Noteboom The Law Firm

Wounded Warrior Care Project Helps Families

August 5, 2010 - Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs) are the "signature" injuries in the two current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Because they are so completely debilitating to both soldiers and their families, they get high-priority treatment from Laurie Ott and her non-profit organization, the CSRA Wounded Warrior Care Project (WWCP).

The Wounded Warrior Care Project focuses on the various needs of returning wounded warriors. This includes their needs as the re-integrate into their families and civilian lives. Because needs vary as much as the veterans suffering from TBIs, the Wounded Warrior Care Project has developed multiple programs and partnerships.

Ott recognizes the critical role families play in the recovery of wounded service members. The problem with treating TBIs and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is these two conditions inherently cause problems within the family unit itself. One imperative is couples reconnecting following a deployment. To this end, the WWCP hosts marriage enrichment workshops, which have been developed with the Army and Veterans Administration chaplains.

The WWCP also brought the Veterans Curation Project to Augusta, Georgia, which creates training jobs for wounded veterans by utilizing stimulus money. Additionally, they formed a TBI research group in association with:

• The Dwight D. Eisenhower Army Medical Center;
• The Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center;
• The Medical and Nursing Colleges of Georgia;
• The Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center; and
• The Savannah River National Laboratory.

The WWCP hosts roundtable committee meetings incorporating representatives from various community organizations. The goal of these meetings is to generate ideas that can be used to help the WWCP. The more help given returning wounded warriors, the better; and Ott fights to provide as much help as possible.