The Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at The Up Center
SAVI NG LIVES . SAVI NG FAM I LI ES . SAVI NG FUTU RES .
Helping veterans and military families get back to better.
A CASE FOR SUPPORT IN HAMPTON ROADS
D E A R F R I E N DS As President & CEO of The Up Center, I am most proud of our agency’s reputation of service and nearly 140-year track record of changing the trajectories of children and families from crisis to wholeness. The Up Center, as one of the largest nonprofit providers of evidenced-based mental health services locally, is experienced at caring for the mental health needs of hundreds of thousands of veterans and military families who call Hampton Roads home. When the Cohen Veterans Network approached us about partnering to launch The Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at The Up Center in Virginia Beach to serve post-9/11 veterans and military families, I was ecstatic. Through this exciting partnership, we have significantly enhanced our clinical capacity for mental health counseling services and reduced barriers that can prevent veterans and military families from accessing care. Since opening in August 2019, the Military Family Clinic at The Up Center is having a tremendous impact in our community. The clinic has served more than 500 patients in its first year of operations. We are adding clinicians to respond to the growing demand for our services, which will allow us to better serve even more veterans and military families in the future. In order for us to make these critical investments and ensure this vital community resource can continue serving our veterans and families well into the future, The Up Center needs the community’s support. A gap exists between anticipated revenues and operations. To help fill the gap, The Up Center has initiated a $1.7 million campaign to assist with sustaining the clinic’s future operations and expanding access to our life-saving services. Thank you for your interest. Together, we can ensure the veterans and military families of Hampton Roads can continue accessing quality, evidenced-based therapy, combined with case management and other resources to gain the tools and support they need to thrive!
Sincerely,
Tina Gill President & CEO of The Up Center
S AV I N G LI V E S, FA M I LI E S A N D F UTU R E S I N H A M P TO N ROA DS A VETERAN MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS There is a well-documented veteran mental health crisis in America. This situation demands the community’s support in order to increase access to high quality mental health care for our veterans and military families. After 9/11, more than 3.2 million American men and women served in the Armed Services including many of our own family members, friends and neighbors.
HAMPTON ROADS
$16 BILLION
DIRECT ECONOMIC IMPACT BY THE NAVY ALONE IN 2018 1 HOME 2 TO:
230,000 + VETERANS 114,000+
MILITARY FAMILY MEMBERS
13,000
ENTER OUR CIVILIAN WORKFORCE ANNUALLY 3
Of the millions of Americans who answered our nation’s call to serve in the military 4 since 9/11: NOT RECEIVING THE CARE THEY NEED 40% ARE 5
LIKELY TO DIE BY SUICIDE 1.5X MORE
6
Despite the sacrifices veterans and their families have made in service to the nation, the mental health services provided to them by government and civilian providers are often difficult to access or inadequate to meet the fundamental needs of veterans and military families. The Up Center is helping to change this reality.
TH E S TE V E N A . CO H E N M I LITA RY FA M I LY C LI N I C AT TH E U P C E NTE R FILLING THE GAPS IN CARE
Recognizing the dire need for help, The Up Center has proudly partnered with The Cohen Veterans Network (CVN) to open The Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at The Up Center to serve our region’s veterans and military family members with accessible, high quality, and evidenced-based mental health care. Beyond its clinical services, our Cohen Military Family Clinic offers comprehensive referrals for other challenges facing those who have served, such as unemployment, financial counseling, housing, and legal issues.
WHO WE SERVE POST-9/11 VETERANS Anyone who has served in the United States Armed Forces, regardless of role while in uniform, discharge status, or combat experience and including those in the National Guard and Reserves.
MILITARY FAMILY MEMBERS Family is defined by the veteran and includes parents, siblings, spouses, partners, children, caregivers and others.
WHAT WE DO Our skilled clinicians and staff have been trained to work specifically with veterans and their families, and many are veterans themselves. We offer short-to-medium term, customized therapy for a variety of mental health issues concerns including: • PTSD • Depression • Transition challenges
• Anxiety • Stress • Sleep problems
• Relationship and family difficulties • Anger
O U R C LI N I C D I F F E R E N C E MAKING IT EASIER TO GET HELP
At The Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at The Up Center, veterans and their families are eligible for low-to-no-cost, personalized, evidenced-based mental health care. We are adept at building the confidential relationships necessary to provide excellent, culturally competent care to meet the unique needs of each patient or family.
INCLUSIVE ELIGIBILITY We treat veterans regardless of their role in uniform, discharge status, or combat experience as well as family members of veterans and active duty service members (caregivers, siblings, parents, partners, children, spouses and others). As a result, we can serve many individuals who do not benefit or qualify for other services.
INNOVATIVE OPTIONS Face-to-face video therapy is one way we ensure the strongest mental health outcomes possible for individuals who are unable to or prefer not to receive services onsite. Our best-in-class mental health care and clinician training is centered on therapy and counseling options that are the current, best practices available, based on research. This capability allowed our clinic to remain open during the COVID-19 pandemic, ensuring continuity of care for existing patients and vital access to services for newly referred patients. Beyond the pandemic, teletherapy allows us to serve clients from the Peninsula and further away who would have to travel some distance to regularly access care at the Virginia Beach clinic.
EASY ACCESS We are making it easier to get help by offering flexible hours, telehealth services and same day appointments for individuals in crisis. The Up Center’s Military Family Clinic also offers childcare, transportation and comprehensive referrals to other resources to help eliminate barriers to care and alleviate stressors which may be causing unnecessary anxiety for the veteran and their family. Our mission and commitment are to provide effective and accessible care when and how our clients need it most.
COMMUNITY COLLABORATION The Military Family Clinic at The Up Center is endorsed as an official partner of the Veterans Administration and is credentialed as an approved Tri-Care clinic. The Up Center is assisting our public partners, such as the Hampton Veterans Hospital and its affiliated Vet Centers, Fleet & Family Services and local military bases, increase access to mental health services. We are helping to build a robust network of quality providers in our region by participating in community-based collaboratives and partnering with the following organizations: MISSION UNITED • NEXUS • WOUNDED WARRIOR PROJECT STOP INC. • THE NATIONAL ALLIANCE ON MENTAL ILLNESS (NAMI) MILITARY ONE SOURCE • AMERICAN RED CROSS
The clinic has been an incredible asset to my command and a true partner for us.
David Collins, Director
Hampton VA Medical Center
LO C A L E X PE RTI S E CO N N E C TE D N ATI O N A LLY The Military Family Clinic at The Up Center is part of nationally, integrated network of 17, planned for 23, customized outpatient clinics for veterans and their families in high need communities. As part of Cohen Veterans Network, Hampton Roads’ veterans and families benefit from robust data collection which informs relevant clinical best practices in real time, best practice sharing and continuity of care when families transfer.
GROWING THE NETWORK
540 CLIENTS SERVED
OVER THE PAST YEAR, WE HAVE
3,215 HOURS OF THERAPY
1,366 TELEHEALTH SESSIONS
The Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at The Up Center
27%
20%
ADULT FAMILY MEMBERS CHILDREN ACTIVE DUTY VETERANS MALE VETERANS FEMALE VETERANS
BAC K TO B E T TE R
TRUE STORIES OF OUR IMPACT FROM VETERANS AND MILITARY FAMILY MEMBERS
AN ACTIVE DUTY FAMILY sought help for their younger daughter after she began having difficulty in second grade. She was feeling anxious and nervous most of the time and would withdraw from her friends and family. She had difficulty getting a good night's sleep, and was often worried about what would happen next, making it difficult for her to focus in school. Moving several times across the county was making it hard for her to establish long-lasting friendships. With the help of her clinician, she was able to learn different ways of managing her anxiety while also improving her self-esteem. She enjoyed coming to the clinic and engaging in play and art therapy, which helped her to learn new skills in a more natural way for her. By the end of her therapy, her parents were so thankful for the services offered and had noticed a big difference in her demeanor.
I admitted I needed help — and here I am today, and everything is OK... If I can do it, they can do it. Kyle White ARMY VETERAN
A VETERAN, SINGLE MOTHER AND CAREGIVER FOR HER SISTER began therapy after losing her job. Typically the helper, her role reversed when she began struggling with her own mental health. She reached out for help and was able to be seen in person before shifting to telehealth. After two weeks of therapy and case management, our veteran was on her way to success. Case management services connected her to help with her utilities and groceries and a doctor to help her sister. Our psychiatric nurse practitioner worked with her to reduce anxiety symptoms and improve sleep. As a result of her personalized therapy and connection to community resources, she has been in a much healthier state of mind since.
A VETERAN LOST HIS JOB and had to move in with his parents, and fell into a depression. He sought counseling at the Military Family Clinic to reduce his anxiety. His clinician and the clinic’s case manager worked to assist our veteran through evidenced-based practices, while concurrently focusing on gaining employment and housing. He was able to revamp his resume, receive interviews and as a result, secured a civil servant job. At post-discharge check-in via phone, he was excited that he had moved into his very own place and was thankful for the services provided by the clinic. He would recommend the clinic to any veteran or military family he knew in need of care.
100%
It’s important to have a network where veterans can get mental health care to overcome these challenges. Ryan Pitts ARMY VETERAN
OF CLIENTS SURVEYED AFTER TREATMENT
of clients who completed the post-discharge survey said they would refer a friend or family member (agreed or strongly agreed).
86%
of clients said that their needs were met.
86%
of clients were satisfied with the quality of services.
84%
of clients showed an improvement in overall functioning.
H E LP US F U RTH E R OUR MISSION The Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at The Up Center is already achieving significant outcomes. But, the demand for our services is great and there is much more work to do.
The mental health challenges facing veterans are real. This clinic is an asset, and the Landmark Foundation is happy to support it.
FRANK BATTEN, JR.
The Up Center’s mission of changing the trajectories of children and families from crisis to wholeness compels us to step up in responding to the mental health needs of the veterans and military families who are ubiquitous to the Hampton Roads region. However, we cannot fill this gap in care or fully address our community’s unmet needs alone. Philanthropy has and will remain an essential component of the funding strategy for the Cohen Military Family Clinic at The Up Center. We need the community's support to help us in leveraging the generous investment made by the Steven and Alexandra Cohen Foundation in our community. Through the campaign for the Military Family Clinic, The Up Center is helping to ensure that the veterans and military families in our community have access to the highest quality mental health services for years to come. Join us and our donors in improving the lives of veterans and military family members by investing in our campaign.
H OW YO U R S U PP O RT W I LL M A K E A D I F F E R E N C E
AMPLIFY ACCESS TO CARE
ELIMINATE BARRIERS
• Increase appointment availability
• Support caregivers
• Continue existing clinic operations
• Offer inclusive eligibility to serve veterans and entire military families may not benefit from or qualify for other services
• Leverage data to improve service delivery • Serve 200 additional clients in year two
CREATE COMMUNITY • Group Therapy
• Attend and host community events • Life skills classes
INCREASE PROVIDER CAPACITY • Train the next generation of clinicians • Establish stipends for field placements • Sponsor staff training to continuously improve assessment and treatment
• Provide childcare access
EXPAND TELEHEALTH • Deliver online therapy to those unable to travel to the clinics
• Extend reach of care in rural areas
• Facilitate technology for telehealth
You re-center and motivate me in more ways than you’ll ever know!
AIR FORCE VETERAN
LEARN MORE Tina Gill, President & CEO of The Up Center (p) 757-965-8648 | (c) 757-513-0621 | tina.gill@theupcenter.org 828 Healthy Way, Suite 105, Virginia Beach, VA 23462 theupcenter.org/cohenclinic
REFERENCES Department of the Navy - Hampton Roads Economic Impact Report - Fiscal Year 2018 Department of Defense Demographic Report - 2017 3 Department of Veterans Affairs’ National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics – 2013 4 Since the events of 9/11, with hundreds of thousands transitioning to civilian life each year. After 18+ years at war, the demand for mental health services is outstripping supply. 5 Studies conducted by USC’s Center for Innovation & Research on Veterans & Military Families show that 40% of veterans who come home with mental health issues are not receiving care. 6 Research shows veterans die by suicide at about 1.5 times the rate of non-veterans and the highest rate of suicide in veterans is among the youngest generation: 18-34 year olds. 1 2