Noteboom The Law Firm

Tampa VA May Get Adaptive Sports Clinic

June 15, 2010 - US Representative Gus Bilirakis (R - Palm Harbor), a self-described "tight-fisted fiscal conservative," was convinced via testimony of Tampa's need to establish funding for recreational therapy. The East Coast's largest adaptive sports clinic may very well find a home in Tampa Bay. During a hearing last week, US Representatives in Florida assured funding for the clinic.

US Representatives Corinne Brown (D-Jacksonville), Jeff Miller (R-Pensacola), and Bilirakis are all members of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee. They listened to testimony from wounded veterans, the Tampa Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) administrators, and community therapy providers on the benefits of adaptive sports therapy.

Testimony from the wounded veterans highlighted various recreational therapies used by veterans to treat their differing injuries. The veterans unanimously agreed recreational therapy helped more than both physical therapy and pills to help them manage:

• Paraplegia;
• Spinal cord injuries; and
• Pain.

The Tampa VA Medical Center already offers such recreational therapies as horse back riding but any funding awarded to the Tampa VA would help expand their existing therapy programs. A brand new adaptive sports clinic for the benefit of disabled veterans could be constructed in Tampa for $100,000.

One thing that sold Bilirakis during the hearing was an assurance he was made. One of the VA's administrators specializing in recreational therapy spoke as to how veterans usually become less dependent on pain and depression medication once they begin participating in recreational therapy. For Bilirakis, improving veterans' quality of life is worth finding the funding for the programs.