Psychiatrist and Retired General Named Head of N.Y. Vets’ Office
Abstract
Psychiatrist Loree Sutton, M.D., new head of the Mayor’s Office of Veterans’ Affairs in New York, vows to provide veterans with the best services available to help them transition successfully to civilian life.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has appointed psychiatrist Loree Sutton, M.D., a retired U.S. Army brigadier general, to be commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Veterans’ Affairs. She will advise the mayor on veterans’ issues and undertake initiatives affecting the city’s veterans.
Loree Sutton, M.D.: “Community partnerships within New York City organizations are critical to meeting the needs and harnessing the strengths of our city’s veterans.”
Sutton retired from the Army in 2010 after more than 25 years in uniform, serving last as the founding director of the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury (DCoE).
“With General Sutton at the helm of this office, I’m confident our city will continue to serve our veterans with the compassion and care they deserve,” said de Blasio.
Sutton entered the Army following graduation from medical school at Loma Linda University in California. During her career, she served in the Sinai Desert with the U.S. supervision force, in Germany, and in Kuwait and Iraq during the first Gulf War in 1991.
Ultimately, she rose to command the Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center at Fort Hood, Texas, until she took on the job as the first director of the DCoE in 2007.
“The Mayor’s Office of Veterans’ Affairs plays a pivotal role in ensuring our city’s veterans receive the support they need, and I’m honored to work alongside our mayor and the federal government to provide our veterans with the highest quality services,” said Sutton at the same event.
“Making the transition from military service to life at home remains an enduring challenge,” said psychiatrist and retired Army general Loree Sutton, M.D. (right), as she was named commissioner of New York City’s Office of Veterans’ Affairs by Mayor Bill de Blasio.
De Blasio connected the needs of today’s veterans to his own family’s experience with the aftermath of war. The mayor’s father lost a leg fighting in the Pacific in World War II and suffered physically and mentally for many years until he died by suicide in 1979, he said.
“New York City is home to thousands of veterans who have selflessly volunteered to serve and have protected our fellow Americans from harm, abroad and on the home front—and they deserve a commissioner who is equally committed to protecting our service men and women when they return home and transition back into civilian life,” said de Blasio.
“From finding housing to seeking earned health benefits to securing a job, the transition from military to civilian life can be extremely challenging, and I look forward to helping our city’s veterans navigate this path together in a way that maximizes their potential,” said Sutton. ■
Information about the Mayor’s Office of Veterans’ Affairs in New York City can be accessed here.
