- November 2, 2024
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The halls of the Roskamp Institute usually hum with the quiet sounds of discovery — the buzz and clicks of equipment.
But the institute’s typical hum grew a little louder Nov. 9 as staff welcomed visitors to showcase its veteran services.
The research facility was founded in 2003 to study advancements in treatment for neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
It’s a field of study that has particular relevance to returning servicemen and women.
“Health care concerns for veterans and military are an ongoing and growing concern,” Roskamp President and CEO Fiona Crawford said. “We now have many patients coming to our Roskamp Clinic who are suffering from issues of specific interest to veterans, many of which have no effective treatments or even adequate diagnostic tests.”
It’s a reality researchers at the Roskamp Institute are trying to change with studies into the diagnosis and treatment of not only PTSD, but Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and other neurological disorders.
After hearing accounts of the institute’s research from scientists, guests took a tour of the facility. There they witnessed a firsthand look at Roskamp’s ongoing analysis.
“Our veterans programs have been expanding and our research is making significant contributions to a better understanding of these conditions and the identification of effective therapeutics and better diagnostics,” Crawford said.
In a 2013 Congressional Research report to the United States Congress, the Veterans Administration stated that more than 200,000 veterans enrolled with the VA for health care have a diagnosis associated with TBI. The same study showed that 30% of VA patients who served in Iraq and Afghanistan screened positive for PTSD.
“That is the problem we are addressing,” Crawford said. “We want all our veterans and active-duty personnel to know that there is hope, and that our team is working day and night to find effective therapies to tackle the medical conditions they are facing.”
