Evans kicks off community summit

Photo By Jeanine Mezei | U.S. Public Health Service Capt. Alicia Souvignier, physical therapist and chief of rehabilitation at the Warrior Recovery Center, speaks about therapy initiatives offered at Fort Carson during the Creative Forces Community Summit Feb. 15, 2018, at the Ent Center for the Arts in Colorado Springs.  

FORT CARSON, COLORADO, UNITED STATES

02.25.2018

Story by Jeanine Mezei 

Evans Army Community Hospital

Local community leaders and health professionals gathered at the Creative Forces Community Summit Feb. 15, 2018, to learn how the arts community is supporting healing for wounded warriors.

The event was held at the Ent Center for the Arts in Colorado Springs.

Speaking on behalf of Fort Carson, Evans Army Community Hospital Commander Col. Patrick M. Garman thanked everyone involved for their continued support to wounded Soldiers and Airmen.

“Fort Carson and Evans Army Community Hospital are honored to be a recipient of the Creative Forces grant to support the efforts of engaging the military and Colorado Springs arts community,” he said. “Our service members and their Families have great potential to benefit from the creative arts for healing and resiliency.”

One of the summit’s goals was to further connect the clinical work at the Warrior Recovery Center (WRC) at Fort Carson with the broader arts community in the local community, which has helped provide networking and integration opportunities for participants.

“It is encouraging to know that our men and women in uniform who suffer from (post-traumatic stress disorder), traumatic brain injury (TBI) or other psychological conditions have access to these resources,” said Margaret Hunt, Colorado Creative Industries executive director.

Representatives from the WRC spoke to attendees about the rewarding and dedicated work they engage in with traumatic brain injury patients, which also includes veterans and Family members.

U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) Capt. Alicia Souvignier, physical therapist and chief of rehabilitation at the WRC, helped open the summit with a presentation titled “Treating the Wounds of War,” an overview of how the WRC is helping those suffering from TBI, PTSD and chronic pain.

Since 2014, the WRC has implemented creative media in its intensive outreach program for TBI, touching over 130 service members in the process, according to Garman.

“The whole focus of the creative media piece was to bring a way for expression to challenge some cognitive skills, improve focus, improve memory and be able to communicate what you’re doing,” said Robin Dahmen, WRC nurse case manager.

Using creative methods to foster an environment for healing has expanded recently at the WRC.

Thanks to the Creative Forces grant awarded to Fort Carson by the National Endowment for the Arts, a music therapist is now available to help troops with the healing process in addition to the Integrative Rehabilitation Outpatient Course (iROC).

Evans musical therapist Amy Dunlap integrates musical instruments and improvisation as a means of expression during behavioral health and physical therapy programs.

In addition to educating attendees about their outreach efforts, WRC representatives were able to discuss the possibility of new partnerships in the community to benefit troops in their care.

“There were so many people who came up to find out how to join forces and asked how they could help,” said Dahmen, who anticipates more community involvement with Fort Carson.

Call 526-3286 or visit building 7488 across from Evans for more information on the Warrior Recovery Center.

• Date Taken: 02.25.2018
• Date Posted: 03.21.2018 15:42
• Story ID: 270143
• Location: FORT CARSON, COLORADO, US