There’s been a lot in the news lately about veterans suffering from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and mild to moderate cases of traumatic brain injury (TBI). There have been no treatment centers in Alabama for our vets, until now:

Tuscaloosa vets clinic to treat Alabama veterans with stress disorder and traumatic brain injury

Starting in May, Alabama’s Iraq war veterans suffering post traumatic stress disorder and mild to moderate cases of traumatic brain injury will be able to get treatment at the state’s first-of-its-kind clinic at the Tuscaloosa VA Medical Center.

“Blast injuries are the signature wound of this war,” said medical center director Alan Tyler, who spoke about the clinic at a meeting of the state Board of Veterans Affairs today. “And so we really want to reach out to those veterans who have problems with coping because of mild to moderate brain damage and also the PTSD.”

The clinic will only be able to handle a few patients at first, but it will gradually accommodate more, he said. Besides treating the soldiers, the clinic also will seek to familiarize their loved ones with brain injury and PTSD.

“We want to make sure that we reach out to the family and .¤.¤. help work with them so they can help the veteran cope with the issues,” Tyler said.

Tyler said he could not yet project how many veterans might ultimately seek treatment at the clinic.

“We’re going to try and start slow as we develop our team and continue to build it, I guess, based on the need,” he said.

Link: Tuscaloosa VA Medical Center