UCLA Health program supporting post-9/11 veterans awarded $20.1M grant
UCLA Health Operation Mend, which provides medical treatment for individuals injured during combat after 9/11, will double the number of veterans it is able to take into care following a grant from Wounded Warrior Project on Tuesday. (Daily Bruin file photo)
By Teddy Rosenbluth
Oct. 26, 2018 2:03 a.m.
A UCLA program that supports veterans received $20.1 million to expand treatment for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and brain injuries.
UCLA Health Operation Mend, which provides medical treatment for individuals injured during combat after 9/11, received the five-year grant from Wounded Warrior Project on Tuesday. The funding will double the number of veterans Operation Mend is able to take into its care.
The therapy in this program focuses on providing holistic treatments for psychological health issues to help veterans regain normalcy in their lives. The program covers all expenses for travel, housing, and treatment for qualified veterans and their family members.
Wounded Warrior Project is a charity that provides services to post-9/11 veterans. The grant is part of a $160 million donation to programs across the country that help veterans, including Emory Healthcare, Massachusetts General Hospital and Rush University Medical Center.
UCLA Health Operation Mend was first established in 2016 with a $15.7 million donation from the Wounded Warrior Project. In its first three years, Operation Mend has had a 97 percent program completion rate and helped reduce symptoms of combat-related ailments in patients.
