Closed Monday For Memorial Day

May 26, 2022

HealthCore Clinic will be closed Monday, May 30, 2022, in observance of Memorial Day. Regular hours will resume on Tuesday, May 31.

Thank you to all the members of our community, and those around the United States, who have served to protect our freedoms. On Monday, we pause in remembrance of those who gave their lives to protect these freedoms. We honor them, their families, and their friends.

Living With Post-Traumatic Stress

For most, Memorial Day is a time of celebration as Memorial Day is typically seen as the beginning of summer. For most veterans, however, Memorial Day can bring about a wave of emotions, reminding them of those who have passed away defending our country. People who suffer from post-traumatic stress (PTS) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) tend to be the most affected by this day of remembrance.

For many veterans, Memorial Day brings a sharp increase of traumatic memories as well as feelings of acute grief and loss, and in some cases, a heavy burden of survivor’s guilt. Every 65 minutes, a veteran commits suicide, and on a holiday like Memorial Day, where veterans’ painful and traumatic memories are brought to the forefront, people with PTS and PTSD are often more vulnerable at this time, as they are already in a place of pain and anguish.

On Memorial Day, it is important to help those around you who are veterans and are experiencing symptoms of PTSD and PTS. Early intervention and treatment for those suffering from PTS and PTSD are crucial to healing emotionally.

Intervene as soon as possible on behalf of someone suffering from trauma and/or PTSD. Uncharacteristic behavior can become increasingly destructive. Over time, buried and suppressed memories become more and more powerful.

At HealthCore Clinic, our culturally appropriate mental health and substance abuse services are designed to reduce stigma and provide a comfortable and safe environment for the management of anxiety, depression, trauma, and behavioral support for other mental health and medical diagnoses.

If you or someone you know needs help, please contact us.

History of Memorial Day

Memorial Day is more than just hot dogs, barbecues, and parades on the last Monday of May. The national holiday was established to honor those who have died in American wars.

Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day. It originated during the American Civil War, when citizens would place flowers on the graves of those who had been killed in battle. After the Civil War, many cities held observances in May for the families of both Confederate and Union soldiers who had died serving their cause.

In 1868 John A. Logan, the commander in chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, an organization of Union veterans, promoted a national holiday on May 30 “for the purpose of strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion.” After World War I, as the day came to be observed in honor of those who had died in all U.S. wars, its name changed from Decoration Day to Memorial Day.

Since 1971 Memorial Day has been observed on the last Monday in May. It is observed with the laying of a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, and by religious services, parades, and speeches nationwide.

Cities and towns across the United States host Memorial Day parades each year, often incorporating military personnel and members of veterans’ organizations. Some of the largest parades take place in Chicago, New York and Washington, D.C.

Americans also observe Memorial Day by visiting cemeteries and memorials. Some people wear a red poppy in remembrance of those fallen in war—a tradition that began with a World War I poem. On a less somber note, many people take weekend trips or throw parties and barbecues on the holiday, perhaps because Memorial Day weekend—the long weekend comprising the Saturday and Sunday before Memorial Day and Memorial Day itself—unofficially marks the beginning of summer.