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[Sam] Before I was engaged in whole health, I was in a really
dark place. I wanted to end my life. My physical being was
wearing me out. I've had a lot of surgeries. I wasn't
able to walk on my own anymore and I really didn't want to be
here. I didn't want to be here. And I got lucky. I came here.
I seen Dr. Forbes, who after my second visit asked me if I
would be willing to listen about a new program, Whole Health.
[Dr. Forbes] Mr. Martino was given to me as I hand off from
his primary care doc who thought that he seemed
depressed. He reported to me, first time I met him, reported
me he'd struggled with depression for many years.
Had a lot of physical problems. A lot of mobility problems
and was kinda defeated, really kind of down and
just about to give up. Kelley Johnson had explained the
mission of Whole Health to me and I thought maybe this is
something he can benefit from because this is
a long term issue. Maybe some coping skills, some mindfulness
meditation, those kind of things would be of benefit to him.
I suggested it to him, he was reluctant. A lot of my patients
are because it seems kind of fluffy, it seems kind of hippy
dippy. But he agreed to try, so that was step one. And once
he met Kelley, then she really connected with him well
and it has, it's been a great benefit to him.
[Sam] Kelley Johnson called me and asked me to come in for an
appointment and I came in, and I came in totally
with the attitude of, "Why am I here?"
I'm not going to do this, you know.
[Kelley] Sam Martino was one of my first patients in
Whole Health. He was referred to me by Dr. Forbes, our
clinical psychologist here at the clinic. And she had him
in her office and she asked if I could see him, so I brought
him over that same day. When I first met him he seemed
very depressed. I went through my whole talk about
Whole Health. What it can do for you.
[Sam] After listening for to Kelley for an hour, she simply
said would you like to come back next week and try the program.
If not, you don't have to. So it wan't anything I was
forced to do. And I did like her presentation so I did come back
the next week and it's probably changed my life. Well a session
with Kelley is about me. The Whole Health program, there's
different things about me I could work on. I can work on my
mental health. I could work on my body. I could work on my
family. There's a number of things and it's a circle
and in the middle circle, it's me. I get to pick
what I want to work on. My wife for many years has been
asking me to seek help. I've been going through the
depression for a lot of years. We've been married thirty eight
years and she's seen every side of me. I can get depressed
on a dime and she would notice it. And she'd ask me,
you know, "What's wrong?" I'd say, "I don't know."
"Why won't you get some help? Maybe medication will help you?"
And I'd say, "I'm not going. I'm not going to do that." I don't
want, you know, I don't to share my inner things with
people. And over the years, she's seen and the anger. She's
seen the depression. The solitude, not wanting to be
around anybody and she'd say, "You don't want to go anywhere.
You don't want to do anything. You don't want to see anybody.
You don't even call your friends anymore." You know,
she's seen me isolating myself and she talked
to me about it and after the Whole Health program, after
I started the Whole Health program, it's like, wow!
[Kelley] I've become friends as well as his coach. I feel like
he has done this. I didn't do this. I just encouraged him to
do this. He feels like I have done it and I tell him all the
time, no you did this. You are working on your goals. You are
doing this. He always tells me you need to take some credit.
But I really feel like it's, it's amazing to have a job that
I can support Veterans in reaching their goals.
I get just as much joy out of it is they do.
[Sam] I can't be thankful enough for his program.
I could talk for hours and hours about Whole Health program.
About the coaches and about everybody involved. It's just,
it's the greatest thing I think I've ever done for myself and I
really do find Whole Health to be a lifesaver for me anyway.
[Dr. LaPuz] So Sam's story is one of thousands of similar
stories that we've been hearing and it really is
transformative. So for Sam, it is getting above the medical
conditions that he's got, as well as the mental condition
that he had, and because of Whole Health, he was able to
transcend the difficulties of those conditions and be able
to change his life. VISN 8 Whole Health implementation is
unique because of two things; one is we're integrating it with
Primary Care and Mental Health. So then it is delivered as
integrated approach so that, so then Whole Health Primary Care
and Mental Health is delivered as one approach.
And then the other thing too that is unique,
is that it is a massive rollout. So we are rolling
it out across all seven facilities. Our staff who have
been exposed to it, to our Whole Health program, they really like
it because it has changed their lives. It has changed
their relationships with their, within their family and it has
changed the way they even look at what is important to them.
[Sam] My emotional state after, from being in the Whole Health
program at the beginning to now, it's just a world of difference.
I'm a different person. I'm not the same person that started in
this program. And I, I thank God for that. I really do.
I thank God for everybody in this program. Whole Health is
just a lifesaver and I wish everybody would try it.
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