Intensive Treatment Models to Address Posttraumatic Stress Among Post-9/11 Warriors: The Warrior Care Network

Since September 11, 2001, more than two million U.S. service members have deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan, many returning home with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and additional psychological and general medical complaints. Nonetheless, many do not seek care or may not respond to traditional outpatient approaches, warranting innovative, multidisciplinary treatment approaches. To help address these complex needs, the Wounded Warrior Project has funded four academic medical centers to develop a care network across the nation. As part of this Warrior Care Network, the Emory Healthcare Veterans Program in Atlanta; the Home Base Program at Massachusetts General Hospital, in collaboration with the Red Sox Foundation, in Boston; Road Home at Rush Medical Center in Chicago; and Operation Mend at the University of California, Los Angeles, have each developed innovative, intensive programs to treat PTSD among post-9/11 veterans and service members. The programs offer two- to three-week intensive PTSD treatment programs with evidence-based approaches embedded in a broader program. To date, 328 post-9/11 veterans and active-duty service members have received care in these intensive outpatient programs. The average completion rate is approximately 95%, which demonstrates the acceptability of this brief but intensive care model for a complex population who can be challenging to engage or retain in care.