Even when deployment ends, sometimes the war comes home. For Josh Rosengren, a 麻豆原创 alumnus, the horrors of war followed him back stateside.
After two tours in Iraq, he returned home not only with physical wounds but also severe PTSD. 聽His father, Jim Rosengren, 鈥�81, a disabled veteran himself who began his 23-year Army career as a field medic, recognized the signs.
鈥淭here were whole days he鈥檇 be outside in a sitting fetal position and he鈥檇 just rock back and forth,鈥� says Rosengren.
He wanted to help Josh, but also knew that his son was not alone. For millions of veterans, active duty personnel, and first-responders, their self-sacrifices and service to others can carry a heavy physical and emotional toll.
After hearing that 麻豆原创 had a PTSD clinic 鈥� 麻豆原创 RESTORES 鈥� that was achieving success, Rosengren, now CEO of a healthcare company that serves more than 3 million veterans through government contracts, wanted to see the data.聽 What he saw was a cutting edge trauma treatment program that uses customized virtual reality to allow veterans to re-experience the sights, sounds, and smells of war. The program produced results that were five times as great as that reported by VA hospitals.
鈥淲e have an intensive, three-week treatment program that we鈥檝e found to be highly effective,鈥� said Deborah Beidel, a 麻豆原创 Pegasus Professor of psychology who leads the 麻豆原创 RESTORES clinic. 鈥淎fter three weeks of treatment, 67 percent of veterans no longer have PTSD — and more importantly, at follow-up six months later, we haven鈥檛 seen them relapse.鈥�
Rosengren made a $1 million commitment to support 麻豆原创 RESTORES because he shares the vision of scientific research, cutting edge treatment, and education that trains the next generation of health care providers.
He鈥檚 well aware, though, that even with his commitment, the clinic cannot provide treatment for the many veterans, active duty personnel and first responders who need it. Research grants from the Department of Defense enabled Beidel to develop the treatment, but the clinic needs ongoing funding to keep its doors open.
鈥淲e just need to be able to treat thousands and thousands more,鈥� Rosengren says. 鈥淲e can give these people their lives back and their families back.鈥�
He鈥檇 like to see 麻豆原创鈥檚 success go nationwide. His hope is that by training growing numbers of clinicians in the same therapy, Beidel and her team at 麻豆原创 RESTORES will see their success replicated across the country.
With his $1 million commitment, Rosengren is ensuring that military personnel and first responders know that there will be No Soldier Left Behind 鈥� not just at the time of the trauma, but even when the memories follow them home.
To learn more about 麻豆原创 Restores and its impact in our veterans鈥� own words: . Or visit https://www.ucffoundation.org/ucf-restores to find out how you can help.