The Road Home Program at Rush helps military veterans and their families make healthier transitions to civilian life by offering free, specialized mental health care and support programs that the Veteran’s Administration often does not.
A tour of duty in the military is often filled with stressful, life-changing experiences that can profoundly change people. Those changes impact their loved ones as well.
Modie Lavin, who joined the Road Home Program as a Community Outreach Coordinator in March 2015, calls these changes “the invisible wounds of war.”
The “invisible wounds” range from depression and anxiety to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury and other combat- or service-related issues for which the Road Home Program offers a variety of counseling, rehabilitation and outpatient services. The program also provides services for the families of veterans that help partners, spouses, parents and children better understand what the veterans are going through, provide support to the veteran, and cope with family challenges.
Lavin works with area families providing education and awareness about the Road Home Program. She meets with individuals, makes presentations at meetings and schools to help people better understand and identify the unique issues facing veterans, hosts events designed to enlighten and educate, and works hard to make sure that the many veterans in our community and beyond know that high quality help is available.
“For families that might need me, I’m here to help,” she said.
The Road Home is presenting sponsor of this BAPA’s Beverly/Morgan Park/Mount Greenwood Memorial Day Parade on May 28. The presence of this organization will help to remind parade participants and spectators that Memorial Day is a solemn occasion, founded following World War I as a day to remember the men and women in the United States Armed Forces who gave their lives in service to our country.
Road Home Program services are confidential, accessible, and available regardless of the ability to pay, and supported by the high level of health care available at Rush. While some veterans find great care through the VA, some do not.
“The Road Home Program offers access to therapy, counseling, resources, and world renowned doctors,” Lavin said. “It’s an amazing place for veterans because it treats the ‘whole’ veteran, including the family.”
Most of the program’s services are open to the greater Chicago region. The Intensive Outpatient Program, funded by the Wounded Warrior Project, is a three-week, full spectrum treatment program open to veterans and families across the Midwest, providing comprehensive, individualized care for trauma-based disorders and injuries.
For information and assistance, get in touch with Lavin at 773-590-8244, Modwene_lavin@rush.edu or visit roadhomeprogram.org.
