Making Peace

MAKING PEACE The San Diego Office of Military and Veterans Affairs is serving those who served

Health and Wellness for Military Veterans Special Insert

Tina Atherall, CEO of the nonprofit PsychArmor, works to help civilian organizations—including mental health professionals—better support veterans through ongoing education on issues and struggles unique to military veterans.

PHOTO BY CHARLIE NEUMAN

What Vets

Want You to Know

PsychArmor helps educate care providers on military culture

BY JACOB PETERSON

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key part to addressing the unique health and wellness issues faced by members of our armed services is understanding the military culture they’re coming out of—which is something the people at PsychArmor deeply understand.

Based in San Diego, PsychArmor is a nonprofit organization that works to better educate members of the civilian community who provide support to veterans about military culture. The organization’s stated mission is “to transform the way our nation engages with the military and veteran community through the power of education and training.”

Tina Atherall, PsychArmor’s CEO, says a big part of this is helping educate clinicians and therapists to better understand veterans.

“We like to raise the awareness that although a military individual might come from a very diverse population of people—different races, different ethnicities—the military is a culture of its own,” Atherall says.

One of the ways PsychArmor supports military veterans is by asking those with military experience what they’d like the civilian community to know. The response from this developed into a “15 things Veterans Want You to Know” course, which Atherall says has become a staple of the foundation.

“It raises awareness that there’s a unique culture to the veteran individual, and then it says what to know,” Atherall said.

Atherall said PsychArmor has worked closely with state and county offices since its founding in 2013, and particularly with the San Diego Office of Military and Veterans Affairs (OMVA).

The PsychArmor team also includes several San Diego-based veterans and active military family members.

“Uniquely, in San Diego, suicide is a very highlighted problem to the military-connected community because our numbers are higher,” Atherall says.

Atherall says many of the techniques and resources available to veterans are the same for non-veterans, but what PsychArmor adds is an additional understanding of issues unique to those who’ve served.

“In the military population we have a culture with a high ownership of firearms,” Atherall offers as an example. “So we take that from a very respectful place of understanding and knowledge and then work from there in our strategies around suicide prevention.”

The OMVA uses many of PsychArmor’s materials when working with other organizations and services that deal with

“We like to raise the awareness that although a military individual might come from a very diverse population of people—different races, different ethnicities—the military is a culture of its own.”

Tina Atherall CEO of PsychArmor

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veterans to make sure they are reaching an appropriate level of cultural competency. Atherall says the office is a key part of connecting PsychArmor with those services, calling them the base of a “connective tissue” of services.

“For anybody who is working and cares deeply about supporting the military-connected community in San Diego, and in particular with this office,” Atherall says, “the work that PsychArmor does is critical to raising the awareness of how to effectively engage with and better support all of those efforts.”

For more information on classes and other services provided by PsychArmor, go to psycharmor.org.

Exploring Alternatives Solara Mental Health offers mixes traditional mental health techniques with practices like yoga, breathwork and Reiki B Y H O WA R D H A R D E E

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atching veterans self-manage strong emotions and their own mental well-being is one of the most deeply rewarding aspects of Vic Martin’s role at Solara Mental Health.

The organization holds a weekly meeting among veterans staying at Solara’s residential facilities in San Diego. During a recent gathering, Martin—Solara’s national director of community engagement—watched as an argument arose regarding a veteran using common area blankets for their pet.

“Another veteran was very upset about that, and it became fairly elevated, as you imagine it would with a bunch of veterans,” Martin says. “It was so impressive to watch [executive director Tim Doyle], who was there, sort of monitoring the level.

“Right when I was getting uncomfortable, they started incorporating [methods] they had obviously learned in therapy,” he continues. “The gentleman who was upset sat back and started to breathe, and the other gentleman calmed down and started to change the way he was talking.”

The idea is to give veterans living with depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, substance use disorders and suicidal ideation a host of tools to help themselves—and each other.

Solara provides a “soup-to-nuts suite” of residential and mental

health services to give veterans a hand up with an assortment of life challenges, Doyle says.

“That includes housing, transportation, medication management, psychiatric management, psychotherapy, group therapy,” he says. “We do holistic therapies—yoga, breathwork, Reiki. We have an expansive assessment model that we present to all our veterans to [measure] depression, anxiety, heart-rate variability through their treatment stay in order for us to best gauge their progress or regression.”

Doyle says that 90% of Solara’s veteran population improves from the start of their stay to being discharged.

And the organization’s internal statistics reflect a substantial reduction in suicide ideation among its veterans.

“It’s very rare that you see clinical therapies being married so seamlessly with alternative therapies,” Martin says. “Not every alternative therapy is right for every veteran. They may not necessarily connect with art therapy, but they may absolutely connect with eco-therapy, working with plants and dirt and understanding that connection with nature.”

Particularly innovative aspects of Solara’s programming includes allowing pets to stay with veterans, cold-plunge exposure tanks, garden boxes for tending vegetables and transcranial magnetic stimulation for hard-to-treat cases of depression.

Solara Mental Health provides veterans with a host of therapeutic options and tools to help them manage their mental health.

PHOTO COURTESY OF SOLARA MENTAL HEALTH

Solara works strictly with veterans and is funded through a contract with TriWest Healthcare Alliance, acting as third-party administrator on behalf of Veterans Affairs. The facility offers “very trauma-specific therapy,” Doyle says. “We have a combat veteran group that meets multiple hours a week to discuss combat-specific issues.”

Discussions can get heated, of course. As for the pair arguing over a pet using shared space blankets? “Within 10 minutes, these guys are giving each other a hug,” Martin says, “and I’m just blown away.”

More information is available at solaramentalhealth.com.

“It’s very rare that you see clinical therapies being married so seamlessly with alternative therapies. Not every alternative therapy is right for every veteran.

They may not necessarily connect with art therapy, but they may absolutely connect with eco-therapy, working with plants and dirt and understanding that connection with nature.”

Vic Martin National Director of Community Engagement, Solara Mental Health

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Unseen Wounds

Camp Pendleton’s Intrepid Spirit Center offers help for service members with mild traumatic brain injuries B Y H O WA R D H A R D E E

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lasts from explosive devices and heavy artillery can cause a concussion or mild traumatic brain injury, but it is more likely that US military personnel experience potentially life-changing symptoms from less dramatic blows or jolts to the head or body.

“Believe it or not, even during Desert Storm, Desert Shield and the Global War on Terrorism, most of the traumatic brain injuries that people experienced were not combat-related,” says Dr. Clint Pearman, who served in the US Marine Corps for more than 30 years before becoming a Certified Brain Injury Specialist and Trainer (CBIST). While no longer with the Intrepid Spirit Center, Pearman still maintains his CBIST credentials and still teaches. He says only about 20% of TBI’s are from combat. Car accidents and military training exercises are more likely causes.

Pearman left the Marines in 2006 and started teaching people about TBIs several years later, during the infancy of the medical establishment’s understanding of sensitive brain circuitry. Following the Gulf War and the War on Terrorism, the US Department of Defense realized that it needed to direct more resources toward service members experiencing lingering—and sometimes debilitating—effects from head injuries.

“In 2008, Congress approved the National Defense Authorization Act, and this eventually led to the building of the Intrepid Spirit Center facilities at several military installations.

These centers specialize in the treatment and rehabilitation of mild traumatic brain injuries” Pearman says.

Staffed by personnel from the Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton, the $12.5 million Intrepid Spirit Center opened in 2018. At the time, Pearman was a contract employee with the Defense Health Agency as a Regional Education Coordinator.

“My role was to provide traumatic brain injury education, training and resources first of all to military medical personnel, then service members and family members.

One of several such facilities in the US, the Intrepid Spirit Center at Camp Pendleton has multiple specialists on-site, including psychiatrists, psychologists, neuroscientists, occupational therapists, counselors, clinical social workers with specialties such as cognitive behavioral therapy—and even audiologists, as TBIs often interfere with hearing abilities.

“Many specialists in the field of mild traumatic brain injuries may be found at the Intrepid Spirit Center, so it’s like a one-stop shop,” Pearman says.

The program is designed that way because TBIs can present in myriad ways. A patient living with a TBI may forget how to work a microwave, or may consume unhealthy amounts of

“Many specialists in the field of mild traumatic brain injuries may be found at the Intrepid Spirit Center, so it’s like a one-stop shop.”

Clint Pearman, PsyD. Certified Brain Injury Specialist and Trainer 4 | MAKING PEACE | County of San Diego Office of Military & Veterans Affairs

alcohol, or experience a severe loss of balance. Anger issues and behavioral changes are also common symptoms.

Intrepid Spirit Center measures the progress of the active service members who qualify for the program by looking for improvements in to include memory, balance and behavior before and after treatment, with the ultimate goal of supporting their mental and emotional well-being.

“Let’s say the person is having emotional issues,” Pearman says. “There are tests that the cognitive behavioral therapists can provide, and then go back and re-evaluate after the training is over to find out if the person got better.”

More information about Intrepid Spirit Centers can be found at www.fallenheroesfund.org/intrepidspirit.

Rick Espitia, chairman and president of Wounded Warrior Homes, serves veterans in many ways, including assistance with food insecurity through their food pantry.

PHOTO BY CHARLIE NEUMAN

An Ongoing Battle

Wounded Warrior Homes offers housing and food assistance for veterans experiencing homelessness

BY WHIP VILLARREAL

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ven after their service has ended, many vets will carry injuries they sustained—both visible and not visible— into civilian life. Many even find themselves living on the streets, with the Regional Task Force on Homelessness estimating there are about 1,000 veterans currently experiencing homelessness in the region. Wounded Warrior Homes (WWH) is dedicated to helping them survive and thrive.

Founded in 2014 and based in San Marcos, the non-profit organization provides transitional housing and integrative support services to veterans with disabilities sustained during active duty and veterans facing severe financial hardships. It also provides access to rehabilitation for vets struggling with addiction, counseling and even meals through its food pantry program.

Rick Espitia, chairman of WWH, says many of the unhoused veterans the organization assists struggle with mental and physical health issues, often linked directly to their time in the military. This is where WWH serves as a critical safety net for local veterans struggling with these challenges.

“I think one of the biggest impacts, besides helping out our unhoused veterans, is bringing awareness to the public of the situation and the plight that these individuals go through,” Espitia said. “Many times we ignore them when we see them on the street and don’t know that unhoused person on the corner may be a veteran, and maybe a veteran with a substance abuse issue or a mental health condition that really keeps him or her from obtaining the services that will help make their life better.”

While there has been improvement over the years in addressing and assisting unhoused veterans, Espitia says an ongoing challenge is identifying those veterans and tracking them down. He said that this is especially important to identify

and find treatment for those with mental health and substance abuse issues. However, he is hopeful that with more resources and awareness, his organization and others can continue to tackle the issue.

“I think Ray Flores and the OMVA does an excellent job in trying to coordinate and identify what are the major issues and what services are needed for unhoused veterans in San Diego County,” Espitia said. “What he is doing working with the non-profits to better capture available funding and resources at the state and county level to better serve those veterans has been crucial for our mission.”

Food insecurity means more than just hunger for veterans, and especially for those with physical and mental scars.

Inadequate nutrition hinders health and well-being and can

County Food Bank and Feeding San Diego to meet these critical nutritional needs. WWH accepts donations of needed items to stock the pantry, with several of the most in-demand items listed on the WWH website.

More info about Wounded Warrior Homes can be found at www.woundedwarriorhomes.org. If you’d like to donate to the food pantry, call 760-205-5050 to arrange drop-off or pick-up.

“I think one of the biggest impacts, besides helping out our unhoused veterans, is bringing awareness to the public of the situation and the plight that these individuals go through.”

Rick Espitia

exacerbate chronic health issues that plague both veterans and Chairman, Wounded Warrior Homes anyone experiencing homelessness. WWH partners with North

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Helpful Hands (and Paws) Service dog training organization provides companions for veterans suffering from PTSD, mobility and other issues B Y B R E T T C A L LW O O D

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s a Navy veteran of 20 years—from 1975 to 1995— Jude Litzenberger knows what it means to serve. Today, she accomplishes this as a “Puppy Raiser,” helping to provide professionally trained guide and service dogs for fellow veterans and others in need through her work with Guide Dogs of America/Tender Loving Canines (GDA/TLC).

“In the beginning, our school became a leader in breeding and training guide dogs, primarily,” Litzenberger says, noting the organization’s history dates back to 1948. “Success in using dogs to assist with blindness instigated a widening use of dogs to help other medical conditions and abilities and the term ‘service dog’ applies to any dog who assists any condition by performing specific tasks that help a person.

Jude Litzenberger, Navy veteran and “Puppy Raiser” with Guide Dogs of America/Tender Loving Canines, serves her fellow veterans by training service dogs that support veterans with mobility issues, PTSD and other vital needs.

PHOTO BY CHARLIE NEUMAN

“In 2019,” she continues, “(GDA) responded to a significant increase in requests for service dogs for mobility and PTSD from a new generation of veterans by merging with San Diego-based service dog organization Tender Loving Canines.”

Today, GDA/TLC is one of the most respected guide and service dog schools in the world, providing animal assistants for children with autism and facility dogs serving courts, rehabilitation facilities, firehouses, schools and hospitals.

“All (of our) dogs are trained using positive reinforcement only, and fully personalized to the needs of the client,” Litzenberger says. “Thanks to our development staff and dedicated donors, there is never a charge to our clients for GDA/TLC guide or service dogs. We also provide support to

“I lived for years just getting up and going through the motions. Now I feel again because of this amazing dog. I’m experiencing life again.”

Kristin Guide Dogs of America/Tender Loving Canines client, speaking about her dog Ziggy 6 | MAKING PEACE | County of San Diego Office of Military & Veterans Affairs

the client for the entire working life of the dogs we produce.”

Though the company is based in Sylmar, San Diego is a key location for two of its premier programs: the Puppy Raiser program and their “college” for service dogs. Litzenberger says the former is “where volunteers home-raise our puppies supported by professional puppy development staff trainers.

Puppy Raisers take a puppy at the age of 8 weeks, teach them house manners, basic obedience and expose them to any experience the dog may encounter as a guide or service dog.”

GDA/TLC-trained dogs help people with blindness and limited vision navigate the world: “Guide dogs are literally ‘the eyes’ who see dangers, know the routes, make decisions to keep the client safe, and assist the client in living a fuller life.”

One such match is “Team Kristin & Ziggy.” Service dog Ziggy has improved the life of Kristin considerably.

“I was a medic in the army for eight years,” says Kristin. “[Ziggy] saved my life. I still have my bad days, but he makes my bad days way better than they were. I thought other people needed a service dog more than me—people that have gone through worse things. When I was on more medications than I could remember to take, I decided that it was time to get myself help. I lived for years just getting up and going through the motions. Now I feel again because of this amazing dog. I’m experiencing life again.

“Everyone says that they have the best dog, but I have the best dog.”

Veterans needing a service dog can apply and find more information at www.guidedogsofamerica.org.

The organization is also looking for Puppy Raisers, who can also apply at this link.

Peaceful Waters

Aquatic therapy helps San Diego veterans find relief from post-traumatic stress B Y M AT T H E W C R A G G S

Elizabeth Berg, executive director of Healing Wave Aquatics, middle, works with veterans struggling with post-traumatic stress symptoms with aquatic therapy, which can help clients process stress and trauma.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ELIZABETH BERG

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tories across many cultures tout the healing effects of water, but one San Diego organization is taking the literary literally. Through aquatic therapy, Healing Wave Aquatics is helping veterans with post-traumatic stress (PTS) symptoms find a sense of peace.

“We focus on helping to solve a mental health crisis in San Diego of people who are dealing with post-traumatic stress and suicidal ideations,” says Elizabeth Berg, executive director of Healing Wave Aquatics.

Founded 13 years ago, Healing Wave Aquatics’ main program is designed for military veterans with PTS symptoms.

The eight-week program, offered at no cost for low-to-moderate income clients and at a low cost for all other qualifying clients, focuses on no-talk aquatic therapy, which Berg says differs from aqua therapy.

“Aqua therapy, people think of physical therapy,” Berg says. “The kind of therapy we offer is very different from that … the only tie is that they both take place in a pool of water.”

Therapy sessions are one-on-one, Berg explains. Once in the 96-degree water—matching our natural body temperature to promote a physical sense of calm—the client floats while a practitioner provides a series of gentle twists and stretches designed to help them release trauma held in tense areas of the body. Aquatic therapy practitioners, who have a minimum of 1,000 hours of training and classes in trauma-informed care, help foster a physical sense of calm to create a somatic experience that works towards a mental sense of calm and trust.

“Their heart rate’s down, breathing is down, and the body has a feeling of calm,” says Berg. “That feeling travels through the nervous system to the brain. The brain starts to feel calm, as well, and there’s a cognitive sense of peace over time with the building of trust between the client and practitioner.”

Once in this mental space, some clients may revisit their traumatic memories from a more peaceful perspective, which can help them let go of grief or anger.

While Healing Wave Aquatics main program is designed for veterans, there are also programs for the public, first responders, and caregivers to those with PTS. Berg sees the positive effects that commitment to the program yields measured in both regular, qualitative assessments and subtle—but important—changes in their clients. She adds that some of the most impactful effects are in how clients operate in day to day activities; clients carry a greater sense of confidence in their daily activities, like going to the grocery store or applying for a job.

“A client might have started their first session feeling closed off, looking downward, and not engaging,” Berg says. “By the end of the program, I see clients walking out with their head up and looking around, smiling, and with a sense of coming back to self.”

For more information on aquatic therapy, go to healingwaveaquatics.org.

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“A client might have started their first session feeling closed off, looking downward, and not engaging. By the end of the program, I see clients walking out with their head up and looking around, smiling, and with a sense of coming back to self.”

Elizabeth Berg Executive Director, Healing Wave Aquatics

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Sharing Songs and Struggles Voices of Our City choir helps veterans experiencing homelessness find their voices and connect to services

BY JILL SPEAR

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ince 2017, Voices of Our City has provided life-saving resources, creative programming, and long-term community for San Diegans rebuilding their lives out of homelessness. Veterans face a greater risk of experiencing homelessness and are among the 250-plus San Diegans Voices serves each month. Voices’ internationally renowned choir performs uplifting concerts throughout San Diego to shine a spotlight—and challenge perceptions—on homelessness.

Co-founded by Steph Johnson and Nina Deering, the organization took root when Johnson noticed that homeless people were living outside in her own neighborhood. Johnson, a jazz singer, discovered that many of these individuals were musicians like herself. She began to build the choir, which became a passion project and nonprofit venture.

Voices continues to support veterans in its choir to secure housing, income, and healthcare in addition to offering a unique public platform. Veteran Choir Members share their experiences and stories of resilience through music, creative writing, acting, and advocacy.

A creative highlight for the choir came in 2020, when Voices of Our City won the Golden Buzzer Award on NBC’s “America’s Got Talent,” bringing national acclaim and renewed attention to the issue of homelessness. This raised the choir’s public profile, but its goal remains the same: providing choir members with hope and personal empowerment through music and community.

“We build a connection through creativity,” says Shairi Engle, special project coordinator for Voices of Our City.

“People learn they’re not alone and they deserve help.”

A veteran of the U.S. Air Force who struggled with posttraumatic stress disorder and homelessness, Engle has a deeply personal understanding of the pain and challenges many veterans face. “I went through this dark time; I had no language for what I was experiencing. I had to claw my way back.”

An award-winning playwright, Engle brings her empathy for others to her work. “I immediately felt so aligned with the people in the choir. We all understand how precarious life can be at times.”

With her encouragement, the choir is exploring new creative avenues, including writing, painting and poetry. “The work I

Shairi Engle, Air Force veteran and special project coordinator with Voices of Our City, works with unhoused veterans and other community members through music, art and other creative outlets that help them build a sense of community and support PHOTO BY CHARLIE NEUMAN

“We build a connection through creativity. People learn they’re not alone and they deserve help.”

Shairi Engle Special Project Coordinator, Voices of Our City create is all about popping the isolation bubble. Now I get to write and create things that support other people,” she says.

“More and more, we’re writing our own songs, which are about affirmation and encouragement,” Engle adds. “Though they’re about people in the weeds of life, they inspire others no matter what their background is.”

Housed at St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral in San Diego, Voices of Our City is open to anyone who’d like to join. The

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choir now has a music manager who provides vocal assessments and coaching for each singer.

For Engle and the choir members she inspires, the nonprofit is a safe space to connect and create. “These are long-term relationships. There’s a layer of support through this community that goes beyond human services. It’s a family.”

“The shadows will always be there,” she concludes. “But working with Voices has helped me to recognize that the shadows are there to help us pay attention to the light.”

For more information on Voices of Our City, go to www.voicesofourcity.org.

Putting Veterans Center Stage La Jolla Playhouse uplifts veterans and their families through access to the arts

BY JILL SPEAR

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oday, the La Jolla Playhouse offers a number of Military and Veterans Programs—collectively known as the theater’s MVP Initiative—providing free or affordable art experiences to enhance the quality of life for veterans and military families. But getting these programs started required a years-long, committed effort by playhouse staff partnering with members of the military community.

“I think the work we do in the military community is truly impactful. I don’t know of any other theater doing it this way.” says Debby Buchholz, Managing Director of the Playhouse.

“All of the work we do is driven by the community,” says Jacole Kitchen, Director of Arts Engagement and in-house Casting Director at La Jolla Playhouse. The Playhouse’s goal is to be inclusive, and San Diego County is home to more than 100,000 active-duty service members and 240,000 veterans according to census data, making it one of the largest concentrations of military personnel in the country.

La Jolla Playhouse began developing relationships with San Diego military families 15 years ago. The Playhouse also created a board position for a member of the military community. That seat is currently held by Ray Flores, an officer for the San Diego Office of Military and Veterans Affairs.

Over time, La Jolla Playhouse has received multiple grants, funding the development of a variety of programs for military and veteran families. Kitchen—whose father won a Purple Heart serving in Vietnam—leads the MVP Initiative at the Playhouse.

The Playhouse MVP Initiatives include Military Nights Out, which provides free tickets to Playhouse productions along

Jacole Kitchen, director of arts engagement and in-house casting director, left, and Debby Buchholz, managing director at La Jolla Playhouse, support veteran and their families through the theater’s Military and Veterans Programs, also known as their MVP Initiative, which provides low- to no-cost tickets to shows as well as runs programs such as the Veterans Playwriting Workshop.

PHOTO BY CHARLIE NEUMAN

“I think the work we do in the military community is truly impactful. I don’t know of any other theater doing it this way.”

Debby Buchholz, Managing Director, La Jolla Playhouse

with a complimentary catered dinner before the show.

Blue Star Theatre Tickets are available for most shows, giving still more military families the chance to experience live theater at just $25 per ticket. Working with VetTix, La Jolla Playhouse also provides complimentary tickets to the military community when seats are available.

The WOW Festival—a four-day interactive art experience that the Playhouse produces annually in San Diego —is free to attend and has special offerings for military families.

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The Performance Outreach Program (POP) Tour, a new play produced each year for elementary school age children performs at military bases and at schools with military children throughout San Diego.

For students with family in the military, scholarships are available for the Young Performers Conservatory program, a program that enables young people to gain theater experience in preparation for college and a possible career in the arts.

Writers participating in the Veterans Playwriting Workshop learn the craft of playwriting with the help of teaching artists who are veterans themselves. Gill Sotu, an award-winning poet, playwright and Navy veteran, helms the course. Veteran Shairi Engle wrote her first play through the workshop. It went on to win the Bridge Award for Playwriting in 2020 an award given to emerging writers of exceptional talent who served in the military.

For more information on La Jolla Playhouse Military and Veterans Programs, visit lajollaplayhouse.org/ military-veterans-programs/.

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Serving Those Who Served The Veterans Health Administration San Diego Healthcare System continually strives to expand services, access B Y B R E T T C A L LW O O D

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n addition to providing wide-ranging hospital and clinical care, the VA San Diego Healthcare System (VASDHS) endeavors to increase access to healthcare for all who served, including specialized services for the unhoused, women and those who’ve sustained life-altering injuries.

“With a large area to cover, including both San Diego and Imperial Counties, we are ever mindful of veteran access to health care,” says VASDHS Director Dr. Frank Pearson. “Our main facility is the Jennifer Moreno VA Medical Center in La Jolla, but we also expand outward with VA Clinics in Chula Vista, Escondido, Imperial Valley, Kearny Mesa, Oceanside, Rio and Sorrento Valley.”

Pearson, a retired US Navy Captain who held administrative roles at several naval hospitals and as Director of the VA Syracuse Healthcare System before landing in his current position in 2023, says VA medical services also extend outside of its facilities.

“We also take some of our healthcare resources and services on the road with a new mobile medical unit van,” he says. “This unit serves primarily homeless veterans as it rotates at several locations around the area on Fridays of each week. We recently partnered with San Diego MTS [Metropolitan Transit System] to add several high-traffic trolley stations to the rotation.”

VASDHS also provides services for homeless Veterans through the VA Supportive Housing (VASH) program, which recently reached the impressive milestone of over 2,000 Veterans permanently housed in 2024. VA San Diego and the Department of Housing and Urban Development partner to secure HUD-VASH vouchers to assist with rental housing payments for veterans in need.

Pearson notes that the fastest-growing subset of the

population VASDHS serves are female veterans, with 12.6 percent of enrollees being women. “We continue to expand access to women veteran health care to include primary care, gynecology, maternity care, ultrasounds and mammograms, mental health care and counseling, and lifestyle wellness services,” he said.

“We continue to expand access to women veteran health care to include primary care, gynecology, maternity care, ultrasounds and mammograms, mental health care and counseling, and lifestyle wellness services.”

Dr. Frank Pearson Director, Veterans Health Administration San Diego Healthcare System The La Jolla Jennifer Moreno VA Medical Center is home to a Spinal Cord Injury and Associated Disorders (SCI/D) Rehabilitation Services Center, one of 25 such VA hubs across the country. It also offers diverse mental health care using

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evidence-based treatments with increased emphasis on posttraumatic stress and substance use disorders.

Pearson touted VA San Diego’s National Veterans Summer Sports Clinic, a rehabilitative and educational hands-on sporting event for military veterans from across the country who have a range of disabilities—Pearson mentioned amputations, posttraumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, polytrauma, visual impairments, multiple sclerosis, cerebrovascular accidents with residual deficits, burns, and spinal cord injuries as some of the challenges these vets face.

VASDHS has been awarded a top 5-Star rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for two successive years due to the quality of its care.

“We are one of six 5-Star Hospitals in San Diego county, one of 36 California 5-Star Hospitals, and one of 381 5-Star Hospitals nationwide,” Pearson says. Additionally, on Aug 29, 2024, VASDHS was ranked by Becker’s Hospital Review as seventh in the entire country for the prevention of death following heart attack.

Pearson’s motto: “You come to VA San Diego and leave better than when you arrive! That’s our duty.”

For more information about VA San Diego Healthcare System facilities and services, visit www.va.gov/san-diego-health-care/

Frontline to Finish Line

Operation Rebound helps severely wounded veterans connect with needed equipment and the healing power of sport B Y H O WA R D H A R D E E

Nico Marcolongo, senior manager of the Challenged Athletes Foundation’s Operation Rebound, co-founded a weekly surf clinic in Del Mar for veterans. The program aims to support physically wounded veterans with sports events and other opportunities for athletic activities to help them stay healthy, both physically and mentally.

PHOTO BY CHARLIE NEUMAN

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eterans who have been blinded, paralyzed or lost limbs often cannot picture what awaits them upon returning to civilian life. The Challenged Athletes Foundation’s (CAF) Operation Rebound shows them what can be achieved with a little help from specialized equipment.

CAF Operation Rebound provides grants year-round for sports equipment, and competition and training in any sports for veterans and first responders with permanent physical disabilities.

Running prosthetics, handcycles and other adaptive equipment are often provided by Department of Veterans Affairs for service members who qualify for benefits and demonstrate a medical need. But that is only half the battle, according to Nico Marcolongo, senior manager of Operation Rebound.

“When it comes to a handcycle for somebody who is paralyzed, the VA generally provides it, but what they don’t necessarily do is send them to an event,” he says. “What we can do is send them to a handcycling race.”

Operation Rebound, offered by the nonprofit group CAF, helps injured veterans and first responders find passion for sports movement—and improve their mental and physical health along the way.

“Our motto is ‘Frontline to Finish Line.’ Whether running and winning a race, building resilient relationships or getting a job, we use sports as a catalyst for positive change in the lives of veterans.”

Operation Rebound also supports VA experiential therapy clinics. The program uses a modality called heart rate variability

(HRV), which tracks heart rate as veterans go about their daily lives.

“If you’re running a marathon, chances are your heart rate is going to be really high,” Marcolongo says. “But if you’re in your car, you don’t want that. You want to relax. So, using what’s called an inner balance device, veterans can track the physiological response to stimuli. Through breathing exercises, through mindfulness, they can get back into a more coherent state.”

A wealth of research shows that sport movement helps with mental process and overall well-being. Operation Rebound promotes better mental health and physical health through clinics such as rock climbing, skiing and snowboarding, weightlifting, golf, running and cycling.

The healing power of sports is multiplied by the social bonds that form from overcoming physical challenges together.

Not to mention, service members may regain some of the comradeship that comes with life in the military.

Veterans who have participated in Operation Rebound tend to report feeling better not just during physical activity, but in their down time, as well.

“They’re able to take these techniques that they learned in their lessons and apply them in their everyday life, to be more coherent and comfortable, even if they’re just sitting on the couch,” Marcolongo says. “They’re getting healthier physically and becoming more mindful, and it’s leading to reduced usage of the medical system.”

County of San Diego Office of Military & Veterans Affairs

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“Our motto is ‘Frontline to Finish Line.’ Whether running and winning a race, building resilient relationships or getting a job, we use sports as a catalyst for positive change in the lives of veterans.”

Nico Marcolongo Senior Manager, Operation Rebound

For more information about Challenged Athletes Foundation and Operation Rebound at www. challengedathletes.org/operation-rebound/.

www.sandiegocounty.gov/hhsa/programs/ais/veterans_services/

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Claim Your Benefits!

To determine what benefits you are owed and how to acquire them, give OMVA a call at 866-726-8831.

Military veterans and their families

medical care and more. Whether you need

are entitled to a wealth of services

to receive benefits counseling, follow-

through federal, state and local agencies

up with a claim or acquire housing, the

and programs. Benefits can include

Office of Military & Veterans Affairs is a

compensation for a service-related injury

phenomenal resource for veterans and

or illness, college tuition fee waivers,

their families in San Diego County.

Call or Visit Today County of San Diego Office of Military and Veteran Affairs

South Region Military and Veterans Resource Center

North Inland Military and Veterans Resource Center

North Coastal Military and Veterans Resource Center

5055 Ruffin Road San Diego, CA 92123

401 Mile of Cars Way, 2nd Floor National City, CA 91950

649 W. Mission Ave. Escondido, CA 92025

3708 Ocean Ranch Blvd Oceanside, CA 92056

Phone: 866-726-8831

Phone: 866-726-8831

Phone: 866-726-8831

Phone: 866-726-8831

Fax: 858-573-7381

Fax: 619-731-3357

Fax: 760-740-5571

Fax: 760-754-0740

Hours: Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-5 p.m

Hours: Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-5 p.m

Hours: Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-5 p.m

Hours: Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-5 p.m

P U B L I C AT I O N S

Produced for County of San Diego Office of Military & Veterans Affairs

by N&R Publications, www.nrpubs.com