Partnership to help wounded Vets
The Virginia Wounded Warrior Program (VWWP) was selected as a Real Warriors Campaign partner by the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury (DcoE). Catherine Wilson, Executive Director of VWWP, said, “We are proud to be affiliated with the Real Warrior campaign and look forward to sharing the benefits of this partnership with Virginia’s wounded warriors.”
The Virginia Wounded Warrior Program coordinates support and services for wounded warriors and their families on their road to recovery from the effects of stress-related and traumatic brain injuries. This past April, VWWP awarded $1.7 million in funding to community programs across the Commonwealth so they can provide behavioral health care and other services to veterans, members of the National Guard and Reserves not in active federal service, and their families. This funding at the local level expands the amount and type of services available to wounded warriors and their families.
The Real Warriors Campaign combats the stigma associated with seeking psychological health care and encourages service members to seek appropriate treatment. Psychological stress is a common result of deployment, but service members may be reluctant to discuss the effects due to the fear that it may negatively impact their careers and personal lives. The campaign features the personal stories of service members who have reached out and received psychological health treatment. In sharing their stories, these real warriors prove to their fellow service members that they are not alone and that reaching out makes a positive difference. The profiles are available on the Real Warriors Campaign Web site at www.realwarriors.net/multimedia/profiles.php.
The Real Warriors Campaign makes reaching out easy. The website includes a live chat feature which any service member, veteran, family member, or health care provider can utilize to confidentially connect with the DCoE Outreach Center for psychological health and TBI information and resources. The Outreach Center can also be accessed 24/7 via the toll-free hotline (866-966-1020) or by email “resources @ dcoeoutreach.org” (remove spaces and quotes).
“The Real Warriors Campaign offers a wealth of powerful tools and information for Virginia’s wounded warriors,” said Wilson. We look forward to partnering with this program and increasing our success in reaching out to and helping wounded warriors and their families.”
