My family and I are in a new documentary documentary that's currently streaming on PBS that's called Unconditional and it's a documentary that features families of.

And it's centered around the idea of caregivers.

Right.

And how what the emotional mental, physical strain on caregiver caregiving is in families, but how caregiving may not just be isolated to what we would traditionally think of maybe end of life caregiving for middle aged adults that are caring for parents, but maybe caregiving, maybe a spouse that has to deal with a veteran or even an active duty service member or a service member like myself that's in the National Guard, but still deals with issues from my active duty service, such as traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress.

Right.

Those issues and how your day to day life has fundamentally changed as you have to provide care for those individuals as well.

So our family was featured in that.

And the first lady, Jill Biden, asked our family to come out because she has a program joining forces, which is one of her major programs that she is interested in providing resources to military families and veteran families, on being able to better care for themselves and their community and their families.

Right.

So we were invited by her to come out to the White House.

That was a great experience, very surreal.

And at the same time, we just hope to continue to spread the message that you can move through whatever trauma you may have experienced, whether it's war, trauma or military service trauma, whatever that is related to.

You can continue to move through that through the unconditional love of those around you, that you connect yourself in that community.

Right.

And that's what we're trying to foster with with Remedy Alpine.

And that's what we try and foster with other veteran organizations here in the state.

Yeah.

So important that connection.

It's not easy to deal with trauma as we know, but so important to get to the happy, healthy part of our lives that we want for everyone.

Rebeca The VA supports a 24 seven crisis line for veterans, family and friends.

It also supports an approach called Coaching into Care to help veterans who may be struggling.

Tell us about that.

So the coaching into care phoneline it is for the family and friends who see that a veteran is hesitant for receiving care, needs help, and so they can go ahead and call that phone line.

It's eight eight, 88237458.

And so it's exactly what it sounds like.

They'll help coach that veteran into care.

The other phone line is the Veterans Crisis Line.

Nine, eight, eight.

You press one for veterans.

And so family and friends could also call them.

It's 24 seven 365 days.

Definitely two amazing resources out there that nationally we have.

The Compact Act.

What does this recently passed legislation do for veterans?

Any veteran that is eligible for care is able to go ahead and go to the hospital if they're having suicidal thoughts.

Transportation is covered.

The ambulance, their E.R.

visit, the inpatient care and also residential and outpatient care.

So any if they feel that finances is going to be a burden to them not to worry about the finances of covering, you know, I can't afford the ambulance.

I can't afford going to the emergency room or that residential care piece of it.

So if they're eligible for the services, you know, they are able to go ahead and go.

The Compact Act will go ahead and cover for them.

So any veteran is able to receive that, you know, that care and go to the hospital.

It seems huge for a lot of folks who may be low income and struggling.

It's in place now so they can access that.

Yes.

And it's opened up.

So like other than honorable veterans are able to go ahead and receive that care.

So it's not you don't have to be enrolled in the VA.

So we want to make sure that veterans understand that it's not just for veterans enrolled in the VA and the you go online to go ahead and submit veterans can go to the hospital, goes in and submits the information so that you know, the it you know, the bill is covered.

All right.

That seems like really positive growth there as we've researched programs related and aimed at military mental well-being, it seems there's a growing number in both official and grassroots groups such as Remedy Alpine.

Look, what can you tell us about your observations here?

What have you seen in recent years in that regard?

I think that what we've seen in in terms of organizations that are focused on maybe what we would consider non traditional forms of therapy for veterans really expanding over the past ten years.

And I think that one are our group of veterans that needed that type of service has been expanding, right.

Because of the global war on terror, our veteran population is expanding right?

We had more soldiers coming out of the military because we had a larger force structure over the past ten years.

And as those soldiers, airmen, Marines, sailors come out of the military, they're looking for forms of treatment that may not be what is traditionally aligned with what the services that the VA provides right now.

The VA has done a really great job over the past ten years of expanding their their services, right.

They are using a lot of different modality of therapy now that traditionally we didn't use.

But for a lot of veterans, traditional psychological counseling may not be a viable option for them or may not be what they need to if they're at a maintenance phase with some of their trauma.

Right.

But what they may continue to gain benefit from are things like going out on hikes, being engaged with a passion hobby, whether that's a lot of things that we we've seen or like equestrian therapy, there's been a lot of for instance, here in state, there's there's an organization called Quiet Waters that takes soldiers, airmen, veterans of any type right out and does a fly fishing right for for salmon or go out for for Dolly Varden.

Right.

And you go fishing or you may there's been a lot of organizations that are doing hunting trips.

Right, for veterans where they're able to get out into nature and experience camaraderie and at the same time face some some physical challenge in the environment right out in nature, which is actually good for for the body, it's good for the mind, it's good for the soul, too, to have those challenges and a great organization here in state is called Battle Dogs.

Right.

And what they do is they bring bring veterans out onto the Iditarod to actually work some of the over stations, to work with the dog teams for a week during the days of road race.

And veterans see great, great growth in that time.

Rebeca, a 2021 report found there has been a national we talked a little about this earlier, the national overall decrease in veterans suicide, but not in Alaska and a few other states.

What are the differences in rates for Alaska versus states who've seen declines and what's known about why Alaska is not not lowering rates?

What can what have you been able to determine?

And then, Luke, I'd like you to follow up there.

One of the things the states that have had the increase is the remote rural veterans.

We have a higher population of rural veterans.

Isolating, not in solitude, just isolated.

Correct.

And as Luke has stated, the VA recognizes the fact that no federal or state entity is going to solve the veterans suicides.

We need to go ahead and work collaboratively with our community partners.

And that is why, you know, they have implemented that.

Suicide Prevention 2.0 initiative and created, you know, like my position, the community engagement and partnership coordinator and help and like building the coalitions and working with our community, the organizations that are boots on the ground, doing these amazing things that definitely, you know, is outside of the VA, what the VA is doing.

And like battle dogs, you know, I've worked with them and building these other like my newest coalition that I've been working with is the Viper Transitions and Alaska Works Partners, Shep and Dottie.

We have some people in DOD and VA personnel.

We're working together and transitioning veterans service members and stuff.

So we need to go ahead and work, you know, with our community partners.

Hopefully, that's.

A has that just been a recent transition to understanding that you can't just be like the locked up official pathways, that you've got to open that up?

Yes, definitely.

It is very recent.

I know it's in the East Coast, Alaska.

We're like wave three again.

But how?

And for me, this year is new for the role.

So I'm new in this role for this year.

However, when I was the suicide prevention coordinator, I have worked I worked with Remedy, right?

Going out and doing, you know, some of these, you know, organizations.

I've seen the amazing work that they do and will work, you know, collaboratively.

Case management.

Hey, I have a veteran and bringing in to the VA or we will like at the VA let them know, hey, we have an organization that might be a benefit to you.

That seems really healthy and like good forward progress.

Luke One of the vets on the Thunderbird Falls hike, told me while we were out there that service members have to sort of flip a switch, they kind of a mental switch and go into battle to survive.

And then when they come home, they're supposed to just flip that switch back to going to work in the hardware store and having a civilian life.

And that sounds nearly impossible.

Clearly, it's not because people do it, but what can you tell us about the ability to compartmentalize, to cope, but then how you need to kind of unpack that then?

Yeah, I.

Think that we often will use the term like flipping a switch, right.

But I think it's it's much more complex than that.

Right.

I think that it would be more akin to have you gone in and shut down a nuclear reactor.

Right.

Like the steps to cool down and take a nuclear reactor from a reactive state where it's creating power in a very effective manner to bringing it down to a state of like low output without having it go nuclear or reacting in that time takes a lot of really specific steps that have to go in there.

And oftentimes I think that veterans are faced with not having the tools to be able to do that sequencing.

Right.

And then you're just flipping a switch.

Right.

And what that can create is a lot of a lot of stress in their own lives that then may lead to unhealthy outbursts.

It may be mental, emotional, physical.

Right.

That breakdowns that could happen in relationships or personally that could occur.

Right.

All of these things can have happen.

But I think that the challenges that veterans face can be mitigated when they're able to have connection with other veterans that have been there and experienced those things and can help them manage those transitions.

Right.

And there are so many resources out there, right?

There are so many veterans that are that want to come alongside of military members that are transitioning out and say, hey, I understand some of I don't know your exact story and the exact challenges that you're facing, but I have understanding of similarities that maybe I can identify with myself or I've had experience with other veterans with.

And and we want to help you manage those transitions.

And that's through programs like Remedy Alpine, right.

Warrior Project, all of these programs that are available to veterans in addition to services through the VA or services that a veteran can just get in their own community.

And I think that one key thing that we don't talk a lot about and we're getting much better about it is helping the family learn to transition as well.

So so so many military members are in a family situation where it's a journey as a whole family as people are transitioning.

Yeah, I remember seeing some of that in the small community I grew up in when when service members came back from the Vietnam War.

And as a young girl, I babysat for families who then were in turmoil and trauma, and no one even understood why.

Really, at that point in time, my father in law, my late father in law, was a world War Two that came back with a tremendous amount of trauma, would hide in closets during thunderstorms and died of alcoholism.

How often is the work that you're doing initially about helping people?

He said that, you know, that was part of how they coped, was they'd get done with a particularly gruesome battle and say, here, drink and forget about it.

And of course, that doesn't work.

How often is that where you have to start helping people relieve themselves of dependance on substance?

I think that often you begin of a place of where I think you would say that they're in crisis, right?

You often have someone that comes to a program because they're in crisis and they are finally at a point where they can admit that they need help and support and you start with them there and that's fine.

Like we I've been at crisis, right?

Every veteran that is experience trauma, whether it's war related or service related, has been there before.

And you start with them at that place, accepting them and just moving through it, knowing that the next day is another opportunity to get a little better.

And, and you start there and you move towards better, right?

And in our final minute or so here, what would you say in that regard about where things start with the VA?

I would say that suicide prevention is everybody's business and that, you know, we all have a part to play.

We all, you know what I mean?

Paying attention, making sure that we're there for each other.

That connection piece is a big part to play.

You know, the coping skills that we have drinking was to numb that pain.

And if we can recognize that it, you know, it opens the eyes to going ahead and getting that help and the family and friends around us to help build that, you know, instead of isolating.

Yes.

I would also say to if you know, someone who is in crisis or if your self is in crisis to please call the Veterans Crisis Line 988, please press one for veterans.

Thank you so much, both of you, for your time and the work that you're doing on behalf of veterans and all of us to have healthier, happier lives.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

As we heard this evening, there are many paths to healing emotional and physical wounds from official V.A.

assistance to service members helping each other.

There's help and support for learning to cope with past trauma, make healthy connections to others who understand the struggle, and move forward into a brighter, happier future that ripples out and strengthens relationships with family and community.

And that's good for all of us.

That's it for this edition of Alaska Insight, our last episode of the season.

Thank you for your time and attention for the feedback and engagement with the program.

We welcome topic and guest ideas for the beginning of season seven that kicks off in September.

Until then, from all of us here at Alaska INSIGHT.

.org a safe, fun and adventure filled summer.

We'll be back in the fall.

And in the meantime, visit our website, alaskapublic for breaking news and reports from our partner stations across the state.

Sign up for our Free Daily Digest.

So you won't miss any of Alaska's top stories of the day.

Thanks for joining us this evening.

I'm Lori Townsend.

Good night and have a great summer.