Gus Bilirakis: “My amendment would provide $9.5 million to acquire and construct up to four long-term care residential brain injury…”

“My amendment would provide $9.5 million to acquire and construct up to four long-term care residential brain injury medical facilities. The primary danger faced by our troops in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom comes in the form of improvised explosive devices. When an IED explodes, the blast wave can result in our servicemembers incurring catastrophic injuries including amputations, spinal cord injuries, visual and auditory impairments, traumatic brain injury, and posttraumatic stress. Wounded warriors with these complex injuries require a high level of health care coordination with an interdisciplinary clinical support team and a wide range of specialized services. Since 2003, almost 2,000 severely injured servicemembers have received state-of-the-art care at one of the Department of Veterans Affairs four Polytrauma Rehabilitation Centers. But what happens to these heroes when they are discharged? Some of them require intensive medical care for the rest of their lives. My amendment addresses the problem of how to provide ongoing recovery for these wounded warriors. These heroes honorably served their country. Now we have to step up to meet our obligation to them. They need a place to go that will provide for post-acute long-term care, subacute residential rehabilitation, and outpatient day rehabilitation with the dignity, respect, and honor they have earned.”