About Us

The Real Warriors Campaign is an initiative launched by the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury [2] (DCoE) to promote the processes of building resilience, facilitating recovery and supporting reintegration of returning service members, veterans and their families.

The Real Warriors Campaign promotes help-seeking behavior among service members and veterans with invisible wounds and encourages service members to increase their awareness and use of these resources. To reach the broadest audience possible, the campaign features a variety of strategies including outreach and partnerships [3], print materials [4], media outreach [5], an interactive website and social media [6]. The campaign features stories of real service members who have sought treatment and are continuing to maintain successful military or civilian careers [7]. In addition, DCoE established the DCoE Outreach Center [8], a 24/7 call center staffed by health resource consultants to provide confidential answers, tools, tips and resources about psychological health and traumatic brain injury. The Outreach Center can be reached toll-free at 866-966-1020 or via e-mail at resources@dcoeoutreach.org [9].

About DCoE:

Established in November 2007, the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury [2] (DCoE) assesses, validates, oversees and facilitates prevention, resilience, identification, treatment, outreach, rehabilitation and reintegration programs for psychological health and traumatic brain injury to ensure the Department of Defense meets the needs of the nation’s military communities, warriors and families.

As the duration and frequency of military deployments increase, service members and their families are increasingly faced with the challenges associated with deployment and combat. DCoE partners with the Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs and a national network of military and civilian agencies, community leaders, advocacy groups, clinical experts and academic institutions to establish best practices and quality standards for the treatment of psychological health concerns and traumatic brain injury.

DCoE’s six component centers include:

• [13]Center for Deployment Psychology [14] (CDP): trains military and civilian psychologists as well as other mental health professionals to provide high quality deployment-related behavioral health services to military personnel and their families.

• [15]Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress [16] (CSTS): provides knowledge, leadership and applications for preparing for, responding to and recovering from the consequences of disaster and trauma. CSTS advances knowledge, health care and preparedness through education, research, consultation and training.

• Deployment Health Clinical Center [17] (DHCC): improves deployment-related health by providing assistance and medical advocacy to military personnel and families. DHCC provides assessment of post-deployment physical symptoms, specialized care programs for traumatic stress conditions, deployment healthcare and education and clinical and deployment health services research.

• [18]Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center [19] (DVBIC): serves active duty military, their dependents and veterans with TBI through state-of-the-art medical care, innovative clinical research initiatives and educational programs. DVBIC conducts clinical research that defines optimal care and treatment for individuals with TBI.

• [20]National Center for Telehealth and Technology [21] (T2): leverages technology to increase access to care for all DoD beneficiaries regardless of location or mobility. T2 coordinates telehealth services to educate, prevent, screen, assess and treat PH concerns and TBI. It trains providers on prevention and treatment approaches using technology.

• National Intrepid Center of Excellence [22] (NICoE): will conduct research, test new protocols and provide comprehensive training, education and ongoing telehealth follow-up care. It will be dedicated to advanced research, diagnosis and treatment planning for military personnel and their caregivers dealing with PH and TBI issues. Completion is anticipated in early 2010.

Real Warriors Campaign Maps

Check out our reach [23] where you can find the Real Warriors Campaign.