On Wednesday, outpatient Tom McCuin, an Afghanistan war veteran, snapped a photo of a hat emblazoned with the phrase: “Warning: This Vet is Medicated for your Protection,” available for sale in the lobby gift shop at the hospital.He then posted it on Facebook and Twitter.
McCuin said that instead of purchasing the hat for his car’s dashboard as a joke, he shot VA’s social media department the photo he had taken, along with a tweet: “Nice message, guys,” he wrote.
VA officials quickly responded with their own message. “This does nothing except perpetuate stereotypes. Unacceptable anywhere near a VA Medical Center.”
That morning, VA had posted on its Vantage Point blog an article about post-traumatic stress disorder, urging veterans to seek treatment. “Don’t let stigmas about PTSD and TBI get in the way of treatment,” the VA social media sites urged.
