Dr. David Albright of The University of Alabama will take part in a study to evaluate the needs of military veterans. The study will fixate on the southern region of the state of Alabama, including Mobile, Baldwin, Escambia, Conecuh, Monroe, Clarke, Choctaw and Washington counties.

“The purpose of the South Alabama Veterans Needs Assessment is to identify the unmet needs and perceived gaps in available services of veterans and their families located in an eight-county area in southern Alabama in which approximately 64,000 veterans reside,” Albright said.

Interviews, surveys and focus groups will collect information for the study. The study will also incorporate date on health care access, education and employment.

“The study is needed to prioritize the needs for service provision and inform resource allocation,” Albright said. “To determine what other, if any, resources are available, and to determine if there are barriers preventing access to existing resources.”

Albright is the Hill Crest foundation Endowed Chair in Mental Health Research in the School of Social Work at The University of Alabama. He is a military veteran and former research fellow with both the Department of Veteran Affairs and the RAND Corporation’s Center for Military Healthy Policy Research.

The University of Alabama School of Social Work has teamed up with The Community Foundation of South Alabama to make the evaluation of military veterans possible. Assistant Dean of Research Dr. Karl Hamner will hold a position as co-principal investigator.