Even when deployment ends, sometimes the war comes home. For Josh Rosengren, a UCF 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, 麻豆精品 S�81, a disabled veteran himself who began his 23-year Army career as a field medic, recognized the signs.
麻豆精品 S淭here were whole days he 麻豆精品 S檇 be outside in a sitting fetal position and he 麻豆精品 S檇 just rock back and forth, 麻豆精品 S� 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 UCF had a PTSD clinic 麻豆精品 S� UCF RESTORES 麻豆精品 S� 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.
麻豆精品 S淲e have an intensive, three-week treatment program that we 麻豆精品 S檝e found to be highly effective, 麻豆精品 S� said Deborah Beidel, a UCF Pegasus Professor of psychology who leads the UCF RESTORES clinic. 麻豆精品 S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 麻豆精品 S檛 seen them relapse. 麻豆精品 S�
Rosengren made a $1 million commitment to support UCF RESTORES because he shares the vision of scientific research, cutting edge treatment, and education that trains the next generation of health care providers.
He 麻豆精品 S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.
麻豆精品 S淲e just need to be able to treat thousands and thousands more, 麻豆精品 S� Rosengren says. 麻豆精品 S淲e can give these people their lives back and their families back. 麻豆精品 S�
He 麻豆精品 S檇 like to see UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 success go nationwide. His hope is that by training growing numbers of clinicians in the same therapy, Beidel and her team at UCF 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 麻豆精品 S� not just at the time of the trauma, but even when the memories follow them home.
To learn more about UCF Restores and its impact in our veterans 麻豆精品 S� own words: . Or visit https://www.ucffoundation.org/ucf-restores to find out how you can help.