Right now, you’d be forgiven if your mind remains fixed squarely on the ongoing coronavirus outbreak taking place all around the world. After all, it’s a (hopefully) once-in-a-lifetime event with an all-too-uncertain outcome.
For most veterans, however, it’s just another situation that calls for a careful, responsible, and measured response. That’s how they’ve been trained to react, even when American streets start to look as eerily deserted as some warzones they’ve served in. That doesn’t mean, however, that all veterans can afford to sit back calmly while people around them panic.
On the contrary, many veterans have specific medical needs that they have to worry about. They face the prospect of an already-overwhelmed VA hospital system being pressed into service as a backup to the nation’s overwhelmed healthcare system. Before that happens, however, veterans should do what they do best: make smart plans and execute them. Here’s what they should be considering.
Procuring Additional Necessary Medications
The first thing that most veterans should worry about is procuring a supply of any medications they (and their families) need to take on a regular basis. That means reaching out to doctors and asking for backup prescriptions now.
In general, they should aim to purchase a two-week supply of necessary medicines, so they can last through the quarantine without too much difficulty. Ideally, a month of the most important medications would be advisable, but going that far depends on getting a doctor’s consent and each veteran’s financial capabilities.
Postpone any Nonessential Medical Visits
Needless to say, now’s not a great time for anyone to be heading to a medical facility if there’s any way to avoid it. This is especially true for veterans that rely on the sprawling VA bureaucracy to manage their care.
There are already documented cases of coronavirus exposure at more than one VA facility, and there’s a high likelihood that there will be many more in the coming days. So, for right now (and for the foreseeable future), the best option is to cancel or delay any nonessential doctor visits until conditions improve.
To help with that goal, make sure to keep a well-stocked first-aid kit and basic medical supplies close at hand, and stand ready to use it. No matter the service branch you hailed from, your basic medical training should prove quite valuable in the coming weeks and months.
Manage Anxiety, Practice Self-Care
Today’s veterans have quite a bit more experience dealing with conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety than the general population. In situations like these, when troubling circumstances and isolation can make matters worse, veterans must practice self-care and work to keep their anxieties in check. For the community members that rely on CBD oil products to manage their conditions, swift action may be needed.
There have already been disruptions in the supply of vape hardware from China, and slowdowns in the availability of CBD oil products. For them, turning to vendors like OrganicCBD Nugs for alternate formats of their needed products now may be a viable option to keep themselves mentally fit and ready to ride out the crisis.
Stay Safe, Follow Orders
Unlike the vast majority of the civilian population, most veterans already know how to handle emergencies. That said, it’s worth remembering that even in their post-service lives, veterans should take care to follow the orders of the relevant medical and governmental authorities to stay as safe as possible.
On top of that, it’s a good idea to help out-whatever local community they reside in to provide the benefit of their hard-fought and well-earned battlefield experience. That will go a long way toward making sure we all come through this together and live to fight another day.
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