>> >>TARRYN MENTO: FIRST THING, HE CHECKS HIS EMAIL.
>> >>: I RECEIVED TWO EMAILS. >> >>TARRYN MENTO: ONE IS A REMINDER, THE
ARMY VET WAS DIAGNOSED WITH PTSD AFTER THREE YEARS IN COMBAT.
THE OTHER HAS A USER PASSWORD THAT CONNECTS TO HIS WEEKLY SESSION.
IN A COUPLE OF RINGS HE'S FACE TO FACE OR FACE TO SCREEN, RATHER, WITH DR. CATHERINE
WILLIAMS. SHE'S HIS PSYCHOLOGIST LOCATED 100MILES AWAY
AT THE SAN DIEGO VA. IT'S CALLED TELEMENTAL HEALTH.
THE SAN DIEGO VA IS THE WEST COAST LEADER ON LAUNCHING THE PROGRAM.
>> >>: FOR ALMOST A DECADE WE'VE BEEN PROVIDING SOME KIND OF TELE HEALTH PROGRAM.
>> >>TARRYN MENTO: IT GOT ITS WAY AS A START TO MONITOR CHRONIC DISEASE AMONG PATIENTS
WHO LIVE FR AWAY. >> >>: SAY YOU HAVE A DIABETIC PATIENT WHO
WOULD SUBMIT DAILY THEIR BLOOD SUGARS OR BLOOD PRESSURE.
>> >>TARRYN MENTO: THE INFORMATION WOULD GO TO A SECURE WEBSITE MONITORED BY A NURSE.
OVER THE YEARS, THE PROGRAM EXPANDED TO NEW AREAS, LIKE PSYCHIATRY.
THE QUESTION IS, DOES IT REALLY WORK. AT FIRST, EVEN RUBEN SAID IT WAS WEIRD.
>> >>: THERE WAS SOME SENSE OF BEING DISTANT. YOU COULDN'T FEEL LIKE TRUSTING THE PERSON
BECAUSE THERE WAS NO PHYSICAL INTERACTION. >> >>TARRYN MENTO: PSYCHOLOGIST STEVEN THORP
AGREES, HE RAN THE PTSD CLINIC AT THE SAN DIEGO VA.
>> >>: YOU DO MISS OUT ON A LOT OF THINGS YOU GET FACE TO FACE, SOMETIMES WE SHAKE A
VETERAN'S HAND YOU CAN TELL IF THEY SEEM ANXIOUS, IF THEIR PALM IS WARM OR COLD.
>> >>TARRYN MENTO: DESPITE THE LACK OF PHYSICAL CONTACT, THORP SAYS THE VIDEO CONFERENCES
IS JUST AS EFFECTIVE AS FACE TO FACE. IN FACT, HE WAS PART OF A TEAM THAT FINISHED ONE OF
THE LARGEST STUDY ON THE MATTER THAT COMPARED 200 VETERANS, ABOUT HALF DID FACE TO FACE
AND THE OTHER VIDEO. >> >>TARRYN MENTO: AFTER THE 12 SESSIONS WERE
DONE, THE PEOPLE WHO DID FACE TO FACE DID A LITTLE BIT LATER.
>> >>: THEN WE ASKED THEM AGAIN SIX MONTHS LATER HOW THEY WERE DOING, AND FOUND THAT
THE FOLKS WHO WENT THROUGH VIDEO CONFERENCING KEPT IMPROVING UNTIL THEY WERE AT THE SAME
LEVEL AS THE FACE FOO FACE FOLKS. >> >>TARRYN MENTO: THAT WAS THE CASE OF RUBEN,
JUST MORE THAN A YEAR AGO HE WAS IN A BAD PLACE.
>> >>: I WAS TRYING TO DO A SWAN DIVE FROM THE ROOF ON TO CONCRETE.
>> >>TARRYN MENTO: HE DIDN'T JUMP, HIS DOG PREVENTED HIM FROM JUMPING UNTIL HIS MOTHER
CAME HOME, AND HE SAID HE WANTED TO. AND IT WAS THE LAST TIME HE THOUGHT ABOUT SOMETHING
LIKE THAT. HE BROUGHT HOME A LOT OF MEMORIES HE WISHED
HE NEVER H. ON HIS LAST TOUR HE RETRIEVED PARTS FROM DAMAGED
VEHICLES AND SOMETIMES RESCUE TROOPS THAT WERE STUCK INSIDE THEM.
>> >>: IF YOU WERE LUCKY IT WOULD BLOW UP FAR ENOUGH IT WOULD BE VEHICLE DAMAGE, SOMETIMES
THE VEHICLE ACTUALLY GETS BOLOGNA UPSIDE DOWN AND OVER SIDEWAYS. AND THEN, WELL RGS SINCE
THE VEHICLES ARE MADE TO KEEP PEOPLE OUT, THERE'S LOCKS INSIDE.
>> >>TARRYN MENTO: WHEN HE GOT BACK TO THE US, HE STARTED THE TELE HEALTH PROGRAM TWICE
A WEEK FROM THE SATELLITE CLINIC IN EL CENTRO. WORKING IN YUMA IT MADE IT DIFFICULT TO GET
TO THE CLINIC IN TIME. THEN THE FEDERAL GRANT CAME THROUGH TO HOST
THE CONFERENCING NOW. HE'S THE FIRST PERSON IN SAN DIEGO TO TRY
IT, THE FIRST OF ONLY ABOUT 50. FOR RUBEN, THAT'S NOT ENOUGH.
>> >>: THAT'S WHY I DON'T MIND DOING THIS, SO THE WORD GETS OUT AND SOME DUST GETS PICKED
UP. >> >>TARRYN MENTO: RUBEN SAID HE HOPES FUNDING
CONTINUES FOR THE TECH WORKERS, SERVER SPACE AND PSYCHOLOGISTS THAT MOCK THE PROGRAM POSSIBLE
SO EVENTUALLY ALL OF HIS FELLOW VETS GET THE CHANCE TO RECOVER IN THE PRIVACY OF THEIR
OWN HOME, BECAUSE IT WORKED FOR HIM. TARRYN MENTO, KPBS NEWS.