Rush University Medical Center received a $45 million gift from Wounded Warrior Project to provide mental health services for veterans. This gift is for the Road Home Program, which allows 5,000 military veterans or their families to receive mental health care services free of cost, over the next five years.
The aim of the Road Home Program that began in 2014 was to help military veterans and their families to make their transition to civilian life healthier. This is to be done through mental health care, regardless of their financial capacity.
The funds will be partly used to grow hospital’s Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP), which provides treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder to veterans over the period of three-week outpatient care program.
Will Beiersdorf, executive director of Road Home said that the program provides a range of therapies. Veterans in the program are provided group and individual therapy, wellness, mindfulness, nutrition and art therapies. Veterans from all over the country avail the program.
He said its been proven in lot of cases that therapies and tools make a big difference in their lives. The program has shown positive results. Infact, for some patients, depression scores have decreased by 40% after the program as compared to before the intervention.