When George Blackard found out about the Billings Vet Center, it was by accident.
We just needed an office for a little event we were doing, the commander of the Andrew Pearson American Legion Post 117 said.
His search led him to the center, but what he found was much more than just an office.
The center offers mental health services to active duty soldiers, veterans and families of military personnel at no cost.
They also provide sexual trauma and harassment counseling for veterans as well as bereavement services for families.
All the counselors there are vets themselves and its free for vets to use, he said. These people are always there but nobody knows theyre there.
Blackards post wants to make sure other Billings veterans dont have to stumble upon the valuable community resource like he did.
They will be holding an open house complete with childrens activities, free food and drinks and a drawing for a TV at the center, 2795 Enterprise Ave.
The event will be held on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Blackard occasionally gets calls from distressed family members who dont know how to respond to their veteran who has changed after returning from service.
Our circle of resources is critical, because when I get a call like that, Ill know where to send that call to, he said.
Vet center programming was created by Congress in 1979. It was designed to help Vietnam War veterans who did not feel comfortable in Veteran Administration hospitals, said Michael Worsley, who is a holds a doctorate in clinical psychology and is the centers team leader.
The Billings center was established in 2009.
We are part of the VA but our mission is different, said the former U.S. Marine and current Army reservist. Our main focus is helping vets transition back into civilian life.
When soldiers come home after a deployment, even if they dont see combat, adjusting back to normal life can be difficult.
Just getting deployed and having to be away from your family for a year, it will take a year to 18 months to normalize, Worsley said.
Worsley took the leadership role at the center in August after working in a private substance abuse treatment center in Memphis, Tenn.
He began his career as a psychologist after leaving the Marine Corps.
After graduation he worked at a VA facility and eventually left the VA for the private sector, but he missed working with veterans, he said.
The Vet Center piqued his interest because the centers services are more readily available than a VA hospital, he said. They can walk in and talk to someone today.
A mobile vet center bus is also based out of the Billings office.
The bus provides services to veterans in outlying communities with video conferencing technology allowing patients to talk with a doctor or counselor remotely.
While the center gets a fair amount of use, theres always room for more clients, Worsley said. It certainly seems that we are underutilized and could definitely do with more business.
