The Emory Healthcare Veterans Program is joining forces with the South Carolina Department of Veterans’ Affairs (SCDVA) to provide free mental health treatment and services to post-9/11 veterans and service members in South Carolina.
Since its launch in 2015, Emory Healthcare Veterans Program has become an international center of excellence dedicated to the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, anxiety, depression and other invisible wounds of military service. The program takes a collaborative approach to healing, providing treatment at no cost to eligible veterans and service members from experts in the fields of psychiatry, neurology, neuropsychology and social work.
Under the new agreement, the SCDVA will help inform and refer eligible South Carolina veterans and service members to the Emory program. Participants can choose from traditional outpatient treatment as well as a two-week Intensive Outpatient Program. Both formats are offered in-person and via telehealth. Travel, lodging and meals are also included at no cost for participants.
“This opportunity is beyond amazing,” says SCDVA Secretary Will Grimsley. “Emory is a world-class provider and South Carolina is privileged to provide our nation with world-class military service. This partnership recognizes both and fills a necessary and important gap in the needs of our veterans and service members with the skills, dedication and passion offered by Emory. Thanks to Emory and Wounded Warrior Project for making this a reality.”
“We are thrilled to enter this partnership and increase our ability to heal and empower South Carolina's veterans to live their best lives. There is no greater privilege than caring for the warriors who have bravely served our country,” says Emory Healthcare Veterans Program director Barbara O. Rothbaum, PhD, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Emory University School of Medicine.
Rothbaum and Grimsley met recently to co-sign the agreement. The event was live streamed on the SCDVA Facebook page and can be viewed here.
The Emory Healthcare Veterans Program is one of four academic medical centers in the United States supported by Wounded Warrior Project’s Warrior Care Network, a national network of academic medical center partners committed to connecting wounded veterans and their families with quality mental healthcare. Learn more about the program.