As a psychotherapist specializing in the treatment of trauma, I was pleased to see your May 14 story “First responders’ selfless service leaves them vulnerable to PTSD’s toll.” This is an important topic.
However, in your discussion of needed reforms to the Washington State Workers’ Compensation system, you omitted an important issue. Currently, the workers’ comp system excludes all therapists with master’s degrees (such as the firefighter/therapist profiled in the story). Because of this exclusion, there are many fewer therapists available for appropriate and timely care.
Medical insurance can’t be used for work-related injuries, so a first responder suffering from work-related PTSD must use the workers’ comp system. Also, a very effective method of treating PTSD, called EMDR (very different from conventional “talk therapy”), requires specialized training and isn’t something all therapists can do. So, for a first responder to find a workers’ comp-participating therapist trained in EMDR is very difficult, and I suspect that many go without this valuable, evidence-based treatment as a result.
Expanding the workers’ compensation system to include master’s-level therapists would greatly alleviate this problem.
Sharon Winkler
VANCOUVER
What are benefits of annexation?
The city of Vancouver is about to annex our little neighborhood north of Vancouver Mall and make us part of the city proper. This will increase our taxes and other costs by hundreds of dollars per year and give us reduced recycling service and the protection of an understaffed police department. I have repeatedly asked the city what benefits we will receive from annexation (or what I call “the Anschluss”) with no real answer.
Larry Dorr
VANCOUVER
Symphony makes beautiful music
On Mother’s Day, I had the great pleasure of attending a free concert of the Southwest Washington Wind Symphony. This is an amazing group of volunteers. We are so lucky in this community to have free access to high-quality symphonic band music by talented musicians and conductors.
Many of these performers are music educators in our local schools. We have a wonderful tradition of support for music education in our schools and in our community. We should be proud of this and recognize that it’s one of the things that makes Southwest Washington such a great community.
Check out the Southwest Washington Wind Symphony schedule of concerts and support this wonderful organization at www.swwindsymphony.org.
Alisa Coats-Clemans
VANCOUVER
Candidates should face a test
While teaching citizenship classes, I emphasize the rule of law as well as the three branches of our government with checks and balances. President Trump’s attitude toward these, including his attitude toward the Constitution in general, makes me sad and angry.
He seems to ignore all of the foundations of our democracy because of his own ignorance and/or disrespect.
I highly recommend adding a 28th Amendment to our Constitution. This addition would require that all presidential candidates be completely vetted and successfully pass a thorough citizenship exam.
Margaret Keng
VANCOUVER
School breakfasts are necessary
In her May 16 letter, “Breakfast not duty of schools,” Anita Bauman contends that schools should not be providing breakfast to students whose families are on food stamps — that their parents should be responsible for feeding their children. How heartless and uninformed can she be?
Food stamps are wholly inadequate for providing even the most meager sustenance to those who need them. She should be thankful that she, as a single mother, had the means to provide for her family, but certainly should not judge others before walking in their shoes.
If students are not adequately fed, they cannot learn and will be unable to support themselves when they are grown, thus perpetuating the cycle of poverty. Obviously, she has never worked in a school.
Karen Jassenoff
VANCOUVER
Trump presidency is a sham
Donald Trump campaigned to make “America First.” We believed that he meant all Americans, but now it appears he meant some Americans — the wealthy. They are who will benefit from his proposed tax plan.
Another slogan he used was “Make American Great Again.” How can he say that when he supports a plan that would deprive 24 million people of having medical coverage in the next decade? He also supports House Republicans who voted to undo protection for people with pre-existing conditions, mostly low-income people. Is that making “America Great Again?”
He wants to take billions of tax dollars to build a wall. Is this to satisfy his ego so he can take credit for building it? This money could go toward medical research and other worthy causes.
More than one renowned psychiatrist has stated that Trump has mental problems. Not only could this be true, I find the word “evil” a consideration. How else can he refer to Russian President Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as being smart? Are these qualities he aspires to?
If he wants to “Make America Great Again,” he should leave office. He’s putting himself first, followed by the millionaires and billionaires that his Cabinet comprises. His presidency is nothing but a sham.
Joan M. Tyrrell
VANCOUVER
