Interest in technology-based therapies hampered by access: A survey of veterans with serious mental illnesses.

Objective: Computer technology is used in various ways to deliver and enhance health care. It is therefore important to understand technology use patterns among underserved populations such as persons with serious mental illnesses who often experience inequitable care.

Methods: A survey was administered to 210 veterans with serious mental illnesses attending programs at a Department of Veterans Affairs community care center, with data collected on demographics, psychiatric diagnoses, access, use, and willingness to use cell phones, smart phones, Internet-based online social networking, and computerized therapies.

Helping veterans with mental illness overcome civil legal issues: collaboration between a veterans affairs psychosocial rehabilitation center and a nonprofit legal center.

This article describes the collaboration between a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) community-based psychosocial rehabilitation center and a nonprofit legal center that primarily addresses the civil legal issues of veterans who have mental illness and/or are homeless. The legal center is located on-site at the VA psychosocial rehabilitation center and serves veterans who receive VA mental health treatment and other social services. Once veterans establish contact with the legal center and authorize the release of their health information, legal center staff members work closely with VA clinicians to help veterans address legal issues that may be obstacles to recovery.

A model of consumer-provider partnership: Vet-to-Vet.

Recently, there has been increased interest in consumer-provided mental health services. Two models have been proposed: One emphasizing full independence from professional services, and one in which consumers work within the mental health system. In this paper we describe Vet-to-Vet, a consumer-professional partnership model in which consumer services are embedded in a mental health system.