Funding For PTSD Clinic Cut From Florida Budget

Florida Capitol Building in Tallahassee. Source: WikiMedia Commons


Funding for a clinic to treat post-traumatic stress disorder in veterans and Pulse first responders has been cut from Florida’s budget.
Lawmakers must finalize a budget Tuesday to meet a mandated three-day waiting period before the session ends later this week. The UCF Restores Clinic originally had $4 million in funding in both the house and senate budgets, but was cut during negotiations over the weekend.
The UCF Restores Clinic uses virtual reality as part of its treatment of veterans with PTSD. The clinic has treated more than 250 vets since it opened.
UCF Vice President of University Relations Dan Holsenbeck says he was “surprised and disappointed” that the clinic likely won’t be funded.
But, he says, the school has no plans to shut the clinic down, and will instead look for other sources of funding.
WMFE is a partner with Health News Florida, a statewide collaborative reporting on health care.
Health reporting on WMFE is supported in part by AdventHealth.
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