Monday, December 14, 2009

USA Cares PTSD/TBI Program Hits a Milestone Warrior Treatment Today helps veterans get needed care

Radcliff, KY—Reaching a hundred of anything is usually considered a milestone—whether its years of age or points in a basketball game. USA Cares has just reached such a milestone with the one-hundredth veteran assisted through our Warrior Treatment Today program.

Begun in January 2008, the Warrior Treatment Today program has grown significantly as more and more veterans are coming forward for help with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI). USA Cares has helped veterans in over 26 states by providing financial support for basic needs such as mortgage, food, and bills while the veteran attends months of inpatient rehabilitation for PTSD/TBI. Without this support, many veterans simply could not afford to leave jobs and paychecks to get the necessary treatment they have earned and deserve.

Veteran number one hundred has a lot in common with his 99 predecessors. He was active duty Army on his first deployment to Iraq when his HUMMV was attacked. He is from a small town in Michigan where he has dealt with multiple injuries—both visible and invisible. Rated by the Veterans Administration at over 80 per cent disabled, our program participant number one hundred is trying to overcome those invisible wounds that must be healed before a return to normal life can really begin.

USA Cares is proud to offer the Warrior Treatment Today program in partnership with the Department of Veterans Affairs. Generous private grant support has allowed us to expend over $160,000 in financial support to date. The sheer number of mental health casualties from combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan represents a formidable health care task that demands both public and private responders working together. Given the selfless service of our veterans—we can do no less.

About USA Cares
USA Cares is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization that helps post 9/11 military families bear the burdens of service with financial and advocacy support. Its mission: To help with basic needs during financial crisis, to assist combat injured Veterans and their families and to prevent private military home foreclosures and evictions. In six years, USA Cares has received over 19,900 requests and responded with more than $6.4 million in grants. Military families anywhere in America can apply for assistance through the USA Cares web site, http://www.usacares.org/ or by calling 1-800-773-0387. For more information on USA Cares contact John Revell, jrevell@usacares.org or call (270) 352-5451 x101.

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