[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 10]
[Senate]
[Page 13495]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                       ``THE WONDERS OF WARD 8''

 Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, it gives me pleasure to bring to 
my colleagues' attention a truly remarkable program that, 
unfortunately, is not located in my home state of Vermont, but 
nonetheless, does great work for Vermonters. Let me talk for a moment 
about the ``Wonders of Ward 8.'' To enlighten my colleagues, ``Ward 8'' 
houses the inpatient Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) treatment 
program at the Northhampton VA hospital. According to Friends of Ward 
8, a group of veterans whose lives have taken on new meaning as a 
result of their treatment at this facility, there is no better place on 
earth to deal with the psychological wounds of war.
  The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is recognized worldwide as a 
true leader in the area of PTSD research and I applaud my friend Dr. 
Matt Friedman and his staff at the National Center for PTSD for the 
incredible work they have done to bring this often debilitating 
condition to the forefront of public recognition and scholarly 
research. Thanks also go to Dr. Friedman for making treatment of PTSD a 
priority for the VA. Ward 8 is a shining example of what an inpatient 
program specializing in trauma treatment should look like. Although 
Ward 8 is located in Massachusetts, veterans from all over the country 
have benefitted from this program--including many, many Vermonters. It 
was established to offer inpatient rehabilitative treatment to veterans 
suffering from PTSD as a result of their wartime service and is one of 
eight inpatient VA programs. Ward 8 provides this high quality service 
while running one of the most efficient and cost effective inpatient 
treatment program in the VA system.
  According to the Friends of Ward 8, the staff at this facility are 
the reason for its success. I would like to recognize and thank the 
``heroes'' of Ward 8 beginning with the Program Director Dr. Sonny 
Monteiro and his dedicated staff of men and women including Dr. Richard 
Pearlstein, Bruce Bennett, Sherrill Ashton, John Christopher, Ken 
Zerneri, Gary Kuck, Fran Lunny, Joe Polito, Brooks Ryder, Judy Zahn, 
Heather White, Wayne Lynch, Alec Provost, Mike Connor, Barbara Graf and 
Delores Elliott. I hear again and again from Vermonters about how they 
bring compassion and healing to the science of mental health. It is the 
human touch that they so generously dispense that makes such a 
difference in the lives of veterans who struggle to recuperate from 
their wounds of war. Their dedication to their jobs and to the lives 
they touch has built a legacy for this program unrivaled by any other 
PTSD program in the country.
  I thank you, Ward 8, and the many veterans from around the country 
who have crossed your threshold, thank you.

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