UNM-Gallup News. May 27, 2020.
Local veterans join the community relief frontlines, supporting area nonprofit efforts to distribute food and supplies to those in need.
For local veterans—many of whom are UNM-Gallup students or alumni—the recent COVID-19 pandemic has brought an unwelcomed sense of isolation that has persisted over the past several months due to stay-at-home and other public health orders in McKinley County and the Navajo Nation. “I rely on staying busy and active as a way to combat Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD),” says Christian Vasquez, who serves as vice president of the UNM-Gallup Veterans Resource Center (VRC) and co-founder of the local nonprofit Strengthening Nations. “This pandemic has taken a mental health toll on veterans because it has cut off a lot of resources that were available to socialize and engage in personal self-development.”