News Releases

TIRR Foundation Receives Funding To Treat Combat Service Members Returning Home With Traumatic Brain Injuries

Houston, August 10, 2007 – The Memorial Hermann|TIRR Challenge Program, in collaboration with TIRR Foundation, is aiding in the effort to help American service members who have sustained a traumatic brain injury (TBI) while deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan.  The program, titled Project Victory, provides American service members, who have sustained a TBI, access to the highest level of rehabilitative care at no cost.  TIRR Foundation received a $3 million grant to fund Project Victory from the Iraq-Afghanistan Deployment Impact Fund of the California Community Foundation, which was established in 2006 to address the unmet needs of men, women and families affected by deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan.

“Traumatic Brain Injury has become the signature wound of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts,” said Cynthia Adkins, Executive Director of TIRR Foundation.  “Returning combat veterans, who have sustained a TBI, require comprehensive rehabilitation and support from all available resources in the community to help them successfully re-integrate into society.”

In an effort to meet that need, TIRR Foundation sought the help of the rehabilitation specialists at Memorial Hermann|TIRR’s Challenge Program, an outpatient cognitive rehabilitation program specializing in maximizing potential after brain injury.  With the creation of Project Victory, military service members with traumatic brain injuries can benefit from theexperience and outstanding rehabilitative care available within the Challenge Program.

The Challenge Program is one of only a few rehabilitation programs in the country offering a holistic, community re-integration model utilizing interdisciplinary teams of professionals to manage the rehabilitative care of brain injured patients.  “This program can have a profound and far-reaching impact on the service members who experience a TBI,” says Sandra Lloyd, director of business development at Memorial Hermann|TIRR.  “Our goal is to create better outcomes for these individuals and help them successfully reintegrate—giving them the best possible chance of enjoying life to its fullest.”

Patient care within Project Victory begins with comprehensive evaluations to identify deficits and create individualized rehabilitation plans.  The evaluation process will include assessments in the areas of: neuropsychology, speech and language, family dynamics and psychosocial issues.  The following therapies will be provided based on the rehabilitation plan: physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, cognitive therapy, and family and vocational counseling.  A designated family member or care giver of the injured service member will participate as an integral part of the rehabilitation team and an important element of their progress.  Together, Project Victory staff and the service member’s caregiver will assess progress and revise goals based on the patient’s changing life situation.  This will ensure a more successful transition from rehabilitation back into the home and community environment.

The medical care component of Project Victory will be provided by the Michael E. De Bakey Veterans Administration Medical Center located in Houston’s Texas Medical Center.  Service members receiving their rehabilitative care within Project Victory must register with the MEDVAMC to be eligible to receive their medical care, prescriptions and assistive devices from the Houston VA.  Temporary housing may be available for service members residing outside of the Houston area.

Challenge Program clinicians hope to treat 65 medically qualified soldiers per year.  For more information on Project Victory, call Sandra Lloyd at 713-383-5728 or 832-655-6641.

For more information, contact Media Relations.