In fall 2012, the Otis R. Bowen Center for Human Services was named a Military-Ready Behavioral Health Provider Organization by the Indiana Veterans Behavioral Health Network. To receive this designation, select clinicians at each of Bowen Center’s nine county office locations completed specialized training in military culture, individual and family concerns around military deployment, and unique challenges for service men and women in coping with post-deployment transitions. The goal of this initiative is to create the Indiana Veterans Behavioral Health Network, a statewide alliance of veteran-friendly behavioral health providers. In joining this partnership, Bowen Center clinicians have committed to complete ongoing training about military family stress, substance abuse, traumatic brain injury and understanding and effectively helping those suffering from symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. “We are saying to the public and to our veterans that we care about them, that we understand their issues, and that we are here to provide services sensitive to their unique needs,” said Jennifer Dyarman, outpatient therapist at Bowen Center’s Noble County office in Albion. Dyarman, herself a combat veteran who served in Iraq, indicated that this new provider designation means Bowen Center professionals are trained and available to address the ever-growing needs of veterans and their families, needs that in the past may have exceeded locally available resources. Dyarman continued, “Bowen Center is now available as a local and readily accessible behavioral health option for veterans. We are here to serve, not only our veterans themselves, but also their children and family members.” The Bowen Center has been awarded a two-star rating by the IVBHN. It is Bowen Center’s intention to earn a four-star rating, the highest available, within the next year. Founded in 1961, the Otis R Bowen Center for Human Services Inc. is a private not-for-profit comprehensive community behavioral health center licensed by the Indiana Division of Mental Health.
