She is trying to hire a psychiatrist to work out of North Key's facility. Dr. D'Souza approached North Key last summer about a clinic. The Covington agency provides mental health services and works with substance abuse problems and developmental disabilities. It was open to the idea. Mr. Goetz said individual pride could be a problem.
Veterans tend to be very proud individuals, and they want to rely on their own resources.
The goal is to make the assistance available and more familiar to them. Mr. Goetz said he would try to counter potential resistance by distributing fliers about the new clinic at American Legion halls and Veterans of Foreign Wars posts. Dr. D'Souza noted that psychiatric care for veterans is unique because their military experience must be considered. With post-traumatic stress disorders, she said, battle isn't always the root cause. She knows of Vietnam-era veterans who never left the United States but were traumatized by duties involving body bags from overseas.