| Abstract |
The Joint Mental Health Advisory Team 7 to Operation Enduring Freedom (J-MHAT 7 OEF) was established at the request of senior operational leaders and supported by the leadership of US Forces Afghanistan (USFOR-A). As in previous years, the Office of The Surgeon General of the Army took the lead in mission execution; however, the mission was supported by the Offices of the Surgeons' General of the Navy and Air Force along with the Office of the Medical Officer of the Marine Corps. In addition, key support was provided by the Office of the Command Surgeon, USCENTCOM and the Office of the Command Surgeon, US FOR-A. J-MHAT 7 is the first MHA T to have Joint representation. The purpose of J-MHAT 7 was to: 1. Assess behavioral health in land combat forces by surveying Service Members in Army and Marine maneuver units 2. Examine the delivery of behavioral healthcare in Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) 3. Provide recommendations for sustainment and improvement to command. During July and August 2010, Soldiers and Marines in randomly selected maneuver units completed the anonymous J-MHA T 7 survey. In total, 911 surveys were collected from 40 Army maneuver unit platoons, and 335 were collected from 13 Marine platoons. Eighty-five surveys were collected from behavioral health personnel in the Afghanistan Theater of Operations (ATO). From 27 July to 14 September, 2010 the J-MHAT 7 team (a) processed and analyzed survey data, (b) examined secondary data sources, (c) conducted focus group interviews with Soldiers, Marines and behavioral health personnel, and (d) wrote the technical briefing and draft report. The report contains four key sections: 1. Status of Soldiers compared to three previous OEF samples 2. Status of Marines compared to two previous Iraq (OIF) samples 3. OEF behavioral healthcare, staffing ratios, status of providers and suicide numbers 4. Integrative recommendations. |
