Warrior Care Network

Warrior Care Network is a mental health program that provides care, travel and accommodations at no cost for United States veterans and their families. Treatment options consist of intensive outpatient care, mainly focusing on post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI). Warrior Care Network began accepting veterans into the program on January 15, 2016.[1] It was created by a joint effort between Wounded Warrior Project,[2] the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs[3][4] and partners consisting of four regional academic medical research hospitals located throughout the United States.[5][6] Initial cost of the project was $100 million which was funded by a three-year grant from Wounded Warrior Project and its treatment center medical partners.[3]

Warrior Care Network logo

On October 23, 2018, Wounded Warrior Project announced a reinvestment of $160 million to the Warrior Care Network.[7]

Medical PTSD Treatment Centers

Los Angeles, CA

In 2007, UCLA Health created Operation Mend Program[5] via a partnership with the U.S. Military and the Department of Veterans Affairs. In 2010, Operation Mend began treating PTSD and symptoms of mild to moderate TBI.[8] In 2015, it joined the Warrior Care Network and expanded its veteran reconstructive surgery program to include mental health care from neurology, neurosurgery, psychiatry and integrative specialists.[9][10]

In 2015, Wounded Warrior Project committed a $15.7 million grant over three years for UCLA Health to expand the Operation Mend Program. The grant funded a new three-week intensive treatment program for post-9/11 era service members, veterans, and their families living with the challenges of mild TBI and PTSD. All expenses for the veterans, including travel and housing, are covered by Operation Mend.[10][11]

Atlanta, GA

Emory Healthcare Veterans Program joined Warrior Care Network in June 2015. It received a $15 million grant and was required to raise an additional $7.5 million over the next three years.[12] Emory offers a military sexual trauma survivors program as part of the Warrior Care Network.[13][14]

On September 17, 2018, Wounded Warrior Project continued to contribute to the Emory Healthcare Veterans Program with a five-year, $29.2 million grant to help expand space and treatment for veterans suffering from PTSD, TBI, depression, and anxiety.[15][16]

The program offers a two-to three-week intensive outpatient program with prolonged exposure (PE) therapy sessions. A 2018 study by the American Psychological Association found that a PE-based IOP model of treatment for PTSD in veterans leads to large improvements in PTSD and depression symptoms in two weeks.[17][18]

Boston, MA

The Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital Home Base Program was chosen to provide a PTSD treatment center in the northeast United States.[19] Home Base joined the Warrior Care Network in 2015 and was slated to move into a building in the Navy Yard in Charlestown under the leadership of executive director Jack Hammond and chief operating officer Mike Allard.[20] In September 2018, Home Base opened the National Center of Excellence in Charlestown, Massachusetts, to further assist veterans.[21]

Home Base provided care to more than 1,600 clients in 2021, and about 400 veterans and service members go through the intensive program each year. The program includes daily group and individual therapy, as well as holistic classes such as tai chi, yoga, nutrition, and fitness. All services, even those not covered by insurance, are free.[22]

Researchers at Home Base and Harvard University are working with the social network RallyPoint to more accurately predict suicide risk among service members using machine learning.[23]

Chicago, IL

Rush University Medical Center began the Road Home Program in 2014 to treat veterans and family members affected by PTSD and TBI related to military service. The program also provides specialized treatment tracks for veterans experiencing PTSD secondary to combat and military trauma.[24] In 2015, Rush received a grant for $15 million from Wounded Warrior Project to develop its outpatient evaluation and treatment program and become part of the Warrior Care Network. Wounded Warrior Project also promised to match $2 to every $1 raised by Rush to develop its program, up to $2.5 million per year.[25]

Eligibility for PTSD treatment

Veterans and active duty US military with mental health conditions or injuries incurred during deployment on or after September 11, 2001 are eligible; there is no geographical restriction.[26]

This includes US military members who have symptoms of PTSD, including military sexual trauma (MST), and/or TBI and/or co-morbid conditions, but no diagnosis is necessary. Eligible veterans must be able to travel and attend the program for two weeks.[27][28]

Patients who have been hospitalized in the last 30 days or undergone substance detoxification are ineligible.

To participate in the program and receive PTSD treatment at no cost, veterans, active duty military or caregivers must begin the screening process by filling out a form on the Wounded Warrior Project official website.[29]

PTSD treatments offered

Warrior Care Network provides a six-week program which includes two to three weeks at the PTSD treatment center, and, for some locations, followed by three weeks care from home via telecommuting and social networking.[9] The program can be used by veterans who have not already received mental health care or in addition to ongoing treatments for combat-related PTSD.[8] Service treatment strategies include comprehensive medical reviews, group therapy sessions, fitness education, family support, and alternative therapies such as meditation, acupuncture and qi gong. Families are also included in the treatment and can receive training on therapy for trauma that affects concentration and memory.[30] Therapy can be performed in group or individual sessions.[31][32][33][34]

Warrior Care Network data released by Emory University, shows that participants who complete the program experience a significant improvement in PTSD and depression symptoms that are maintained up to one year.[35]

Prolonged exposure (PE) is a best practice PTSD treatment that repeatedly exposes the patient to triggers or distressful thoughts related to the traumatic event, allowing the patient to learn how to manage resulting distress and deal with memories that had been avoided.[36] Exposure therapy is performed at the Emory Healthcare Veterans Program[37] using virtual reality sessions with a therapist, allowing the patient to talk through experiences.[13][38]

Wounded Warrior Project's role

Registration for the program is conducted through the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) website.[29]

Wounded Warrior Project initiated the Warrior Care Network after performing a survey of veterans in 2014, finding over 76% of respondents had an untreated traumatic battle experience[2][31] despite existing veterans' benefits for PTSD. The program is designed to improve overall industry treatment and best practices for PTSD by tracking data and sharing results. According to former WWP Chief Program Officer Jeremy Chwat, "Tapping into private health care [in conjunction with what is offered at Veterans Affairs] is something we think can benefit not only the warriors in our program but those who are accessing mental health treatment at the VA and other programs."[26]

WWP funded $15.7 million toward each of the four medical partners, a total of $62.8 million. During the founding of Warrior Care Network, Wounded Warrior Project orchestrated an agreement with the Department of Veteran Affairs, allowing the VA to share records with the treatment centers.[20]

References
  1. Anderson, Vesta (January 31, 2016). "Behind the Family Portrait". Homeland Magazine (February 2016): 21–22. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
  2. Howell, Kellan (November 4, 2015). "More troops suffer from PTSD, still lack access to mental health care: survey". The Washington Times. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
  3. Breslin, Ned (2016-06-06). ""Big Bets" From Unlikely Philanthropic Investors". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2017-03-02.
  4. Roberts, John (May 24, 2017). "Wounded Warrior Project remembers the fallen, honors the missing". The Washington Times. Retrieved 2017-06-09.
  5. "Wounded Warrior Project opening L.A. office". L.A. Biz. January 5, 2016. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
  6. "Warrior Care Network". WWP. 2001-09-11. Retrieved 2023-01-27.
  7. "Wounded Warrior Project investing $160M in veterans health care". WJXT. October 23, 2018.
  8. Park, Colleen (June 2, 2015). "Wounded Warrior Project Grants $15M to UCLA program for brain injury, PTSD". My News LA.com. American City Business Journals. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
  9. Abram, Susan (April 13, 2016). "UCLA's Operation Mend to help veterans with hidden wounds of war". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved 2017-03-02.
  10. "UCLA Operation Mend receives $15.7 million for mental health program for wounded warriors". UCLA.
  11. "$100 Million Initiative for Veterans' Mental Health Care Announced". Philanthropy News Digest (PND). 2023-02-21. Retrieved 2023-03-03.
  12. Hudson, Phil (June 5, 2015). "Wounded Warrior Project taps Emory's Veterans Program to take part in national medical care network". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2017-03-24.
  13. Galvin, Beth (September 4, 2015). "Virtual Reality Helps Military Sexual Trauma Survivors Confront Past, Find Healing". Fox 5 Atlanta. Retrieved 2017-03-24.
  14. "SCDVA partners with Emory Healthcare Veterans Program to expand mental health treatment options to Veterans in SC". Veterans' Affairs. 2023-01-23. Retrieved 2023-01-27.
  15. Habersham, Raisa (September 18, 2018). "Emory gets $29 million grant from Wounded Warrior Project". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved October 9, 2018.
  16. Blair, Douglas (September 17, 2018). "Emory receives $29 million from Wounded Warrior Project". Woodruff Health Sciences Center. Retrieved 22 October 2018.
  17. "3-Week Program Effective in Helping to Ease Combat-Linked PTSD". January 5, 2023. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  18. "(PDF) Intensive Outpatient Prolonged Exposure for PTSD in Post-9/11 Veterans and Service-Members: Program Structure and Preliminary Outcomes of the Emory Healthcare Veterans Program".
  19. "Home Base Gets Wounded Warrior Challenge Grant". Massachusetts General Hospital Giving. 2015-07-14. Retrieved 2017-03-02.
  20. Cullen, Kevin (May 2, 2016). "Covering All the Bases for Veterans". Boston Globe. Retrieved 2017-03-02.
  21. "Home Base Program - The Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital | Boston Red Sox". MLB.com.
  22. "During a tough year, veterans find mental health care at Home Base". www.wbur.org.
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  25. Marotti, Ally (June 2, 2015). "Rush to expand veterans program with Wounded Warrior Project grant". Crain's Chicago Business. Retrieved 2017-03-24.
  26. Kime, Patricia (June 18, 2015). "Emory University & MassGeneral Hospital Involved in $70M Wounded Warrior Project Effort". nndc.org. Retrieved 2017-03-24.
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  28. Pollack, M. H.; Simon, N. M.; Rothbaum, B. O. (2017). "Care of Veterans Through the Warrior Care Network - PMC". Focus: Journal of Life Long Learning in Psychiatry. 15 (4): 377. doi:10.1176/appi.focus.20170037. PMC 6519531. PMID 31975866.
  29. "Warrior Care Network". Wounded Warrior Project. Retrieved 2017-03-28.
  30. Day, Duncan (April 13, 2016). "UCLA's Operation Mend Announces New Program to Fight Veterans' Mental Disorders". USC Annenberg Media. Retrieved 2017-03-02.
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  33. "Warrior Care Network". Homeland Magazine.
  34. "Intensive Outpatient Therapy Rapidly Reduces PTSD". www.rushu.rush.edu.
  35. Burton, Mark S.; Rothbaum, Barbara O.; Rauch, Sheila A. M. (April 3, 2022). "The role of depression in the maintenance of gains after a prolonged exposure intensive outpatient program for posttraumatic stress disorder". Depression and Anxiety. 39 (4): 315–322. doi:10.1002/da.23240. PMID 35029316 – via PubMed.
  36. Anderson, Vesta. "PTSD: A Warrior's Life Before & After | Homeland Magazine". homelandmagazine.com. Retrieved 2017-03-24.
  37. HealthDay (January 5, 2023). "3-Week Program Effective in Helping to Ease Combat-Linked PTSD". U.S. News.
  38. Blum, Dani (June 3, 2021). "Virtual Reality Therapy Plunges Patients Back Into Trauma. Here Is Why Some Swear by It" – via NYTimes.com.
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