With the New Year comes a new women veterans’ coordinator for the state of Florida, Army veteran Darlene Scully, and an ambitious agenda for 2017.
In addition to her job reviewing veterans’ claims, Scully took on the position two months ago to be a voice for women vets who currently make up 10 percent of the 1.6 million veterans in Florida.
“I really want to get more involved in outreach, more involved in what’s going on at the VA and what they’re offering as far as women veterans’ health issues,” Scully said.
That includes mental health. Scully has a graduate degree in forensic psychology and is working on a masters’ degree in mental health counseling. She’s particularly interested in helping women vets dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or military sexual trauma (MST).
“Statistics show that 1 out of 5 women report MST either in the military or right after when they’re getting out of the military,” Scully said.
As part of her outreach, Scully has planned a women veterans’ conference June 8-10, 2017 in Orlando. She picked the more centralized site hoping to reach more women veterans in the state.
You can find more information on the Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs website and email Scully at scullyd@fdva.state.fl.us with your questions and issues.
