The University of Central Florida’s RESTORES clinic has received a $10.5 million grant from the U.S. Army.
The clinic opened in 2011 to help veterans with PTSD. But after the 2016 shooting at the Pulse nightclub, it also became a place to treat first responders and victims of mass shootings.
At RESTORES, individuals undergo a three-week program of daily treatment using virtual reality to treat PTSD.
“PTSD is something that is more common these days. The Army has been in search of good solutions that can help these individuals,” said democratic Congresswoman Stephanie Murphy, who announced the grant on her Facebook page.
RESTORES Director Dr. Deborah Beidel says the Army grant will expand the program and deliver treatment to active duty military members suffering from PTSD or sexual trauma.
“If we can replicate our study and provide the same results on military bases where people live, it will obviously be much easier for many more people to get effective treatment,” said Beidel
The RESTORES clinics will be set up at Fort Gordon in Georgia, The Portsmouth Naval Medical Center in Virginia, and Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.