Vet News: National Intrepid Center of Excellence (NICoE)

In a groundbreaking on June 5, the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, a national leader in supporting the men and women of the United States Armed Forces and their families, will launch an important new effort to serve our military community. The Fund will design and build the National Intrepid Center of Excellence (NICoE), an advanced facility dedicated to research, diagnosis and treatment of military personnel and Veterans suffering from traumatic brain injury (TBI) and psychological health issues.

NICoE will be a 72,000 square foot, two-story facility located on the Navy campus at Bethesda, Maryland, adjacent to the new Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, with close access to the Uniformed Services University, the National Institutes of Health, and the Veterans Health Administration. NICoE will be designed to provide the most advanced services for advanced diagnostics, initial treatment plan and family education, introduction to therapeutic modalities, referral and reintegration support for military personnel and Veterans with TBI, post traumatic stress disorder, and/or complex psychological health issues. Further, NICoE will conduct research, test new protocols and provide comprehensive training and education to patients, providers and families while maintaining ongoing telehealth follow-up care across the country and throughout the world.

Ground breaking is scheduled to commence in June 2008 with completion anticipated in late 2009. Upon completion, the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund will transfer NICoE to the Department of Defense for staffing and ongoing operation. The Fund will also provide an ongoing grant to support continued research into TBI at leading universities and laboratories throughout the country.

The Fisher House Foundation (fisherhouse.org) will construct two new Fisher Houses adjacent to NICoE, to house the families of patients. Family participation in care will be a key component of the NICoE program.

Begun in 2000, The Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund has provided close to $60 million in support for families of military personnel lost in service to our nation, and for severely wounded military personnel and Veterans. Most recently, the Fund designed and built a $40 million advanced physical rehabilitation facility, called the Center for the Intrepid, which is now open and operating at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio and is treating military personnel and Veterans. NICoE will be the Fund’s newest area of support for those who serve in defense of our nation and their families.

SOURCE: fallenheroesfund.org