Construction begins on military centers to treat TBI and PTS

Trees have been cleared and excavation is set to begin on the first of two new $11-million, 25,000-sf centers to treat Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Post Traumatic Stress (PTS) in wounded American military service members at Fort Belvoir, Va. and Camp LeJeune, N.C.

Following the groundbreaking for the NICoE Satellite Centers last month, both buildings are set to be completed within the next year.

To be funded and built by the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund (IFHF) – which also announced a $100 million fundraising program to support the effort – the first two centers and others that will follow are being located at military bases and medical centers around the country to provide medical care for service members without having to separate them from their units or leave their families for extended periods of treatment. This proximity to family and friends is expected to enhance their care and rehabilitation.

The design and mission of the Satellite Centers are based on the original NICoE, opened in 2010 at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. Operated by the Department of Defense, NICoE is the most advanced facility of its kind in the country, and is the center of the Armed Forces’ efforts in researching, diagnosing and treating TBI, PTS and related injuries sustained by military personnel. Hundreds of American service members have received some form of diagnosis or treatment from NICoE in the last two years.

Each NICoE Satellite Center will incorporate:

• Intake/Clinic area: psychiatric testing, chiropractic treatment, acupuncture, neuro psych testing rooms, and exam rooms.
• Physical Therapy: open gym layout with physical therapy equipment including adjustable mat tables, parallel bars, treadmills, alter-G gait trainer, and other therapy items.
• Sleep Lab: one sleep room, equipped with a sleep system and ambient therapy music, and a control room with a computer monitoring system.
• Central Park: a unique and multi-purpose environment to support physical therapy and family activities, with features including a therapeutic labyrinth for meditation and focusing exercises and a natural setting with trees, shrubs, and water elements.
• Family Room: providing a reprieve space for patients and family to spend time together and take a break from the clinical treatment regime.

The architect for the project is SmithGroup, who was also responsible for designing the NICoE and the Center for the Intrepid, an advanced rehabilitation center for amputee and burn victims developed by the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund in San Antonio, Texas.

“These facilities will enhance the already exceptional care provided at NICoE – which are available nowhere else in the world," said Phil Tobey, senior vice president of SmithGroup. "Every element of the building's designs will be acutely attuned to the multiple physical, sensory and wayfinding needs of TBI patients.” +