This post is part of a series profiling the2014 #SoGood Awardwinners announced at June’sState of Innovation Forum. These worthy winners are companies and individuals who are heavily contributing to social good in Boston and beyond. Read their stories to discover how you can give back this summer.
The Red Sox have given a great deal to the city of Boston. Admittedly, not so much lately, but recent losses cannot erase their immense contribution to the community. No, I’m not talking about Big Papi grand slams or Carlton Fisk home runs. This is more momentous than even World Series Championships.
What could possibly be more important, you ask? Without a doubt, it is theRed Sox Foundation & Massachusetts General Hospital Home Base Program.
Following a Red Sox team visit to Walter Reed Medical Center, team chairman Tom Werner was moved to find a way to give back to these brave warriors wounded by war. Two years later, with the help of Massachusetts General Hospital, the Department of Defense, the US Department of Veterans Affairs, Senator Edward M. Kennedy and others; the Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital Home Base Program launched in fall 2009.
The Home Base Program helps Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and military families heal from the “invisible wounds” of war: Post Traumatic Stress and Traumatic Brain Injury. The program recognizes that our veterans deserve the best possible care, and provides treatment, not only for the body, but also the mind and soul. Home Base offers couples counseling, substance abuse treatment, health and fitness education programs, and much more for veterans and their families.
“We recognize that when one family member serves, the entire family serves,” retired Brigadier General Jack Hammond, Executive Director of the Red Sox Foundation & Massachusetts General Hospital Home Base Program said.
To supplement their service to families, the Home Base Program launched Staying Strong, an initiative to support military families at home and in our school communities.
Since the program launched, Home Base has provided treatment, support, and resources for more than 1,000 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and their family and 85 percent of treated veterans said Home Base had made a difference their lives.
“These wonderful Americans have sacrificed greatly to ensure our collective security; it is now our turn to serve them,” General Hammond added.
It might be a quieter achievement than their wins at Fenway, but the Red Sox support for veterans deserves just as much - if not greater - admiration.
Winner of the 2014 #SoGood Non-Profit Initiative Award, the Home Base Program has ambitious plans to expand their service to vererans. Read on to hear their plans for the the future and how you can get involved to support those who've served our country.
BostInno:What kind of impact has your non-profit had here in Boston and beyond?
General Hammond:We operate the only private sector clinic in New England completely dedicated to providing treatment for these invisible wounds. Through our clinical and education programs, Home Base offers a broad range of services including evidence-based clinical care, couples counseling where one spouse has PTS, substance abuse treatment, stress management, health and fitness education programs, support groups, parenting advice, and outdoor recreational activities to support families. Since the fall of 2009, Home Base has provided treatment and support for more than 1,000 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and their family members – from all over New England. All of this care is provided at no out-of-pocket cost to veterans or families...
[In] October 2012 we launched Staying Strong, an initiative to support military families at home and in our school communities. There are an estimated 13,000 military-connected children in Massachusetts. Staying Strong provides free on line parenting advice for families managing the transition home, and tools for educators, caregivers and community members.
What has been key to your success? What are your sources of support?
Home Base is generously funded through contributions from donors, and the philanthropic partnership of the Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital. The Red Sox Foundation hosts the program’s principal fund raiser, the annual Run to Home Base Presented by New Balance... Home Base is also generously supported in part by Welcome Back Veterans, an initiative of the McCormick Foundation and Major League Baseball.
What do you love most about being a part of The Red Sox Foundation & MGH Home Base Program?
The most rewarding aspect of the Home Base Program is that each day we are able to assist veterans and military families regain the lives they once had. These wonderful Americans have sacrificed greatly to ensure our collective security; it is now our turn to serve them. Nothing could be more rewarding than to have a military mom or spouse come up to you and tell you the care at Home Base saved the life of a Soldier or Marine.
What kind of feedback have you received from the communities you serve?
All of the organizations we work with, including the VA, the National Guard, school communities, health care providers, and other non-profit veteran and family service organizations are extremely supportive of our efforts to help Post 9/11 veterans and their families recover from the invisible wounds of war and get their lives back. Most important is the constant feedback we get from the veterans and family members we see in our clinic. Our patient survey shows that 85 percent of the veterans treated in our clinic said Home Base had made a difference their lives.
What do you envision for the future of the Home Base Program?
The Home Base Program is developing plans to significantly increase the size of our clinical program and create programs that will allow us to treat veterans from anywhere in the United States. Last year, visits to our clinic increased 30 percent, and we expect that upward growth will continue as more Post 9/11 veterans and their family members seek help for these invisible wounds. Our services will continue to expand beyond treatment for post traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury to treatment of other invisible wounds like depression, substance abuse, military sexual trauma. In addition, we expect to provide more education to enable veterans to better manage stress and anxiety in their lives and improve their health and wellness.
The Home Base Program is the first program of its kind in the nation. Is this program acting as a model for other non-profits throughout the nation?
We hope to be a model for other partnerships between academic medical centers like MGH and baseball teams like the Red Sox. We believe that there is a critical need for non VA health care providers to commit to providing care to Post 9/11 veterans and their families. Through Major League Baseball’s Welcome Back Veterans Initiative and the McCormick Foundation we are working closely with other academic medical centers to develop new models to address the invisible wounds of war.
