A spokesperson says The Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Center in Iron Mountain has hired nine mental health professionals to meet the demand.
Those hires are part of more than 1,600 new mental health hires within the VA system.
Spokesperson Brad Nelson says four of the new hires are under an Executive Order signed by President Obama to meet the needs of veterans and their families. He says with more than a decade of combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, the need is there.
"Post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries, the increase in the survivability of the war and what else you've been hearing in the news, the 'hidden wounds', the mental health issues of our soldiers and sailors coming back."
Nelson says some of the nine new mental health professionals are in the Northwoods.
"Three of those are at our field clinic in Rhinelander..part of a program that goes out into the field and manages some of the more severe mental health cases, we call them our 'e-range team'."
Nelson says the website has more information or contact the Rhinelander VA office.
