From Advocacy to Action – Kimberly Cloud Presses VA on Mental Health Support for Veterans

Kimberly Cloud, a veteran who receives mental health care from the Veterans Affairs (VA) Hospital, continues to advocate for improved treatment and deeper understanding for veterans struggling with mental health issues. Like many former service members, Cloud has faced an ongoing battle with her mental health, a reality that is all too common among veterans transitioning back to civilian life.

According to sources familiar with her care, Cloud recently met with the Director of Psychiatry at her local VA hospital. While the specific details of their conversation remain confidential, Cloud says the director gave her ten minutes of his time, and that was enough to make a difference. “You can do a lot in ten minutes,” she noted.

Cloud speaks candidly about the challenges of living with mental health conditions:“Functioning with mental health issues can be difficult. You have to challenge the disorder, exercise your cognitive mind, and build a positive environment. I'm not saying it just disappears, but mental health is like math; both are solvable.”

Through persistent self-advocacy, Cloud says she and the VA have reached a better mutual understanding, one grounded in respect and dignity. Her vision for care is one where mental health support meets veterans where they are and treats them as whole individuals, not just patients on paper.

She also points to a deeper issue, the stigma that still surrounds mental health, both among the public and within the medical system. This stigma, she believes, can make it harder for some providers to listen or act compassionately. “Sometimes,” Cloud says, “just talking to the doctor and having them listen, like in old-school psychoanalysis, can lead to better outcomes.”

Cloud admits that she hasn’t always expressed herself in the right way, but her determination to be heard has never wavered. “I felt unheard. It was like pulling teeth to get help when the VA was under the Biden Administration,” she recalls. Still, she gives credit where it’s due: “My current psychiatrist listens and has helped me a lot.”

While she acknowledges that care has improved, Cloud stresses there is still much more work to be done. “I spoke out, and I got results,” she says. “The stigma is real, especially at places like the Philadelphia VA Hospital. But I appreciate being a veteran. My care is essential to meeting my basic needs, and the VA gives me that stability.”

From classes to counseling, Cloud sees progress and remains hopeful. Her story is not just one of personal advocacy, but a call to action for the VA and for all of us to treat veterans’ mental health with the urgency and respect it deserves.