Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund Breaks Ground on New Intrepid Spirit Center at Camp Pendleton, CA that will Treat US Service Members Who Suffer from TBI
Camp Pendleton, CA (PRWEB) May 11, 2017 -- The Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund (IFHF), representatives from Camp Pendleton, and the Naval Hospital at Camp Pendleton today broke ground on a new Intrepid Spirit center that will diagnose and treat Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and psychological health conditions in service members at Camp Pendleton, California. The facility will be the seventh in a series of nine centers located at military bases around the country built by the IFHF, a not-for-profit organization and national leader supporting the men and women of the United States Armed Forces and their families. Intrepid Spirit centers currently are operational at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina,Fort Campbell, Kentucky, Fort Hood, TX, and Fort Bragg, NC, and another currently is being constructed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA.
Camp Pendleton’s new Intrepid Spirit center will cost approximately $12.5 million to construct and equip with the latest in brain technology and treatment facilities and will span 25,000 square feet. Funding for the project is being raised privately through the IFHF.
“When our brave men and women in uniform who put their lives on the line for us each day are injured while protecting us and our freedoms, it is our duty as Americans to ensure they receive the very best care available,” said Arnold Fisher, Honorary Chairman of the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund. “Treatment of TBI and psychological health conditions is much more effective when patients can be treated closer to home where they can be surrounded by family and friends. We are proud to break ground our next Intrepid Spirit center at Camp Pendleton, our second on the West Coast, so thousands of service members can receive the care they deserve without having to travel across the country to get it.”
As home to the I Marine Expeditionary Force, composed of the 1st Marine Division, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, 1st Marine Logistics Group, 11th, 13th, and 15th Marine Expeditionary Units and the MEF Headquarters Group, Camp Pendleton supports more than 42,000 active duty personnel, 23,500 reserve personnel who work and train at Camp Pendleton each year, as well as more than 77,000 retired military personnel who reside within 50 miles of the base.
“We are humbled and grateful to accept this donation to the American People from the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund,” said Commander Paul Sargent the new center’s Medical Director. “Most patients who suffer head injuries improve on their own, however, for those with persistent symptoms, numerous studies show the benefit of an interdisciplinary approach to care. This cutting-edge facility will house 2 full interdisciplinary teams focused on the recovery and rehabilitation of service members with a history of brain injury as well as its physical and psychological consequences.”
All Intrepid Spirit centers are being funded and built by the IFHF through a $100 million fundraising campaign. Though the centers are being built exclusively through private donations, each center is gifted to the Department of Defense for operation and management upon completion. All of the centers are located at military bases around the country.
The design and mission of the Intrepid Spirit centers are based on the original National Intrepid Center of Excellence (NICoE) which opened in 2010 at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, MD. Operated by the Department of Defense, NICoE is the most advanced facility of its kind in the country, and is the center of the Armed Forces’ efforts in researching, diagnosing and treating TBI, psychological health conditions and related injuries sustained by military personnel.
About the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund
The Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, a national leader in supporting the men and women of the United States Armed Forces and their families, has provided close to $200 million in support for the families of military personnel lost in service to our nation, and for severely wounded military personnel and veterans. In 2010 the Fund opened the National Intrepid Center of Excellence (NICoE) to support the research, diagnosis, and treatment of military personnel and veterans suffering from traumatic brain injury (TBI) and psychological health (PH) conditions. In 2013 the Fund launched a new $100 million campaign to build nine “Intrepid Spirit” centers at major military bases around the country. These centers serve as satellites to the central NICoE facility and extend that care to more service members suffering TBI, PH conditions and related afflictions. Five centers are operational and two others are under construction.
Brady Littlefield, Rubenstein Communications, +1 (212) 843-9220, [email protected]
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