Alexian helps vets, families at symposium
Veterans and their families can get help filing for benefits, setting up electronic medical records or creating their own Web pages at Alexian Brothers Medical Center Saturday.
The symposium for military families, on the Alexian campus in Elk Grove Village, will also feature a presentation on post-traumatic stress syndrome and traumatic brain injury.
Dr. Jeffrey Lewine will talk about how new brain-mapping technology at the hospital can identify traumatic brain injury and PTSD, which is crucial for getting benefits and treatment.
Kathleen Prunty, head of workforce development at Alexian, said she's seen vets at past symposiums who suddenly realized what they were dealing with.
"I see people who've been through the war who don't really know why they feel the way they feel and haven't gotten help," she said. "They instantly understand they're not crazy, they've had some kind of injury or loss and they start to understand what it is."
The symposiums began last year, partly in response to the deaths of four military members from Elk Grove Village.
The series is in conjunction with the hospital's Vet Center which offers similar services every Thursday.
Vets or their families can bring in paper medical records and have them scanned into an electronic file that can be opened online at any medical office to show benefit designation, medical history, etc.
Those attending can also bring in family photos, letters home or war diaries to create an online family web page to keep loved ones up to date about vets who are away.
Other programs will address anger management, domestic abuse, suicide prevention, movement-based stress relief and a group discussion from the male perspective.
The symposium runs from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, Sept. 27, at the Roncoli Center, behind the hospital on Biesterfield Road, at 600 Alexian Way. Dr. Lewine's keynote speech will begin at 8:30 with time for questions afterward.
Coffee, snacks and drinks will be served. The program is free and paid for by voluntary payroll contributions from hospital employees.