The Defense Department and Veterans Affairs Department established two consortia to research the diagnosis and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder and mild traumatic brain injury over a five-year period, announced the Pentagon. The Consortium to Alleviate PTSD is a collaborative effort between the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, San Antonio Military Medical Center, and Boston VA Medical Center. This group aims to develop strategies “to treat acute PTSD and prevent chronic PTSD,” states the Pentagon’s mid-August release. The Chronic Effects of Neurotrauma Consortium includes Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Md., and the Richmond Medical Center. It seeks to improve diagnostic and treatment options for mTBI and “further the understanding of the relationship between mTBI and neurodegenerative disease,” states the release. The combined investment for these two groups is $107 million, according to the release. This action comes in response to a 2012 Presidential executive order directing federal agencies to develop a coordinated national research action plan for dealing with mental health issues.
U.S. Air Force F-15C Eagles have roared out of Barnes Air National Guard Base, Mass., for the last time. The 104th Fighter Wing’s last three F-15Cs departed the base Oct. 23 for the “Boneyard” at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., ending the aircraft's era on the frontlines of homeland defense.
