Grey Team 2023 Impact Report

2 Responses

1. Hello,
   I recently watched your program on Fox News, and I wanted to express my admiration for the incredible work you are doing for veterans. Your proactive approach is crucial; instead of waiting for crises to occur, you are actively supporting these brave individuals and helping them heal before they face severe challenges like suicide, addiction, or alcoholism. They have sacrificed so much for our country, and it is essential that we provide them with the support they rightfully deserve. The need for assistance in overcoming their complex mental and physical traumas should be beyond question.
   My family and I are also advocates for another group that, in my view, deserves equal attention as veterans: innocent children. Our son was born addicted due to exposure to multiple drugs during pregnancy. He was placed into foster care immediately, where he unfortunately faced physical, mental, and sexual abuse. Over the first six years of his life, he moved between 13 different homes. Although doctors from Child Protective Services identified his needs and recommended treatments, none were implemented.
   By the age of six, he had developed a suicide plan and was admitted to an inpatient hospital. From there, we fought for him to receive care at the Outpatient Emotional and Behavioral Program at Children’s Hospital of Pennsylvania, where he attended five days a week.
   After three years of fostering, we were able to adopt him. We ensured he received an Individualized Education Program (I.E.P.) in school and provided him with ongoing mental health care for several years. During that time, he thrived. In his first year playing football, he won the MVP award, excelled in travel lacrosse, and demonstrated remarkable intelligence. He was even recognized for his creativity and placed in the Gifted and Talented program at school.
   In sixth grade, he reached a critical turning point that led to significant regression. It became evident to us that his public school was unable to meet his needs. The pressures of the preteen social environment were overwhelming for him, leading to a rapid decline in his mental health, putting him at risk of harming himself, our family, and the surrounding community.
   Unfortunately, the support systems intended to assist children like him only seemed to exacerbate his mental health issues. He reverted to a state of fight or flight response, and the loving family he had finally come to appreciate turned into perceived adversaries. We were advised to compile evidence regarding our son to secure the mental health support he desperately required. This process forced us to involve the police when he made threats against us and repeatedly take him to emergency psychiatric facilities until we exhausted the options available through NJ Medicaid and my husband’s health insurance from his job with the State of NJ Corrections.
   With the support of our congressman, we successfully challenged the school system and the insurance company. After much effort, we were finally able to have our son placed in a facility in Lake Ozark, Missouri. This facility truly understood our struggles and was familiar with what our son was experiencing, knowing how to help him.
   They specialized in treating children with Reactive Attachment Disorder—children who have faced multiple traumas during their developmental years, which can significantly affect their brains. The staff recognized that children like our son require a different approach to calm their nervous systems. Through neurotherapy and other methods, they aimed to help him reach the right state of mind to benefit from various therapies, ultimately allowing him to heal and reintegrate into society.
   We have faced numerous systems that claim to support children like my son, but instead, they have often made his situation worse and abandoned him when they couldn’t find a solution. This pattern has repeated itself, only serving to recreate the childhood trauma of abandonment he has already experienced.
   These systems have consistently failed, but insurance companies are the worst offenders. They operate as businesses with no accountability when they disregard the law or their own policies. Insurance companies dictate decisions, and they have frequently attempted to deny my son’s medical necessity for continued treatment, despite the recommendations of his treating doctors.
   While our story is more complex, I felt compelled to reach out because I believe your treatment should be covered by insurance for our valued veterans. My son remains in a medically necessary treatment facility in Missouri, thanks to the relentless efforts of my family, myself, and our dedicated congressman who has been advocating on our behalf. Our fight includes shining a light on the insurance company, urging them to ‘do the right thing’ through our congressman’s ongoing communication and my outreach via social media, radio interviews, and news articles that tell our story. Our congressman’s office makes regular phone calls and sends emails to keep pressure on the insurance company to fulfill their responsibilities. It’s an exhausting challenge.
   Our next step is to take this issue to Washington as soon as possible. Together with our congressman and a few mental health professionals who have supported us on our journey, we will present the problems caused by the criminal actions of insurance companies in the realm of mental healthcare. We will address the Mental Health Parity Law, among other regulations, and highlight how these laws are rarely enforced, if at all.
   The absence of penalties or accountability has given insurance companies excessive power. They are systematically imposing obstacles that hinder mental health recovery, all while prioritizing profit over patient care. Their reckless and uninformed denials of medical necessity for ongoing treatment, or even access to care, are preventing individuals from receiving the help they need according to their doctors’ recommendations.
   I would love to learn more about your program. I believe both populations deserve urgent attention. Our collaborative efforts could set a new standard for mental healthcare that ensures everyone can access the appropriate treatment for their diagnoses. Imagine a country where we proactively provide genuinely effective mental healthcare tailored to individual needs!

   Reply

2. I recently watched your program on Fox News, and I wanted to express my admiration for the incredible work you are doing for veterans. Your proactive approach is crucial; instead of waiting for crises to occur, you are actively supporting these brave individuals and helping them heal before they face severe challenges like suicide, addiction, or alcoholism. They have sacrificed so much for our country, and it is essential that we provide them with the support they rightfully deserve. The need for assistance in overcoming their complex mental and physical traumas should be beyond question.
   My family and I are also advocates for another group that, in my view, deserves equal attention as veterans: innocent children. Our son was born addicted due to exposure to multiple drugs during pregnancy. He was placed into foster care immediately, where he unfortunately faced physical, mental, and sexual abuse. Over the first six years of his life, he moved between 13 different homes. Although doctors from Child Protective Services identified his needs and recommended treatments, none were implemented.
   By the age of six, he had developed a suicide plan and was admitted to an inpatient hospital. From there, we fought for him to receive care at the Outpatient Emotional and Behavioral Program at Children’s Hospital of Pennsylvania, where he attended five days a week.
   After three years of fostering, we were able to adopt him. We ensured he received an Individualized Education Program (I.E.P.) in school and provided him with ongoing mental health care for several years. During that time, he thrived. In his first year playing football, he won the MVP award, excelled in travel lacrosse, and demonstrated remarkable intelligence. He was even recognized for his creativity and placed in the Gifted and Talented program at school.
   In sixth grade, he reached a critical turning point that led to significant regression. It became evident to us that his public school was unable to meet his needs. The pressures of the preteen social environment were overwhelming for him, leading to a rapid decline in his mental health, putting him at risk of harming himself, our family, and the surrounding community.
   Unfortunately, the support systems intended to assist children like him only seemed to exacerbate his mental health issues. He reverted to a state of fight or flight response, and the loving family he had finally come to appreciate turned into perceived adversaries. We were advised to compile evidence regarding our son to secure the mental health support he desperately required. This process forced us to involve the police when he made threats against us and repeatedly take him to emergency psychiatric facilities until we exhausted the options available through NJ Medicaid and my husband’s health insurance from his job with the State of NJ Corrections.
   With the support of our congressman, we successfully challenged the school system and the insurance company. After much effort, we were finally able to have our son placed in a facility in Lake Ozark, Missouri. This facility truly understood our struggles and was familiar with what our son was experiencing, knowing how to help him.
   They specialized in treating children with Reactive Attachment Disorder—children who have faced multiple traumas during their developmental years, which can significantly affect their brains. The staff recognized that children like our son require a different approach to calm their nervous systems. Through neurotherapy and other methods, they aimed to help him reach the right state of mind to benefit from various therapies, ultimately allowing him to heal and reintegrate into society.
   We have faced numerous systems that claim to support children like my son, but instead, they have often made his situation worse and abandoned him when they couldn’t find a solution. This pattern has repeated itself, only serving to recreate the childhood trauma of abandonment he has already experienced.
   These systems have consistently failed, but insurance companies are the worst offenders. They operate as businesses with no accountability when they disregard the law or their own policies. Insurance companies dictate decisions, and they have frequently attempted to deny my son’s medical necessity for continued treatment, despite the recommendations of his treating doctors.
   While our story is more complex, I felt compelled to reach out because I believe your treatment should be covered by insurance for our valued veterans. My son remains in a medically necessary treatment facility in Missouri, thanks to the relentless efforts of my family, myself, and our dedicated congressman who has been advocating on our behalf. Our fight includes shining a light on the insurance company, urging them to ‘do the right thing’ through our congressman’s ongoing communication and my outreach via social media, radio interviews, and news articles that tell our story. Our congressman’s office makes regular phone calls and sends emails to keep pressure on the insurance company to fulfill their responsibilities. It’s an exhausting challenge.
   Our next step is to take this issue to Washington as soon as possible. Together with our congressman and a few mental health professionals who have supported us on our journey, we will present the problems caused by the criminal actions of insurance companies in the realm of mental healthcare. We will address the Mental Health Parity Law, among other regulations, and highlight how these laws are rarely enforced, if at all.
   The absence of penalties or accountability has given insurance companies excessive power. They are systematically imposing obstacles that hinder mental health recovery, all while prioritizing profit over patient care. Their reckless and uninformed denials of medical necessity for ongoing treatment, or even access to care, are preventing individuals from receiving the help they need according to their doctors’ recommendations.
   I would love to learn more about your program. I believe both populations deserve urgent attention. Our collaborative efforts could set a new standard for mental healthcare that ensures everyone can access the appropriate treatment for their diagnoses. Imagine a country where we proactively provide genuinely effective mental healthcare tailored to individual needs!

   Karen Walterson

   Reply