PROGRAM ACTIVITIES AND OBJECTIVES
The overall goal of ORNC is to develop and expand partnerships with military and VA organizations to address the rehabilitation and re-entry concerns of men and women in uniform, their spouses and family members. There are five focus areas:
1. Research
"We have a solemn obligation to offer the very best care, not only the warriors coming back now, but to the next generation as well."
-- COL Chris Macedonia, US Army, Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Washington, DC
In order to meet COL Macedonia's challenge, we must take advantage of every opportunity to study and collect data on the individuals returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. A major focus of ORNC is to conduct collaborative research projects that bring the best military and university resources to bear on these complex problems.
East Carolina University is anticipating an appropriation included in the FY 2010 Department of Defense budget to fund the research programs of Operation Re-Entry NC. This funding was championed in the House of Representatives by Congressman G.K. Butterfield and in the Senate by Kay Hagan. In order to secure this funding, ECU must submit a consolidated proposal for peer review through the US Army's Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC). If successful, we anticipate the funding will be available to ORNC projects by July 2010.
These funds will support pilot research projects and research infrastructure that strengthens ECU's collaboration with military institutions in order to better serve warriors and their families. Further information will be provided once the funding is formally approved by TATRC.
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Pending FY 2010 DoD Research Appropriation for Operation Re-Entry NC
|
| Total Funding Amount |
$2.4M |
| Program Title |
Operation Re-Entry NC |
| Appropriation Bill |
Department of Defense |
| Account |
Army Research Development Test and Evaluation (RDT&E) |
| Line Title |
Medical Advanced Technology |
| Date Signed into Law |
December 19, 2009 |
| Partnering Agency |
Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center |
2. Workforce Training, Recruitment and Jobs
At the university level, ECU trains the largest number of nurses, primary care and allied health professionals in the State of North Carolina. It houses one of the two state-funded medical and dental schools in NC and the only state-funded physician assistant program. We graduate licensed healthcare professionals at the bachelors, masters and doctoral levels in fields such as social work, nurse anaesthesia, nurse midwifery, athletic training, biomedical research science, medicine, dentistry, physical therapy, speech and language pathology, audiology, occupational therapy, substance abuse counseling, rehabilitation counseling, medical family therapy, health psychology, recreational therapy, health information technology, etc. We are well positioned to help train the next generation of military and VA health care workers, focusing especially on:
(A) continuing education and recruiting assistance for military and VA health providers
ECU will assist military and VA institutions in training and recruiting health care workers by:
- offering adjunct/affiliate ECU faculty appointments for staff of military hospitals and clinic
- providing fast-track, fully accredited programs to retrain re-train military personnel in critical shortage areas
- offering service payback scholarships to train health care workers who commit to working in military/VA institutions
- establishing ECU satellite campuses on or near military bases and expanding military/VA clinical clerkship and residency training agreements
(B) the retraining of military personnel and veterans for civilian careers;
ECU will assist veterans by providing opportunities for job training and new civilian careers in fields such as health information technology:
ENC-PHIT: the Eastern North Carolina Partnership in Health Information Technology
A large number of workers are needed to lead the national transition from paper to electronic health records. This program, which works closely with Operation Re-Entry NC, will offer scholarships, support services and job placement to individuals who wish to train at the associates, baccalaureate or masters degree level. Individuals with a background in computer science or logistics, or those with related health care training are particularly well suited for this program, although anyone looking for a new career opportunity is welcome to apply. Top priority is given to veterans.
There is a pending $5M grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to fund ENC-PHIT. The status of this funding should be known in early 2010.
3. Clinical Services
A number of military personnel seek clinical care off base, particularly psychological health services. The patient caseload often exceeds the clinical service capacity available on base. Likewise, nearly half of the veteran population seeks clinical care in the civilian sector. Therefore, ORNC seeks to:
- offer an array of ECU clinical services to address areas of need and overflow on military bases: e.g., services for spouses and family members of active duty personnel
- establish ECU satellite clinics on or near base: e.g., substance abuse, medical family therapy, psychology, biofeedback, speech-hearing-balance, psychiatry, etc.
- provide specialty services not typically offered on base, e.g., vestibular assessments, motion/gait analysis, interactive metronome, etc.
- recruit more regional healthcare providers to become Tricare affiliates
- coordinate with military healthcare providers to ensure continuity of care off base
4. Telemedicine and Advanced Technology
Like ECU, military and VA institutions have advanced telemedicine capabilities for delivering clinical services to remote sites through secure computer connections. However, there is a lack of connectivity and interoperability that limits the efficient delivery of clinical services and the conduct of clinical research across these civilian and military platforms. A major focus of ORNC will be to build the infrastructure necessary to provide continuity and clinical services to those in greatest need. An example might be an active duty marine seeking psychological care off base, but unable to travel to Greenville… or a spouse seeking family therapy that is not available on base because of a backlog… or a doctoral student in Greenville collecting research data on clinical psychology subjects at the Wounded Warrior Battalion at Camp Lejeune.
ECU will work closely with its military and VA partners, particularly TATRC, to establish and expand collaborative telemedicine capabilities. Through ORNC, we will
- Expand the use of telemedicine and advanced technology to address issues of psychological health and traumatic brain injury
- utilize ECU's extensive telemedicine network to expand services and explore new capabilities
- build upon ECU's telemedicine experience in psychiatry, mental health care, dermatology and other areas
- apply the latest technologies to address military rehabilitation from injury and illness: virtual reality, serious gaming, human simulations, etc.
- train military clinicians in the latest approaches in telemedicine and advanced technology
5. Statewide Leadership, Planning and Coordination To mobilize civilian efforts and promote communication and coordination at the state level, ORNC participates in the following statewide planning efforts:
The North Carolina Institute of Medicine Task Force on Behavioral Health Services for the Military and their Families, 2009-2010
The Governor's Focus on Returning Combat Veterans and Their Families, 2009-present
Through these forums, we conduct strategic planning and coordination with other academic and civilian organizations. Also, we can negotiate and execute larger-scale partnerships with veteran and military institutions to effectively address current challenges in health care and rehabilitation, including rural heath issues.
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EXAMPLES OF MILITARY-RELATED PROJECTS AT ECU (partial list)
Carmen Russoniello – CHHP, Recreational Therapy
Biofeedback and behavioral medicine for PTSD and TBI in Wounded Warriors
Hunt McKinnon – CHE, Interior Design
Design of Wounded Warrior Barracks at Camp Lejeune
Angela Lamson – CHE, Medical Family Therapy
Innovative fast-track accredited training programs for military and VA personnel
Clinical research and counseling services for military, vets, reservists, Nat. Guard
Paul Toriello – CAHS, Rehabilitation Studies
Project Working Recovery:
Substance abuse counseling coupled with employment support
Vivian Mott – College of Education
Partnership with U.S. Army in training of Army educational interns
D. Moore, E. Manalo – Brody School of Medicine
Rehabilitation medicine and research in TBI and PTSD
G. Jones, P. Kragel – Brody School of Medicine
Innovation in the delivery of telemedicine services
L. Allison, N. Murray – CAHS, CHHP
Vestibular Balance & Gait Project with the Naval Hospital, Camp Lejeune
Eric Everhart – Arts & Sciences, Psychology
Sleep disorders resulting from TBI and PTSD
Leonard Trujillo – CAHS, OT
Interactive Metronome therapy for TBI and PTSD
Sy Saeed – Brody School of Medicine, Psychiatry
Telemedicine Support for Military and their Dependents
Anne Dickerson, CAHS, OT
Driving evaluations in Marines with TBI and PTSD
Elizabeth Carroll, CHE, Child Development and Family Relations
Military Readiness and Life Skills for a Healthy Marriage
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OPERATION RE-ENTRY ADVISORY TEAM
Brigadier General Patricia J. Anderson, RN, MSN, (US Army, retired)
Nicholas Benson, MD, MBA, Vice Dean and Medical Director of ECU Physicians, Brody School of Medicine, ECU
Colonel Mike DeYoung (US Army, Retired), MS, Vice President, SMI Inc., Washington, DC
C. Steve Duncan, Ph.D., Associate Vice Chancellor for Military Affairs and Administration & Finance, ECU
Marti Engelke, RN, MPH., Ph.D, Associate Dean for Research and Scholarship, ECU
Erik Everhart, Ph.D, Associate Professor of Psychology, Harriott College of Arts and Sciences, ECU, and Director of Research, PCMH Sleep Center
Patrice M. Frede, Director of Development, College of Allied Health Sciences and Military Programs
Marti Gallagher, Ph.D, Associate Dean for Research, College of Human Ecology, ECU
Glen Gilbert, Ph.D, Dean, College of Health and Human Performance, ECU
Captain Thomas Johnson, MD, Staff Neurologist, Naval Hospital at Camp Lejeune
Dan Moore, MD, Chair, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Brody School of Medicine, ECU
Ted Morris, Ph.D., Associate Vice Chancellor for Economic Development, Division of Research and Graduate Studies, ECU
Sy Saeed, MD, Chair, Department of Psychiatry, Brody School of Medicine, ECU
Colonel W.T. (Tim) Wiseman (US Army, Retired), CDFM-A, MBA, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Enterprise Risk Management, ECU
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OPERATION RE-ENTRY EXECUTIVE TEAM
David P. Cistola, M.D., Ph.D., ORNC Project Director; Professor and Associate Dean for Research, College of Allied Health Sciences; Professor, Brody School of Medicine, ECU
Al Schreier, Ph.D., Director of Program Development, Division of Research & Graduate Studies, ECU
