Talk Justice: Episode 95
Justice and Support for Veterans with Substance Use Disorders
Veterans and legal experts discuss wrap-around services to address the needs of veterans with substance use disorder on Talk Justice. Many veterans live with mental or behavioral health challenges, including traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder and substance use disorder. Approximately 1 in 10 veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan suffers from some form of substance abuse. And according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the rate of opioid use disorder among veterans is almost double that of the general population. Civil legal aid, the U.S. Department of Justice and Veterans Courts provide vital assistance for veterans facing a substance use disorder, from obtaining health care benefits to securing treatment. This discussion originally took place at LSC’s November 19 event, “Honor in Justice: Supporting America’s Veterans.”
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Guest Speakers
Amy Romero is an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Rhode Island, focusing on enforcement of federal civil rights laws. Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office in 2016, Amy represented individuals in housing and employment discrimination cases at Rhode Island Legal Services and Community Legal Aid in Worcester, Massachusetts. Amy grew up in Providence, Rhode Island, graduated from Swarthmore College and University of Pennsylvania Law School, and clerked for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
Bob Keating is the Managing Attorney of the Pueblo Office of Colorado Legal Services. He is a 1993 graduate of the Washburn University School of Law. He has been with Colorado Legal Services and its predecessor agencies in Pueblo since 1995.
Bob has been married to his wife, Suzette, for 36 years. They have two sons.
At age 19, Patrick joined the Army, launching a lifelong commitment to our nation’s military and veterans. Patrick has served as a soldier, America’s first Iraq War veteran elected to Congress, and the 32nd Under Secretary of the Army.
Today, Patrick continues to advocate and empower veterans through his work in the public and private sectors. As a “Vetrepreneur,” he spearheads a wide range of business interests and offers veterans the opportunity to launch their own dreams by investing in their companies. As a public speaker and media executive, Patrick helps amplify the voices and experiences of veterans on MSNBC, CBS, the Discovery Network, and elsewhere.
Patrick currently lives in Pennsylvania with his two children, Maggie and Jack.
Taryn Heath has served on the Stark County Court of Common Pleas bench since 2007. Previously, she served as: a private practitioner for 25 years, prosecutor for the City of Alliance, Ohio, Assistant Attorney General, and Magistrate for the Canton Municipal Court for 13 years. Judge Heath obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Public Administration from Miami University and her Juris Doctor from The University of Akron School of Law (2021 Alumni Association’s Outstanding Alumni of the Year Recipient). Judge Heath is a frequent lecturer on ethics, professionalism, and veteran issues for the Ohio Judicial College, the Ohio Common Pleas Judges’ Association, the Ohio State Bar Association, and the Ohio Association of Magistrates. She is former President of the Ohio Common Pleas Judges Association and currently serves as Co-Chair of the Ohio Judicial Conference Innovative and Specialty Courts Committee. Judge Heath also serves on the Ohio Judicial College Planning Committee, the Common Pleas Curriculum Committee and the Judicial Ethics, Professionalism and Diversity Committee. She is a member of the Stark County Bar Association (Past President), Ohio State Bar Association, and is an Ohio State Bar Foundation Fellow. Judge Heath was instrumental in establishing the Court’s Foreclosure Mediation Program. She has championed efforts to get young people interested in the justice system, serving for over 30 years as a judge for the Ohio Center for Law-Related Education’s High School Mock Trial Program, and instituting a Court Career Days Program at Lehman Middle School. Judge Heath established and chaired the committee for the Symposium on Community Violence ‘Breaking Down Barriers’ and was instrumental in reestablishing the Ohio Attorney General’s Fugitive Safe Surrender Program in Stark County. Judge Heath has chaired the Court’s H.O.P.E. Program (a collaboration of community partners assisting offenders with mental illness) since 2007 and founded and presides over Honor Court (a veterans treatment court) since 2011. She serves as the Stark County Judicial Delegate for the ‘Stepping Up Ohio Initiative’, including the Sequential Intercept Mapping and Supportive Housing Technical Assistance Projects. Judge Heath has received: the 2013 Italian-American Festival Dedication Award; 2016 ‘Got your Six’ award from Warriors Journey Home for service to local veterans; the 2017 Women’s Impact Award; the 2020 Stark County Mental Health and Addiction Recovery Board’s CIT (Crisis Intervention Team) ‘Champion of the Year’ award as well as the 2023 Warriors Journey Home Founder’s Award
Host
Will A. Gunn is the Vice President for Legal Affairs and General Counsel for the Legal Services Corporation (LSC). In 2009, he was appointed by President Barack Obama as the General Counsel for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, a position in which he served for five years. Subsequently, he was an attorney with a solo law practice, assisting military members facing adverse actions.