On Saturday, May 4th, a team of seven current and former employees of the Brattleboro Retreat ran in support of returning Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and their families as part of the 4th Annual Run-Walk to Home Base Presented by New Balance.
The event raises funds for the Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital Home Base Program, which serves returning Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and families affected by Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) through clinical care, community education, and research.
“Our team’s fundraising total was $6,450,” said Donny Richard of the Brattleboro Retreat’s Uniformed Service Program (USP). “We received several positive comments from participants and veterans alike about USP. It’s an honor to be recognized as part of this community.”
The Brattleboro Retreat’s Uniformed Service Program opened in 2009 to provide specialized care to men and women struggling with PTSD and related issues stemming from their service in the military, police, fire, corrections and as first responders.
The Retreat team members were: Donny Richard, Stefanie Carreiro, Traci Fletcher, James Fleury, Frank Gallo, Martha Kerylow, and Sara Swartz.
The Run-Walk to Home Base Presented by New Balance starts and ends in Boston’s historic Fenway Park with all runners crossing home plate at the finish line. Last year, some 3,000 runners and walkers participated, including 500 active duty military participants.
“The support of Run-Walk to Home Base participants and sponsors has allowed the Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital Home Base Program to offer care to veterans, regardless of discharge status, insurance coverage, or ability to pay,” said Brigadier General (Ret.) Jack A. Hammond, Executive Director of Home Base.
The Brattleboro Retreat, founded in 1834, is a not-for-profit, regional specialty psychiatric hospital and addictions treatment center, providing a full range of diagnostic, therapeutic and rehabilitation services for individuals of all ages and their families. Recognized as a national leader in the treatment mental illness and addiction, the Brattleboro Retreat offers a high quality, individualized, comprehensive continuum of care including inpatient, partial hospitalization, residential and outpatient treatment.
The Home Base Program provides: clinical care and support services to service members and veterans of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan and their families who are affected by combat or deployment-related stress and/or traumatic brain injury (TBI); education for clinicians and the community about the “invisible wounds of war” and the challenges faced by military families; and research to improve the understanding and treatment of PTSD and TBI.
Picture from left: Martha Kerylow, Donny Richard, Frank Gallo, Stefanie Carreiro, James Fleury, and Traci Fletcher. Not pictured, Sara Swartz.