Veteran Town Hall

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

In this episode of the Mission Roll Call Town Hall, hosts Ray Whitaker and Jim Whaley sit down with members of the UNC THRIVE Program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to discuss traumatic brain injury (TBI), brain health, transition from military service, and the interconnected challenges that can affect veterans, first responders, and their families.

THRIVE, which stands for Transforming Health and Resilience in Veterans, takes an interdisciplinary and participant-centered approach to care. Guests Jason, Sammy, and Chad explain how the program looks beyond individual diagnoses to understand the connections between brain health, sleep, stress, pain, relationships, emotional wellness, purpose, and overall quality of life.

The conversation explores:

• Why symptoms related to TBI may become more noticeable after leaving military service
• The loss of structure, mission, identity, and community that can accompany transition
• Why family members and spouses can play an important role in a veteran’s health journey
• THRIVE’s three-day evaluation and three-week intensive outpatient program
• The importance of long-term follow-up and continuity of care
• How veterans across the United States can seek support through THRIVE and its partner network
• Why seeking care can be another form of accomplishing the mission, rather than walking away from it

Ray and Jim also reflect on September 11, 2001, sharing their own memories and hearing from veterans and members of the Mission Roll Call community about where they were that day and how 9/11 shaped their lives, military service, and the generation that followed.

The episode also includes updates from Mission Roll Call on veteran priorities, veteran suicide and mental health, veteran homelessness, upcoming nonprofit symposiums, and MRC’s continuing work to ensure veterans and their families have a voice in the decisions that affect them.