10 Years. One Mission. 2024 Road Home Program Impact Report
10 Years. One Mission.
Celebrating a decade of life-changing, lifesaving mental health care for veterans, active-duty service members and their families
The Road Home Program: The National Center of Excellence for Veterans and Their Families at Rush
The Road Home Program is a member of the Warrior Care Network®, a national partnership with Wounded Warrior Project® and other leading academic medical centers.
Robert Shulman, MD, who served as director of the Road Home Program, chairperson of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Rush University Medical Center, and director of mental health services for Rush University System for Health, died on June 5, 2024, of cancer. He was 69.
Throughout his career spanning more than 30 years, Shulman made significant contributions to the field of neuropsychiatry and psychopharmacology. His clinical expertise was unparalleled, particularly in the treatment of resistant mood disorders, the neuropsychiatric complications of medical illness, the aging process and traumatic brain injury. His commitment to the mental health and well-being of veterans and their families was deeply felt and widely recognized.
“As someone who worked closely with Dr. Shulman through the years, I knew him to be — without fail — someone who
was supportive, generous, wise and compassionate,” said Brian Klassen, PhD, clinical director of the Road Home Program. “He was proud of our attempts at Road Home to treat those veterans suffering from the most difficult-to-treat traumatic experiences, because he always said that focusing on your patients and doing the absolute best you can for them is, quite simply, the Rush way.”
Shulman’s legacy is one of unwavering commitment to his patients, his colleagues and the field of psychiatry. He was known to take on challenges with great wisdom, humor and an optimistic view of the future.
Donations honoring Shulman’s impact in support of the Rush Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and the Road Home Program may be made at rushgiving.com/psychiatryfnd
Celebrating a Decade of Progress
10 years. One mission. 5,000 — and counting — lives transformed.
Thank you for helping the Road Home Program: The National Center of Excellence for Veterans and Their Families at Rush achieve this incredible milestone.
Over the past decade, we’ve continually grown, researched and fine-tuned the leading-edge, evidence-based mental health care we provide. The skills veterans, active-duty service members and their loved ones learn here help them make measurable improvements in their day-to-day lives, social roles and relationships. This changes lives and, in many cases, saves them.
Your support makes this progress possible. You help us remove barriers to care, ensuring our clients never face out-of-pocket costs for services. Your investment fuels research and innovation, allowing us to enhance program efficacy. With your help, we sustain and scale our services, including specialized treatment programs for those who have experienced military sexual trauma and military families and community members who have experienced trauma. All the while, we prepare the next generation of providers to continue this vital work.
While we celebrate the immense progress of the past 10 years, we look forward to providing these life-changing services to thousands more people in the years ahead. Our journey is far from over, and we’re grateful you’re traveling this road with us.
Sincerely,
Thomas E. Lanctot Co-Chairperson, Road Home Program Advisory Council
William A. Mynatt Jr. Co-Chairperson, Road Home Program Advisory Council
By the Numbers
1,217 veterans, active-duty service members and family members treated at the Road Home Program in 2023 (and 5,181 clients treated since the program’s inception)
19,736 hours of clinical care delivered in 2023 (and 162,108 hours delivered since the program’s inception) to all clients regardless of discharge status and at no out-of-pocket cost
75% of clients who complete the accelerated brain health program experience clinically significant reductions in post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms in just two weeks of treatment; 84% of clients report feeling better after treatment
79% of clients served are post-9/11 veterans
89% of accelerated brain health program participants travel from outside Illinois, and the costs of their travel, lodging and meals are covered
102 postdoctoral fellows, counseling and social work interns, psychology externs, medical residents and students, and research assistants trained in veterans’ mental health care at the Road Home Program since 2016
50+ articles published in leading peer-reviewed scientific journals to date by Road Home Program experts, and 100+ presentations given to date at national and international conferences
Program Naming Note
In previous communications, the Road Home Program’s flagship two-week treatment program has been referred to as the Intensive Outpatient Program. To more accurately represent the program, it is now being referred to as the accelerated brain health program. The program’s high-quality, evidence-based services remain the same.
10 Years Down the Road Home
A timeline of milestones along the Road
Home Program’s evolution
2012
Recognizing the profound gaps in care for people experiencing invisible wounds of war and military service, Rush assembles a team of clinicians skilled in treating post-traumatic stress disorder and helping veterans with mental health conditions. The team is led by Mark H. Pollack, MD, then-chairperson of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, who has expertise in treating anxiety and PTSD and experience launching Home Base, a clinical program affiliated with Massachusetts General Hospital that serves veterans. Foundational support from the Robert R. McCormick Foundation is followed by support from early donors, including Crown Family Philanthropies and The Woman’s Board of Rush University Medical Center. Building on our deep partnerships in
the military community, we begin laying the groundwork for what will become the Road Home Program.
2013
Rush signs a memorandum of understanding to serve as a partner in Illinois Joining Forces, a statewide public-private network of veteran- and military-serving organizations. Rush’s Road Home Program takes referrals from peers in the network, especially for military family members.
December: As plans and preparations for the Road Home Program’s physical space come together, peer-to-peer outreach efforts begin. We hire the first members of our Veteran Outreach & Networking Team, which today has six members.
2014
February: The Road Home Program dedication is attended by U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, U.S. Rep. Danny Davis and Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
March: Following the renovation of 2,900 square feet of space at 1645 W. Jackson Blvd., programming of an electronic medical record, and staff recruitment, the Road Home Program officially opens its doors, offering a veteran PTSD and mood disorder clinic, counseling for military sexual trauma, and child and family services. The program begins with eight staff members, six patients and 11 encounters. Today, we have nearly 70 staff members and have served more than 6,000 clients from all 50 states, Mexico, Japan, Germany and the U.K.
Fall: We add services for the evaluation of traumatic brain injuries, treatment of substance use disorder and provider training. Our staff share their expertise and lessons learned with peers in the national Welcome Back Veterans Network, funded by the Robert R. McCormick Foundation and Major League Baseball. The program is
Mark H. Pollack, MD
U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth speaks at the Road Home Program dedication in 2014.
a designated Center of Excellence through this initiative. Additionally, Bears Care supports the establishment of a one-year postdoctoral psychology fellowship. Today, we also offer a neuropsychology postdoctoral fellowship, psychology externship, counseling and social work internship, and art therapy internship. After completing fellowships, many have built careers at the Road Home Program, and others have gone on to careers at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, at other academic medical centers, and in industry and private practice.
2015
Wounded Warrior Project® awards groundbreaking support to the Road Home Program and begins a longstanding partnership, allowing the program to expand its space and services and become a founding member of Warrior Care Network®. Through this partnership, which continues today, Rush is challenged to raise an additional $7.5 million. The matching grant initiative is led by volunteers Ron Gidwitz, Tom Lanctot and Bill Mynatt, and this support helps us begin planning our cornerstone accelerated
brain health program. Additionally, we begin offering evening hours to better accommodate clients’ work and school schedules.
March: Rush hosts a half-day Military Families Symposium with funding from Bank of America. Speakers include nationally renowned experts who share best practices in the promotion of resiliency. The event draws approximately 120 attendees.
September: The Road Home Program launches a support group for veterans’ loved ones and group therapy for spouses and caregivers.
Fall : The Road Home Program provides continuing education sessions for physicians, nurse practitioners and social workers to increase baseline competency in the care of veterans, active-duty service members and military families.
2016
January: After months of planning, our first Intensive Outpatient Program (now known as our accelerated brain health program)
launches. This program exposes participants to evidence-based prolonged exposure therapy and cognitive processing therapy treatments that offer relief from disruptive symptoms of PTSD and other mental health concerns faster than traditional therapies.
May: Our specialized treatment program for military sexual trauma launches. This program initially serves women only but moves to mixed-gender cohorts in early 2017.
July: The Road Home Program adds an additional 8,000 square feet of space to accommodate its growing services and clientele. Additional services include a substance use disorder therapy group, yoga, mindfulness practice and art therapy.
Fall: The program provides trainings to Rush Human Resources personnel on hiring, working with and caring for veterans. We continue to build partnerships with our neighbors, including Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Police Department social work team. We also add chaplaincy to our services.
2017
Recognizing that high-quality treatment options for the many veterans residing in downstate Illinois, especially its rural counties, are limited, the Road Home Program launches its satellite site in Effingham, Illinois. We also launch our first clinical trial — a pilot of a one-week accelerated program that works well and lays the foundation for future program improvements.
Fall: With the partnership of volunteer Ron Gidwitz, the Road Home Program Leadership Committee is formed. This group of devoted volunteers elevates awareness of the Road Home Program; cultivates relationships with potential donors and volunteers; supports fundraising efforts; provides input on long-term program growth, funding, challenges and needs; and helps lead the annual Road Home Program Benefit.
2018
Telehealth services launch, enabling us to reach more veterans, active-duty service members and their loved ones who live far from Chicago or who prefer to receive services remotely.
2019
In a published paper examining the first 20 program cohorts, we report that 92% of participating veterans completed treatment; 94% indicated satisfaction with their care; and 90% perceived that treatment improved the problem they sought help for. Most notable were significant reductions in PTSD and depressive symptoms per well-validated instruments. Today, we have published more than 50 peer-reviewed publications in leading trauma-focused journals, and treatment models developed here are being replicated around the country, including by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Summer: The Road Home Program Leadership Committee’s annual Road Home Benefit honors 45 World War II veterans and features former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta.
September: With further support from Wounded Warrior Project®, we open our Brain Health Suite at 325 S. Paulina St. in Chicago. The suite doubles the number of veterans we can enroll in our services.
2020
Robert Shulman, MD, becomes chairperson of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Rush University Medical Center and director of the Road Home Program. Under his leadership, the program continues to grow and remains focused on providing the best, most patient-centered care. With donor support and the leadership of Tom Lanctot and Bill Mynatt, co-chairs of the Road Home Leadership Committee, Rush launches an endowed fund for the Road Home Program to ensure it can continue providing life-changing, lifesaving services in perpetuity.
March: We quickly adapt our program to a telehealth model during the COVID-19 pandemic. We reduce program duration from three weeks to two weeks, and despite the shorter duration, with more focused clinical services, client outcomes remain strong and persist over time. Clients report improved functioning in their social roles and
Telehealth services
Effingham, Illinois
at work and school.
July: We resume our in-person care with safety protocols in place and no confirmed cases of COVID-19 among participants. Drawing from lessons learned treating veterans with moral injury, we launch the Growing Forward program to treat clinicians who have moral injury as a result of serving on the front lines during the pandemic.
2021
The Road Home research team uses machine learning and data from past clients to help predict which treatments will be most effective for incoming clients. Our Effingham team launches the Rural Mental Health Training Initiative to train rural providers how to provide culturally competent care to veterans.
Summer: The Road Home Program meets rigorous quality and safety standards to achieve accreditation from the Joint Commission. This accreditation enables the program to work with TRICARE and serve more active-duty service members.
2022
We launch Artfully Facing Trauma, a travel-
ing exhibit of artwork created by veterans who participated in our art therapy directive of mask-making. This intervention allows individuals to use design and symbolism to express their inner experience of trauma as well as the face they intend to convey to the outside world.
May: The Road Home Program becomes the featured charity partner of the Soldier Field 10, hosted by Ventures Endurance Events. A portion of proceeds from the event benefits Road Home each year.
2023
Inspired by strong results from a condensed treatment pilot, the Road Home adds a one-week treatment program to its service menu. The program also launches a specialized care track for clients with traumatic brain injury and PTSD and begins providing telehealth services across state lines thanks to the Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact, or PSYPACT.
2024
Our work continues, with 162,108 hours of clinical care provided since the program’s inception thanks to the support of 1,146 donors. Our longitudinal research
proves that accelerated treatment delivered through the Road Home Program’s care model provides lasting symptom improvement up to 12 months after treatment. Additionally, our outreach team plans trips to Puerto Rico and Alaska to reach underserved military community members living in service deserts.
Winter: Wounded Warrior Project® announces an additional $100 million investment in Warrior Care Network®, divided among its four clinical partners, including Road Home.
Summer: Our first cohort of a specialized program for family members of veterans and active-duty service members launches. We also extend the highly effective trauma treatment models developed by the Road Home Program to all Rush patients who have experienced trauma. Additionally, Road Home researchers investigate the safety, feasibility and effectiveness of Socrates 2.0, a state-of-the-art generative artificial intelligence tool that aims to optimize care delivery with a real provider.
Artfully Facing Trauma, above and right
Built Upon a Strong Foundation
McCormick Foundation serves as financial supporter and thought partner to Road Home since program’s inception
The Robert R. McCormick Foundation was there from the start — before the start, actually.
In 2012, McCormick Foundation partnered with Major League Baseball on an initiative called Welcome Back Veterans, which donated $1 million to help launch Road Home.
Though, the pledges were something like a lead-off hit designed to start a rally, said Anna Laubach, director of public safety portfolio and special initiatives for the foundation. It was clear from the start that Road Home would need more funding.
“It’s a great opportunity for philanthropy that we can pilot something and demonstrate its effectiveness, and then larger dollars can come in and bring it to scale,” Laubach said. “That was a win for us.”
The formula worked. Crown Family Philanthropies, Bank of America, Michael Reese Health Trust, State Farm, the Field Foundation of Illinois and MillerCoors were among others that pledged support before Road Home welcomed the first veteran through its doors. That wave drew attention, and Wounded Warrior Project® ultimately provided the investment needed to expand services.
In addition to serving as a vote of confidence to other philanthropic partners, McCormick Foundation provided valuable input as Rush conceptualized the program’s structure and strategies.
“It was very stimulating and rewarding just to be at the beginning of all of that,” Laubach said. “We have some longstanding relationships with the folks at Rush now. I think that makes it different from other relationships we have — the connection to our staff, understanding the issues of veterans and making sure there is a through line in terms of our support and understanding.”
McCormick Foundation has deep roots in the military and addressing veterans’ needs, with its namesake having served as a colonel with the 1st Infantry Division of the United States Army during World War I. The foundation maintains a First Division Museum and continues to support quality programs that provide veterans with essential services. It also has employed veterans to be part of its grantmaking process.
“There’s a legacy here and a real commitment to continue to support members of the military, veterans and their families,” Laubach said.
Laubach, a trained social worker and clinical therapist, has taken a particular interest in the foundation’s efforts to support veterans since she joined its team 15 years ago. She led the work of Welcome Back Veterans, which funded projects specifically related to mental health and post-traumatic stress disorder care for veterans.
“Meeting veterans through all the programs we were supporting, I realized the immensity of the problem and where there was potential for solutions,” she said. “It captured my attention and my passion for helping to support people with high-quality mental health services.”
It was the success found elsewhere with Welcome Back Veterans’ Home Base program that prompted the Chicago-based McCormick Foundation to turn its attention toward home and Rush.
“Before Road Home, we had given millions of dollars to other programs in other cities and we really wanted to do something here in Chicago,” Laubach recalled. “All of the stars aligned at the same time.”
Since the early days, McCormick Foundation has remained invested, with Welcome Back Veterans donating a total of $2.6 million and the foundation making an additional $600,000 in grants in support of Road Home. And the foundation remains a strong champion of the program’s work.
“This is free to veterans who need the support,” Laubach said. “It’s not intended to replace the Veterans Affairs services but really to enhance what the VA is able to provide. I think the way it fits into a larger ecosystem is providing access that would not otherwise exist for veterans who really need the services.” —
Anna Laubach
Lifting Up the Road Home’s Mission
Ambassador Ron Gidwitz paved way for early program growth and continues advocacy today
An avid advocate for veterans, Ambassador Ron Gidwitz has helped the Road Home Program grow into what it is today.
Since becoming a Rush trustee in 1993, Ambassador Gidwitz has devoted countless hours to the mission and continues today as a Rush life trustee and a member of the Road Home Advisory Council. In 2015, he became the original chair of the Road Home Program Leadership Committee. He raised funds and awareness for the program, including more than $4 million that was instrumental in helping Rush match a $7.5 million grant from Wounded Warrior Project® to launch the program.
“I’ve always been sensitive to what happens to our military members and veterans, especially given that we’ve had a war in Afghanistan and Iraq that has gone on interminably,” said Gidwitz, who served as U.S. ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium from 2018-2021. “Millions of young men and women have been called to serve. They come back, and all too frequently, their stories are sad and appalling.”
Moved by veteran suicide and veterans experiencing homelessness, Ambassador Gidwitz wanted to help.
“We’ve got an obligation as a nation to take care of these people,” he said. “And so, when Rush Trustee Bill Goodyear asked me if I’d get involved, it was not a hard decision. This was a unique opportunity to help people who can’t get this help elsewhere.”
In this leadership role, Ambassador Gidwitz called upon his experience as a businessman and civic leader, including his work as a founding member of the executive committee of the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve.
From the start, Ambassador Gidwitz knew the Road Home Program had great potential and was impressed by its strong clinical results.
“I was pleased to join and engage as the first chairman of the Road Home Leadership Committee, where I had the opportunity to recruit others,” he said. “And just as importantly to raise those early funds that allowed us to meaningfully demonstrate that Rush had a unique program worthy of support.”
In 2017, to begin his duties as an ambassador, Gidwitz passed the Road Home Leadership Committee torch to Co-Chairs Thomas Lanctot and William Mynatt — highly engaged committee members who stepped up and helped the Road Home continue its success.
“Tom and Bill are doing a sensational job keeping donors engaged and keeping momentum up,” Ambassador Gidwitz said. “The program became even more efficient and equally as successful through the transition from a three-week to a two-week treatment program and the addition of telemedicine services. More people can be served for essentially the same cost. The sad part, however, is that this is all philanthropic and private sector dollars funding the program and little, if any, funds from the Veterans Administration.”
Through continued work on the Road Home Advisory Council, the ambassador remains involved in the program’s sustainability efforts — especially through his advocacy work.
“I don’t need to have a title or an assignment,” the ambassador said. “My mission is to help as many veterans as possible. I find the appropriators who put money into the Veterans Administration who are interested in results. It’s a bipartisan issue with them. They want to see our veterans be properly taken care of.
“The Road Home Program is incredibly effective. It has extraordinary staff and a dedicated Leadership Committee. We can’t do enough, because we just don’t have the breadth. What I ultimately hope the federal government will do is reimburse us for our services and support us to teach other hospitals how to institute and implement this program. It would be much more efficient and cost-effective than current VA programs, and so many more families would benefit.” —
Ambassador Ron Gidwitz
The Journey Along the Road Home
Three perspectives on 10 years of progress
When Modie Lavin joined the outreach team at the Road Home Program in 2015, the flagship accelerated brain health program — formerly known as the Intensive Outpatient Program — did not yet exist. There were fewer than 20 employees in about half of the program’s current space, with a steady stream of outpatient activity.
She leveraged her experience launching recreational programs for veterans at the Chicago Park District and her wide network to develop events and activities that complemented Road Home’s clinical offerings.
“They saw my impact in the community
and thought I’d be a good fit,” explained Lavin, who currently serves as senior outreach coordinator for Road Home. “I was looking for an opportunity to help veterans and their families on a deeper level.”
Around the time Lavin started, U.S. Army veteran Juan Sanchez was receiving outpatient care at Road Home. He returned from the war in Iraq with unprocessed trauma that made it difficult for him to be the father he wanted to be.
When he was ready to process his trauma, Sanchez felt the VA couldn’t offer him what he needed. Road Home could, first through its outpatient services and then as part of its accelerated treatment pilot — which was held in the main hospital. At the time, there was no dedicated space for the program.
Despite the care he received, Sanchez spent a lot of his free time alone. Programs like the ones Lavin designed got him out of the house to “get connected with other
veterans” and feel a little less lonely.
“It’s people like Modie, a Gold Star Mother, who get us veterans,” Sanchez said. “We can be ourselves around them. It’s beautiful to have people like her in your corner.”
Lavin can empathize with veterans’ suffering and grief. Her son, U.S. Marines Cpl. Conner T. Lowry, was killed in action in Afghanistan in 2012.
“I flew out to Camp Pendleton for services and met some of Conner’s brothers and sisters in arms,” she recalled. “I saw very broken service members, and this motherly instinct to help them kicked in.”
Like most Road Home staff members, Lavin’s personal connection to the mission drives her to ensure each client receives the best possible care. This program-wide approach and mentality have informed Road Home’s comprehensive care model and defined its evolution.
Modie Lavin
‘More is not always better’
Just 15 years ago, the assumption was that once you had PTSD, it would impact your life so much you couldn’t function.
Road Home Research Director Philip Held, PhD, has spent the last 10 years chipping away at that belief and transforming how we view, study and address PTSD in the process. With each scientific discovery, services evolved and improved.
For instance, when Road Home piloted a two-week virtual program during COVID, it cut 40 clinical hours from care. On paper, that kind of change might appear as if it would negatively affect outcomes.
Dr. Held and his colleagues discovered quite the opposite.
“We reduced the amount of care but continued to see the outcomes, such as reduced PTSD symptoms — which we now know also persist over time,” he said. “So not only do you get better in a shorter amount of time, you stay better. More is not always better. What matters is the type of treatment you receive.”
As soon as the Road Home transitioned back to in-person care, clinicians implemented the two-week program. Even with this switch, Road Home and its services just keep growing.
More staff, a condensed program, more specialized treatments, telehealth options and consistent outcomes mean Road Home can continue to reach more veterans, active-duty service members and their families, who can expect similar results. Meanwhile, a streamlined intake process
has cut time to care by at least a month, so clients can access the services they need even faster. Even art therapy has scaled up from weekly one-hour sessions attended by a few people to monthly three- to sixhour-long sessions to promote community building and healing.
Lavin, who has watched these changes unfold, is constantly amazed. “I’m so impressed with our clinical and research staff’s willingness to continue to improve upon something that I, from the outside looking in, already thought was perfect,” she said.
Dr. Held and his colleagues know there is room to keep refining and improving Road Home’s approach to deliver the best possible outcomes for the military community.
“One in four veterans does not experience a meaningful reduction in PTSD symptoms,” he said. “If we’re truly a National Center of Excellence, then we need to figure out how to support those individuals and help them feel better and stay better.”
Finding purpose and healing
Ten years and more than 50 peer-reviewed publications later, Road Home has shifted the paradigm on how to treat PTSD and changed perceptions of how long it takes for someone to feel better.
“There’s no cure for what I have,” Sanchez said. “Road Home showed me how I can co-exist with this trauma so I can live my life and not let it define me.”
According to Dr. Held, this mindset surrounding PTSD is new. It’s evolved, in part, because of Road Home’s ability to evaluate and modify the program in real time — with meaningful, life-changing effects.
“If you step back, it’s exciting,” Dr. Held said. “We’ve had an impact on the entire field. Even organizations such as the VA are adopting these accelerated treatment models as a direct result of the work we’ve done.”
Philanthropy has made the difference, he said. It allows Road Home to provide services at no direct cost to the military community and conduct studies that result in better care, which opens doors for clients to achieve their goals and live healthier lives.
“Because of the Road Home Program, I had the opportunity to be a father, which I didn’t have before because of the trauma,” Sanchez explained. “And even now, when I’m struggling, Road Home is there. I know I have the tools I need to keep me going.”
Lavin has seen these transformations in veterans like Sanchez — as well as several who served with Conner and received care. Over the years, she has traveled the country raising awareness about Road Home and its programs. She finds purpose and healing in this work. It’s a way to connect with military families, find peace and honor Conner’s life.
“I feel him lift me,” she shared, choking back tears. “He was a natural leader, and if he were still alive, he’d be helping veterans, too.” —
Doing Right by the People He Loves Most
Veteran finds hope, healing after completing accelerated brain health program
Despite an incessant urge to turn back, Rob Ferrara pushed on.
Overcoming hesitation as he drove through city after city, the retired U.S. Army first sergeant ultimately made the long trip from San Antonio, Texas, to the Road Home Program at Rush University Medical Center in 2018.
“I didn’t want to go, because I was scared. I didn’t think I could do it,” said Rob, who until that time had viewed himself as a person who cared for others, not someone who needed help.
He’d tried therapy before, mostly to appease his wife, Melissa. But he wasn’t ready — until he met the staff at the Road Home Program.
During three weeks in the Road Home Program’s accelerated brain health program, Rob found the courage to look inward. He realized how much he had distanced himself from the people he loved most after returning from Iraq 11 years earlier.
Rob said it’s clear to him now that he was struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, and survivor’s guilt. His therapist at the Road Home Program helped him work through painful emotions about leaving his platoon after being injured in a roadside bomb explosion. Three men were killed in the blast.
“I still mourn the loss of those guys,” Rob said. “I still feel bad, but I’m at a point now where I realize it wasn’t my fault.”
A life of service
Rob was stationed in North Carolina in 1993 when he met Melissa during a trip home to Rhode Island. They married in 1996 and settled in Rhode Island after Rob was assigned to recruiting duty.
The Ferraras’ sons were ages 8 and 5 when Rob learned he was being deployed to Iraq.
His platoon was sent to the Sadr City area of Baghdad and the Diyala Province. After he was injured in the explosion, he was unable to return to the infantry until he recovered from his injuries. The Army sent Rob back to Rhode Island, where he worked as an ROTC instructor, and later to Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, for two years. He retired from the Army in 2012.
A few years later, Rob was working for Wounded Warrior Project® when he snapped at the organization’s chief financial officer during a dinner. The executive suggested he might benefit from the Road Home Program, but Rob denied he needed help, he said.
The first time Rob saw the darkness in himself was in a portrait painted by former President George W. Bush.
Rob met Bush in 2013, after he applied and was invited to participate in the annual Warrior 100K Ride at Bush’s ranch in Crawford, Texas. Bush painted veterans who participated in the ride, Rob said.
“My eyes were black,” Rob said of the portrait. “That was the first time I realized I was there, but not really. I didn’t have love for anyone. That painting really showed me the person I was.”
From darkness to light
Rob’s shoulder still bothers him, but his unseen symptoms caused him the most pain.
“He was just a totally different person pre-deployment to post-deployment,” Melissa said. “He left one person and came back as someone we didn’t really know.”
Rob had become angry, guarded and “not very pleasant, to be honest,” she said. Before joining her husband during his third week at the Road Home Program, Melissa noticed little changes in Rob during phone conversations.
“When I got to Chicago, I could tell just by looking at him,” she said. “It was like he had finally taken a deep breath. He was more like the person I knew before his deployment.”
Rob said it felt like a weight had been lifted off him. As he and his wife drove home to San Antonio, more of his old personality came out and they enjoyed the time together, Melissa said. The Road Home Program transformed Rob, allowing him to move from a life of apathy to one filled with love for his wife and two sons, Robert, now 25, and Evan, now 22.
Back at home, Rob began spending more one-on-one time with Evan. A conversation they had while watching the movie “Lone Survivor” made Rob realize how mature his son had become — and how much he had missed as Evan grew up. Evan graduated from the University of Texas at San Antonio in 2023.
Rob’s older son, Robert, recently returned home after serving four years in the Air Force and is in his second year of college. They, too, have forged a closer relationship.
“Seeing them grow and the work my wife put into raising them while I was gone, it’s amazing how successful they are today,” he said.
Rob still experiences times when he feels down, but instead of every day, it’s once or twice a month, he said.
“I love my life right now. I think this is the best our marriage has ever been,” he said. “We will celebrate 28 years in September. My wife is truly my best friend and my soulmate. I know for a bunch of years, I didn’t make her feel loved. I didn’t make her feel special. But I love my life now. I love her. I love our boys. It’s a treat.”
A gift to the Road Home Program is an investment in a better future, not only for veterans but for generations after them, he said. —
Retired U.S. Army 1st Sgt. Rob Ferrara stands in front of a portrait of himself, top left, and other veterans painted by former President George W. Bush. The painting, which is part of the “Portraits of Courage” exhibit, was on display at the George W. Bush Presidential Library in Dallas.
Rob Ferrara, far right, says the Road Home Program helped him reconnect with his wife, Melissa, far left, and sons, from left, Evan and Robert, after emotionally distancing himself from them during the decade after his military service.
From Client to Counselor
Road Home alum uses lessons learned to help others
How did U.S. Army veteran Jessica Burgans adjust from a deployment in Iraq to home life?
“I didn’t,” she said.
Less than a year after Burgans graduated high school, she joined the Army as a combat medic. After serving with the 2nd Infantry Division in South Korea near the Demilitarized Zone, her unit was deployed to Ramadi, Iraq, in 2004. There, Burgans worked at Charlie Medical Center.
Throughout the turmoil of war, Burgans witnessed decapitations, amputated limbs, and severe abdomen and head injuries. Ninety-nine people from her unit, alone, died.
Midway through her time in Iraq, Burgans was recruited to a Lioness Team — a group of women soldiers trained in advanced hand-to-hand combat and advanced weaponry. At this time, women were not allowed to serve on the front lines. To circumvent this rule, the team served in two-week rotations to support the infantry division.
“I was in the act of war for two weeks at a time, and then I would come back and engage in the repair of war at Charlie Med,” Burgans said.
Searching for a new normal
After leaving the military around 2006, Burgans experienced symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.
When fireworks went off on New Year’s Eve, she hid under the table at a club among partygoers. After landing her dream job as a flight attendant, she had a panic attack when called to work on a flight to Kuwait.
“I don’t know what happened,” she said. “I just remember blacking
out and waking up hugging a pole and not being able to make the flight. I ended up getting fired. “
Subsequently, Burgans was involuntarily held at the Veterans Affairs, or VA, psychiatric ward in Washington, D.C., leading to a PTSD diagnosis. The care she received in the following years was insufficient and inconsistent.
For nine years, she self-medicated with alcohol, went through 14 jobs, moved six times — eventually landing in Washington state — and got married and divorced.
In 2015, when Burgans found out she was pregnant with her second child and noticed her 6-year-old was experiencing secondary PTSD symptoms, she sought help again.
She turned to a retreat through QMissions’ Operation Restore Hope. Being surrounded by other veterans with shared experiences helped heal her mind, body and spirit — a more fulfilling experience than once-a-week counseling.
“That was my pivotal moment of starting to get better,” she said. “It was the first Memorial Day in nine years that I wasn’t blackout drunk. My husband and I learned a lot about PTSD, and I felt that brotherhood of group therapy.”
Jessica Burgans, left, with her husband Billy Burgans, center back, and daughters Liberty Murray, right, and Autumn Burgans
Finding the Road Home
A counselor from Operation Restore Hope recommended that Burgans attend the Road Home Program’s accelerated brain health program for additional care. She attended Cohort 17 in June 2017.
“I was lifted out of my everyday routine, away from my obligations as a mom and a wife and an employee so I could really focus on myself and getting better,” Burgans said. “There’s only so much work you can put into yourself meeting with a counselor once a week for one hour. We would barely unscrew the cap and then have to shut it. Being at the Road Home for three weeks, I spent the whole time with my cap off, and it was safe and supportive.”
Burgans remembers Brian Klassen, PhD, clinical director of the Road Home, telling her cohort to trust the process. She soon learned what that meant as she began to experience post-traumatic growth.
“At the Road Home, I was with people who had very similar experiences and struggles as me,” she said. “It was really critical for my marriage, my life, my parenting — for everything.”
Traveling down the road to help others
Burgans’ experiences with individual and group therapy inspired her to pursue a career helping others.
In 2019, she began overseeing in-school suspensions at a high school. She enjoyed working with students, but COVID-19 disrupted her job. She prayed about what to do next and, after applying, was accepted by a two-year accelerated program that enabled her to earn her master’s in counseling in August 2022. She began working in private practice in December 2022.
Now a licensed mental health counselor, Burgans provides marriage counseling, works with adolescents and serves as many veterans as possible. She aspires to work with more veterans and share mental health knowledge with larger groups through pro bono services.
“It would be the most fulfilling, rewarding and life-giving if 80% of my clientele were veterans,” she said. “I’m building the skills, knowledge and experience for whatever God is preparing me for next.”
Burgans’ approach to providing counseling is informed by her own
experiences receiving it. When she begins seeing a new client, she tells them how important it is for them to feel their counselor is a good fit and someone with whom they can build a strong therapeutic alliance.
“I say that because I wish somebody would’ve said that to me,” she said. “I would have grown nine years before I did if someone had pointed me in the right direction.”
In addition to her work as a counselor, Burgans cohosts “The Mental Health Janitors Podcast” with her friend Aaron Quinonez, a Marine combat veteran who founded and introduced her to QMissions’ Operation Restore Hope years ago. The podcast’s tagline is “Helping you clean up the mess in your head,” and it covers a wide variety of mental health topics.
“We wanted to create a safe place for veterans to learn how to start building tools and resilience on their own, until they’re ready to ask for help,” Burgans said.
When veterans are first starting their mental health journey, the most important thing is for them to take ownership of their growth, Burgans added.
“You get out of things what you put into them,” she said. “Going to the Road Home Program was a pivotal moment for me because it was a volunteer program. I had a choice to be there or not, and I learned, within the first couple of days, that it was going to be hard. But I gave it all I had, and that’s one of the major reasons for my exponential growth.” —
Jessica Burgans, left, and Specialist April Edwards
Clinical and Research Updates
Increasing the Accessibility and Efficacy of Vital Mental Health Care
At the Road Home Program, our team continually returns to one question: “How can we do this even better?”
From outreach and intake to clinical care, wellness programming and research, we constantly seek opportunities to improve processes and treatments.
“It’s our duty to continue to improve,” said Philip Held, PhD, research director of the program. “There has never been a period where we’ve been the same for a long time. We’ve always changed for the better.”
None of this progress would be possible without philanthropic support and generosity from clients, who give feedback after receiving services and provide data on their progress. With their help, we can deliver higher-quality care with less variability and better outcomes.
Specialized program for families launches with support from Lundbeck US Charitable Fund
Military family members experience unique stressors related to their loved ones’ service and deployments. This is particularly true if their loved ones have a mental health condition and they serve in a caregiving role.
To better support families, the Road Home Program launched a new, specialized accelerated brain health program (previously known as an Intensive Outpatient Program) in summer 2024 for family members of active-duty service members and veterans.
This one-of-a-kind program provides family members the same high-quality care veterans and service members receive in our flagship program. Family members can enroll in the program on
their own terms. It will support two cohorts of eight people annually and was made possible by an investment from the Lundbeck US Charitable Fund.
This support enables us to expand our efforts to deliver evidence-based, culturally competent mental and behavioral health care to veterans and their families. Innovative therapies developed at the Road Home Program have already started to help thousands of non-veterans dealing with trauma-related mental health issues.
Clinical Director Brian Klassen, PhD, organizes the specialized program. Its efficacy will be measured through the collection and evaluation of hundreds of unique data points from before, during and after treatment completion to inform additional research that shapes new and better ways to provide care.
Pilot program applies lessons learned from veteran care to community members
The Road Home Program is now offering the innovative, accelerated treatment models it developed for members of the military community to all Rush patients who have experienced trauma.
This pilot program, with donor and grant support, is meeting an urgent need for accessible, high-quality trauma-focused mental health care in Rush University Medical Center’s service area. Just like the Road Home Program’s other life-changing services, this care is provided at no direct cost to patients.
Through the program, patients treated at the medical center’s Emergency Department and other clinics who show symptoms of or inform their care team of a history of trauma are offered care. Some of the most common barriers standing in the way of people receiving high-quality mental health care are social, economic and logistical. To remove these barriers, our team provides comprehensive care management and connects patients to Medicaid, food assistance programs, transportation and other community resources.
If a patient is interested in receiving trauma-focused mental health care at no cost, a community health worker facilitates a warm handoff to a therapist who specializes in delivering evidence-based treatments.
To date, our team has screened more than 450 individuals, and approximately 50 of these people — all of whom have been impacted by gun violence at some point in their lives — have received care.
“In just our first three months, 26 individuals have started cognitive processing therapy in our clinic, and because of the accelerated treatment, 11 individuals have already completed therapy, all showing clinically significant reductions in PTSD, depression and anxiety symptoms,” said Daniel Szoke, PhD, the program’s supervising psychologist.
Clients typically report improvements to their symptoms within just two days of starting treatment. In surveys about the care they received, our clients have said, “My world has changed because of this program,” and, “The treatment I received at the clinic is, by far, the most effective form of therapy I have ever experienced.”
“We are excited to continue building our capacity and serving many more individuals in our community in the months to come,” Dr. Szoke said.
Reaching clients in their own homes and miles away through telehealth and outreach services
In 2020, Illinois was one of the first states to join PSYPACT, or the Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact. By joining this compact, Illinois enabled licensed psychologists who are credentialed with
PSYPACT to practice telehealth across state lines. Similar compacts are gaining ground for social workers and counselors.
Since creating a dedicated team in January, the virtual Road Home Program clinic can now serve clients in the 42 U.S. states and territories that have enacted PSYPACT legislation. This enables our experts to reach clients who may not have been able to receive treatment without this flexible option.
A team of three psychologists offers clients one- to two-week-long accelerated, empirically based treatment options and has helped approximately 40 clients complete treatment over the telehealth clinic’s initial six months.
“Telehealth treatment generates successful outcomes comparable to in-person treatment,” said psychologist Jon Murphy, PhD, ABPP, who oversees the telehealth clinic.
Telehealth is a viable option for single parents, caregivers, people who work full-time and others who need or prefer flexible care options. This includes Special Forces and other active-duty service members — a group that cannot easily leave their unit or base.
In the coming year, Dr. Murphy anticipates the clinic’s capacity will grow, allowing it to reach approximately 100-120 clients per year.
“If we didn’t have this option, many people simply wouldn’t get treatment,” he said. “We’re filling a niche to help people who otherwise wouldn’t have been able to make our in-person option work.”
Jon Murphy, PhD, ABPP
The Road Home Program’s outreach team also works to ensure clients from historically marginalized communities have awareness of the services available to them and access to the care they need.
The team is focusing on outreach to rural communities, as well as military community members living in Alaska, Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands. PSYPACT legislation has not been passed in these locations, but people who live in these areas are still eligible to travel to the Road Home Program at no cost to them.
Road Home patient services representative wins award for her dedication
As the Road Home Program’s patient services representative, Laura Castro advocates for reimbursements for the high-quality care veterans, active-duty service members and their loved ones receive at the program.
This year, she was recognized for her dedication with Warrior Care Network®’s Teammate of the Year Award. This award honors one staff member from each of Wounded Warrior Project®’s partnering academic medical centers.
“People are our secret sauce, and Laura is a great example,” Dr. Klassen said. “Her heart is so pure and focused on our mission.”
Castro’s position was created in November 2020. She came to the Road Home Program with 11 years of health care experience, including work securing Medicaid, Medicare and private insurance reimbursements. At the Road Home Program, she is laser-focused on advocating for clients’ Veterans Affairs, TRICARE and private insurance benefits.
While the Road Home Program’s services are offered at zero cost to clients, no matter their insurance status, Castro’s advocacy helps sustain the program and break down barriers to care.
“Our clients have so much they go through already,” Castro said. “When calling for reimbursements, you go through so many transfers and holds, and then the call still drops sometimes. Veterans tell me they go through that every day, even for their primary care. It shouldn’t be that hard for anyone — let alone for them.”
Sometimes, insurers deny claims even after hearing that the Road Home Program covers clients’ travel and lodging. In these cases, Castro reassures clients that denials do not change their eligibility to participate in the program at no cost to them.
“It fills my heart to be able to help our clients,” Castro said. “This award is the best thing I could’ve been nominated for. It means a lot to me, and I will keep trying to fight for them so they can get benefits. We’ll never turn anyone away, but they deserve better in every health setting. Hopefully, things will start gradually changing.” —
Road Home Clinical Director Brian Klassen, PhD, left, presents Patient Services Representative Laura Castro with the Warrior Care Network®’s Teammate of the Year Award.
Help Others Find Their Road Home
Our journey to provide highly effective, evidence-based mental health care to as many veterans, active-duty service members and military family members as possible is far from over.
Most of our clients are connected to the Road Home Program through word-of-mouth referrals. Help us reach those who could benefit from our services by sharing the QR code on this page, our social media posts or our website, roadhomeprogram.org
By sharing this information, you could change — or save — a life.
Save the Date
Over the past 10 years, the Road Home Program has provided over 162,000 hours of mental health care to veterans, service members and their families free of charge. Your support has been essential in reaching this milestone. We invite you to join us for “10 Years. One Mission.” — an evening of celebration, stories of hope and healing, and a look toward the road ahead.
Wednesday, December 4, 2024, from 5-8 p.m.
The Racquet Club of Chicago 1365 N. Dearborn Parkway, Chicago
Contact Senior Director of Development Michelle Boardman at (312) 942-6884 or michelle_a_boardman@rush.edu for more information.
For 10 years, philanthropic support has enabled the Road Home Program to provide high-quality care to veterans, active-duty service members and their loved ones at no cost to them. Before 2014, this model of care was unheard of.
Your support scales and sustains our philanthropically funded program and makes the care we provide more accessible.
To make a gift, give in honor of a veteran or important person in your life, arrange a tour, or learn more about how you can support veterans, active-duty service members and their loved ones through the Road Home Program, contact:
