SmileySharing: A New Beginning
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Here's our story:
Per a VA study, an average of 20 veterans commit suicide every day . Many of those veterans are suffering from mental health conditions that cause them to feel that suicide is the only way to make the pain stop. The VA waiting lists are long, and the treatments are often subpar. Veterans are suffering and dying because they aren’t getting the mental health care they need.
Enter Michael Mason. Michael is a US Army veteran who feels called to counsel veterans, especially veterans. He is currently finishing up a Master of Education in Counseling degree at UMSL; once he has completed the program, he will obtain his counseling license and open up his practice. Michael’s dream is to open a private practice where he can treat clients, especially veterans, regardless of their ability to pay.
No office can run smoothly without an office manager, and that’s where Rebecca Oaks Mason comes into play. She is currently studying for her Associate of Applied Science in Health Information Technology at STLCC. Once she has graduated, Rebecca will obtain her CCA, which will show that she meets AHIMA’s standards for medical coders and billers. Rebecca will be handling medical coding, billing insurance companies and private pay patients, accounting, health information, scheduling, compliance, and contacting patients via telephone and/or email as needed for appointment purposes.
You may be asking, “That’s great and all, but why are you asking ME for help?”
I’m glad you asked. The trouble is that in spite of the incredible need for mental health care professionals, especially for veterans, there is virtually no financial aid for graduate students pursuing work in the field rather than professorship, and the competition for that scanty financial aid is fierce. In Rebecca’s case, she already has a Bachelor of Arts in English, and there is very little financial aid available for someone who already has a Bachelor’s degree, even if she is pursuing a degree in another field. Your donations will enable Michael and Rebecca to complete their educations now, serve as seed money for Michael’s private practice, and enable Michael to see patients regardless of their ability to pay.
When it comes right down to it, we can’t do this without you, nor do we want to. Your investment in us is an investment not just in us, but in our community. It enables us to continue the work we have been called to do and pass the blessings that have been shared with us onto others, many of whom haven’t experienced a blessing of their own in a long time.
Thank you!
(Suicide rate source: .https://www.va.gov/opa/publications/factsheets/Suicide_Prevention_FactSheet_New_VA_Stats_070616_1400.pdf)
Per a VA study, an average of 20 veterans commit suicide every day . Many of those veterans are suffering from mental health conditions that cause them to feel that suicide is the only way to make the pain stop. The VA waiting lists are long, and the treatments are often subpar. Veterans are suffering and dying because they aren’t getting the mental health care they need.
Enter Michael Mason. Michael is a US Army veteran who feels called to counsel veterans, especially veterans. He is currently finishing up a Master of Education in Counseling degree at UMSL; once he has completed the program, he will obtain his counseling license and open up his practice. Michael’s dream is to open a private practice where he can treat clients, especially veterans, regardless of their ability to pay.
No office can run smoothly without an office manager, and that’s where Rebecca Oaks Mason comes into play. She is currently studying for her Associate of Applied Science in Health Information Technology at STLCC. Once she has graduated, Rebecca will obtain her CCA, which will show that she meets AHIMA’s standards for medical coders and billers. Rebecca will be handling medical coding, billing insurance companies and private pay patients, accounting, health information, scheduling, compliance, and contacting patients via telephone and/or email as needed for appointment purposes.
You may be asking, “That’s great and all, but why are you asking ME for help?”
I’m glad you asked. The trouble is that in spite of the incredible need for mental health care professionals, especially for veterans, there is virtually no financial aid for graduate students pursuing work in the field rather than professorship, and the competition for that scanty financial aid is fierce. In Rebecca’s case, she already has a Bachelor of Arts in English, and there is very little financial aid available for someone who already has a Bachelor’s degree, even if she is pursuing a degree in another field. Your donations will enable Michael and Rebecca to complete their educations now, serve as seed money for Michael’s private practice, and enable Michael to see patients regardless of their ability to pay.
When it comes right down to it, we can’t do this without you, nor do we want to. Your investment in us is an investment not just in us, but in our community. It enables us to continue the work we have been called to do and pass the blessings that have been shared with us onto others, many of whom haven’t experienced a blessing of their own in a long time.
Thank you!
(Suicide rate source: .https://www.va.gov/opa/publications/factsheets/Suicide_Prevention_FactSheet_New_VA_Stats_070616_1400.pdf)
Organizer
Rebecca Mason
Organizer
Saint Ann, MO
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