WBAMC Fort Bliss, Tx –
On September 18, 2024, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at William Beaumont Army Medical Center to celebrate the opening of the newly constructed Intrepid Spirit Center. The ceremony was celebrated with commemorative speeches and guided tours of the new building. The Ft. Bliss Intrepid Spirit Center is the last one to be built for the Defense Intrepid Network for TBI and Brain Health.
The newly constructed center will provide ample space for the current WBAMC Traumatic Brain Injury Department, which provides a holistic, patient-centered interdisciplinary model of care to active-duty service members who were diagnosed with traumatic brain injury (TBI).
“This facility provides a one stop shop in a first-class facility,” said Col. Lee C. Freeman, commander, WBAMC. “May our service men and women who walk through those doors receive everlasting pure healing and above all hope for a brighter future.”
Not only were the WBAMC TBI Department staff present for the ceremony, but also many staff members from the National Intrepid Center of Excellence and El Paso dignitaries.
“I had the opportunity to receive care from some of the most professional caring personnel, they helped me through the physical and mental aspects of my life,” said U.S. Army retired 1st Sgt. Christopher Scott, a former TBI patient and now a patient advocate with WBAMC.
Scott encouraged current and future TBI patients to receive care at the ISC Fort Bliss, as the care provided will be beneficial to them just like it was for him. He also encouraged fellow Soldiers to get care or get help to take care of their needs.
The National Intrepid Center of Excellence (NICoE) located in Bethesda, Maryland, is the headquarters of the Defense Intrepid Network for TBI and Brain Health (Defense Intrepid Network). The Intrepid Network is based on the holistic, patient-centered interdisciplinary model of care. In addition to the NICoE, the Intrepid Network includes 10 Intrepid Spirit Centers and two TBI and Brain Health Clinics outside the continental United States. The ISC at Fort Bliss is the last to be built in the NICoE network.
Caption: From left to right, Dr. Nicholas Asobo with William Beaumont Army Medical Center Traumatic Brain Injury Department, Lt. Col. Shannon Ford, Mr. Jason Rainey, Mr. David Winters, Col. Lee Freeman, commander of WBAMC, SSGT Spencer Milo, Dr. Sean Sebesta, director of TBI Department, WBAMC, Mr. Christopher Scott, patient advocate, WBAMC, and Ms. Lisa Yaconiello partake in the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the newly opened Intrepid Spirit Center at Fort Bliss, on September 18, 2024 on the campus of WBAMC hospital.
Photo: Staff Sgt. Lauren Feick