Missoula-area veterans now have a new and improved Vet Center at their disposal. These centers help combat veterans readjust to civilian life after what can be intense deployments overseas.
Alvie Benskin is a counselor with the Missoula Vet Center.
"It’s hard to go from being engaged with an enemy on a field of battle where you’re possibly receiving mortar fire, engaging people with weapons and lots of scary, ugly things going on and two weeks later you’re back on the job where everything’s supposed to return back to normal."
The Missoula Vet Center used to be located downtown. The new facility is now across town on Brooks Street. It has better parking and almost twice the functional space of the old facility. Benskin says that’s allowed them to add new clinic staff.
"We’ve also started new groups and new programs. We’ve incorporated a lot more recreational activities into what our services can provide. This is the full integration of the veteran and their family back into what can start to look like a normal life for them."
Kalispell, Great Falls and Billings also have Vet Center programs.
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