ALEXANDRIA BAY, N.Y. — River Hospital in Alexandria Bay is now able to offer treatment for eligible veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress (PTS), with a referral from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
Veterans needing the services can use their VA benefits to help pay for the hospital’s programs, River Hospital said in a news release issued Wednesday.
River Hospital offers PTS and mental-health support services through its veterans program.
It’s an “outgrowth” of the organization’s “successful” military partial hospitalization program, which serves active-duty military members stationed at nearby Fort Drum.
“For too long our region’s veterans could not easily use their benefits outside the [U.S.] Department of Veterans Affairs network and too often needed to travel long distances to receive PTS treatment,” Ben Moore, CEO of River Hospital, said in the release. “With today’s announcement, the veterans who valiantly served our country can access River Hospital’s services with little or no wait time.”
River Hospital says it currently operates the “country’s only” civilian, hospital-based outpatient PTS treatment program for active-duty military.
Launched in February 2013, the program initially served 10 soldiers a day from Fort Drum, but has “increased significantly” over the past three years.
Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com