In honor of World Mental Health Day, we’re proud to announce that Forge Health has been chosen by the Gary Sinise Foundation Avalon Network to partner in expanding access to free substance abuse services for veterans, service members, first responders, and their families.
The Gary Sinise Foundation Avalon Network
The Gary Sinise Foundation Avalon Network is the first comprehensive traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress network available free-of-charge to veterans, service members, and first responders nationwide. Launched earlier this year, it builds on the Foundation’s decade-long service to veterans and first responders, as well as actor and humanitarian Gary Sinise’s 40 years of philanthropy supporting our nation’s defenders.
The Gary Sinise Foundation Avalon Network scales innovative and effective work by the Marcus Institute for Brain Health and Boulder Crest Foundation to care for veterans and first responders struggling with traumatic brain injuries and post-traumatic stress. As one of a select group of partners, Forge Health is expanding the availability of high-quality treatment on a national scale, focusing specifically on veterans and first responders confronting substance abuse.
The Toll of Suicide
Since 9/11, suicides have become the leading cause of death among active-duty personnel and veterans, accounting for four times the number of fatalities occurring during military operations. Traumatic brain injuries and post-traumatic stress afflict nearly one third of military personnel, and more than 1 in 5 veterans with post-traumatic stress suffer from the burden of co-occurring dependence on drugs or alcohol.
The need is vast, and both Forge Health and the Gary Sinise Foundation Avalon Network believe we must do more to support the men and women who have sacrificed so much on behalf of the United States. We need to turn the tide.
Tackling the Problem
Too many of our nation’s veterans and first responders are struggling with post-traumatic stress, traumatic brain injury, and substance abuse, and too many of them are losing that battle. In the words of Gary Sinise, Chairman and Founder of the foundation that bears his name, with the addition of Forge Health, “… the Gary Sinise Foundation Avalon Network can expand our efforts to turn the tide on the staggering number of active-duty service members, veterans, and first responders we lose to suicide every single day. The need is immense, but with the support of the American people, we will continue to provide our heroes with the care and treatment they so greatly deserve.”
Eric Golnick, CEO of Forge Health’s Forge VFR (Veterans and First Responder) programs, adds, “Forge Health is honored to be part of the Gary Sinise Foundation Avalon Network initiative to provide culturally-competent care to service members, veterans, first responders, and their families. We’re in the midst of a mental health and substance use epidemic in these communities, and the Gary Sinise Foundation Avalon Network is putting the right pieces together to address root causes and prevent suicides.”
Getting Help
To apply for care and treatment from the Gary Sinise Foundation Avalon Network, please visit: https://www.garysinisefoundation.org/avalon-network/
April 12, 2022
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