“It started as an
effort to determine Augusta’s capabilities in wounded warrior care,” said Ott,
who took over as president of the University Health Care Foundation on March
14.
Community leaders
believed Augusta had some unique strengths which put it in a position to
provide an excellent atmosphere for the care of wounded warriors not just
during the treatment of the injuries but as they lived their lives after
treatment.
Augusta’s geographic
location in the Southeast put it at the heart of where a large percentage of
wounded warriors lived. Within Augusta are one-of-a-kind partnerships such as
the one between the Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center and Dwight David
Eisenhower Army Medical Center. Also, the community of Augusta has a strong
partnership with Fort Gordon and provides much support to the service members
and their families. The large medical community, the Fisher House, veterans
groups, the Savannah River Nuclear Laboratory and a strong community-base also
positioned Augusta to help wounded warriors in a special way.
Very soon, it became
clear what wounded warriors really needed.
“They didn’t need more
fragmentation in the government,” she said. “They needed more integration. They
just need what they need when it’s needed.”
Over the past four
years, with the backing of a strong board of directors including former
Congressman Doug Barnard and business executives James Hull, Clay Boardman, the
late Boone Knox, Pete Caye and Jean Roper, and most recently retired Maj. Gen.
Perry Smith, Ott sought to form partnerships with organizations already working
to help wounded warriors.
On a regular basis,
roundtable forums are held to bring together entities such as the Fort Gordon
Garrison, Warrior Transition Battalion, DDEAMC, the VA and Georgia Department
of Labor and numerous others to share ideas and work together to provide that
continuum of care.
Several projects have
come out of the organization’s efforts such as the development of the Veterans
Curation Project, which brought the Army Corps of Engineers into the circle of
partners. The project provides job skills training and reintegration for
service members. It began in October 2009 and received the President’s Council
on Historic Preservation Chairman’s Award in December 2009.
Also, marriage
workshops have been held utilizing a curriculum for at-risk marriages. It
brought together chaplains from DDEAMC as well as the VA and received attention
as a best practice.
Ott and other members
of the community forged an effort to have a second Fisher House built in
Augusta at the VA. She believes an additional Fisher House is needed at Fort
Gordon.
The activities of the
organization brought to light the needs and concerns of veterans to the local
community.
Augusta is one of the
few communities in the nation to have a veterans- only court.
The successes in
Augusta have garnered the city national attention from U.S. Congressmen as well
as military leaders and national media.
Ott said in four short
years a lot has been done, but more needs to be done.
Earlier this month,
she was in Washington, D.C. speaking to the National Association of Counties
about how members’ communities can implement some of the same programs.
“What’s going on in
Augusta is not happening in other communities,” she said. “This is unique, but
it’s the right thing to do.”
And while other
communities may not have as many resources as Augusta does, she encouraged them
there are ways they can implement strategies.
Ott said her
replacement, Jim Lorraine, will be able to take the organization to a higher
level. He starts May 2, and Ott will remain close to the project, serving on
its board.
“He has a vast
knowledge, experience and expertise,” she said.
Lorraine is currently
the director of Special Operations Command Care Coalition in Tampa, Fla. A
retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, he served as special assistant to the
chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Adm. Mike Mullen.
His program is considered
the gold standard in the care of Department of Defense warrior and family
programs.
Charmain Brackett
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