Our Believe in the Mission Gala is in this week’s Oct. 28th issue of St. Lucie Voice.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is not a diagnosis that can be cured with prescription drugs as a band-aid…yet that is how we have been medically treating those suffering from it. Michael Gier, producer and director created the ‘Wounded Heroes’ documentary which features life-changing options for how we treat our veterans and first responders before they become a suicide statistic.

DDS4Vets and Michael Gier are hosting a screening of the award-winning documentary ‘Wounded Heroes’ at Christ Fellowship’s Port St. Lucie Campus. The free screening is available to the first 200 to RSVP and will take place on Sunday, Nov. 7.

According to the U.S. Dept. of Veteran’s Affairs, approximately 8 million adults suffer from PTSD in any given year. Statistics show different rates of PTSD depending on the war with Vietnam veterans at 30%. It is not only veterans suffering from these high rates of PTSD. The rate of first responders with PTSD is also at about 30%. These include police officers, dispatchers, firefighters, and EMT’s.

Gier states, “Post-Traumatic Stress (PTS) among our veterans is a serious problem with over 20 veterans a day taking their lives by suicide. And just like veterans; firefighters, police officers, and other first responders not only deal with PTS, but they also have very high suicide rates”. Medications can be a band-aid for these wounds, but they do not cure them. Mental health specialists are pushing for PTSD to be called PTS as it is not a disorder but an injury that can be healed. Gier’s mission was to find successful alternative treatments that not only give these heroes their lives back but also change the stigma associated with it.

Deb Doherty, the founder of DDS4Vets, undertook the task of helping those suffering from PTSD after losing her brother. Doherty aims to connect veterans in need to the services they were promised when they enlisted. Many of our veterans are unaware of or do not know how to access the services they are entitled to. DDS4Vets, which stands for Dedicated, Devoted Solutions for Veterans, offers help free of charge to veterans and first responders in Florida, with the main focus on the Treasure Coast.

If you are a veteran, 1st responder, or a family member dealing with PTSD, please join us for this event. It can be life-changing. To RSVP, please email Deb@DDS4Vets.org.

DDS4Vets is a 501c3, not-for-profit organization that raises funds to provide service animals to veterans and helps to bridge the gap between veterans and the services they are entitled to receive. Our mission is to bring positive, lasting solutions to our military veterans and their families.