More than 3,000 people, including wounded and recovering military service men and women and their families, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff Gen. Peter Pace, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Sen. John McCain, took part in the dedication ceremony for The Center for the Intrepid – a $50 million, 60,000 sq. ft., state-of-the-art physical rehabilitation center – and two new Fisher Houses, 21-room residences for hospitalized soldiers’ families. The facility will provide treatment that is available nowhere else in the world and is based on best practices, technology and facilities around the world.
The program also featured a performance by singer John Mellencamp, and a military fly-over. Other special guests included Denzel Washington, Rosie O’Donnell, Cher, Michelle Pfeiffer and country music group Big & Rich.
“This facility will not only serve military personnel injured in Iraq and Afghanistan, but all veterans injured in prior conflicts and service members critically injured in non-combat operations,” said Bill White, president of the Intrepid Foundation. “To date, more than 18,000 men and women have been wounded in operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. Their future quality of life, their ability to care for themselves and provide for their families, and their survival depends on the treatment, rehabilitation and advanced training skills they receive following their injury.”
The Center for the Intrepid is distinguishable by the number of rehabilitation programs located under one roof, enabling a more comprehensive care approach. Many of the next-generation treatment and rehabilitation environments were conceptualized and designed based on direct input from specialists in amputee care, and the patients themselves.
“The Center for the Intrepid will provide for the critical needs of America’s most severely wounded and disabled military personnel, giving them the best opportunity to regain their ability to live and work productively,” said Clinton. “Our nation owes a debt of gratitude to these men and women who have volunteered to defend our country, and their sacrifice demands that their care and rehabilitation be given the highest priority.”
“I am proud to be part of this wonderful initiative to help our severely wounded service personnel. I am equally inspired by the thousands of Americans who have stepped forward to help our wounded troops and veterans,” said McCain. “I am aware of the tremendous challenges facing the young men and women who have been injured in our nation’s service. This facility will go far in providing them the ability to meet those challenges.”
The project was made possible by the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, which provides assistance to military heroes who have been critically injured in the performance of duty and their families, and the Fisher House Foundation. The Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund has raised more than $90 million for military families, including the center, which is also known as the Armed Forces Physical Rehabilitation Center. The Fisher Houses, of which there are more than 35 around the country and in Germany, provide temporary nearby housing for families of military personnel undergoing surgery and intensive rehabilitation.
“The Center for the Intrepid is a wonderful example of Americans giving back to the men and women who serve our country,” said Arnold Fisher, chairman of the board of the Intrepid Museum Foundation. “They deserve the best and we are thrilled that here they will get the best in care, in physical rehabilitation, in prosthetics. We owe them nothing less.”
Also opening were two 21-bed Fisher Houses, designed as homes away from home for families of patients receiving medical care at major military and VA medical centers. The homes are normally located within walking distance of the treatment facility or have transportation available. There are more than 35 Fisher Houses located on 18 military installations and eight VA medical centers around the country and in Germany.
“This facility will bring the highest level of care to our wounded warriors, helping them to regain the greatest possible capability and mobility. We sincerely thank all who have given something to make it possible,” said deputy secretary of defense, Gordon England.
The Center for the Intrepid and the Fisher Houses are designed to co-exist in a “village concept” around a common courtyard on the 5-acre site. One of the facility’s key areas, the rehabilitation training and exercise center, includes a cantilevered running track, a treadwall and 21-foot climbing tower with auto-belay, custom-designed elevating parallel bars and other advanced equipment to promote strength, balance, agility and aerobic conditioning. A state-of-the-art gait laboratory is fitted with 24 cameras on an automated truss, which use infrared light to analyze human motion, with particular emphasis on amputee gait.
Adjacent to the gait lab is the Computer Assisted Rehabilitation Environment, a 21-foot simulator dome with a 300° screen upon which a variety of virtual realities are displayed. The system, which was researched in its development stages in Israel, uses a moving platform and high-speed infrared cameras to immerse patients in a fully reactive virtual and physical environment. Patients use atrophied muscles and relearn skills necessary to do everything from walking on different terrains to driving a car. This system is the first of its kind in the United States.
In the prosthetic facility, prosthetists and technicians will provide state-of-the-art, on-site fabrication of prostheses using computer-assisted technology. A natatorium contains a six-lane pool for running activities, kayaking, water basketball and volleyball and swimming. Also located here is the Flowrider, a unique indoor wave pool used to improve balance, coordination, strength, motivation and confidence.
A variety of comprehensive support spaces will help patients and their families maximize their potential for recovery, including social services, case management and behavioral medicine.
