Photo By Capt. Michael Thompson | Tina Raziano, center, a liaison with the SHARE Military Initiative at Shepherd Center,...... read more read more
CLAY NATIONAL GUARD CENTER, MARIETTA, Ga. – The 78th Homeland Response Force volunteered to provide a Georgia Guard escort for 12 wounded warriors in the Atlanta St. Patrick’s Day parade. The Shepherd Center helped coordinate service members in the Shaping Hope and Recovery Excellence (SHARE) Initiative and Wounded Warrior Project to participate in the event.
“I think it is very important for our wounded warriors to be recognized in the St. Patrick's Day parade,” said Tina Raziano, who has been coordinating the parade for six years and military liaison for the Shepherd Center SHARE initiative. “Their sacrifice is why we can have such festivities. Moreover, it is very therapeutic for my wounded warriors to be exposed to such large, loud, crowded events in order for them to see how far they have come in treatment. The parade shows my wounded warriors that people still care and that they are not forgotten.”
The Shepherd Center, located in Atlanta, is a private, not-for-profit hospital specializing in medical treatment, research and rehabilitation for people with spinal cord injury and brain injury. Founded in 1975, the Shepherd Center is ranked by U.S. News & World Report as second in Georgia and 10th in the nation for rehabilitation hospitals.
“The Wounded Warrior Project has helped me tremendously through their TRACK program, hiring heroes, and life coaching,” said Spc. Clarence Parker, formerly with the 171st Aviation Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, who suffers from traumatic brain injury and post traumatic stress disorder from injuries received while serving in Iraq. TRACK is a Wounded Warrior Project educational support program that provides vocational rehabilitation and work experience in a variety of settings while maintaining a health and wellness balance to their transition to the civilian workforce.
The SHARE program began in 2008 in order to provide a continuum of rehabilitation care for service members who have sustained a traumatic brain injury or spinal cord injury while serving the U.S. on active duty in Iraq or Afghanistan. Symptoms associated with this type of injury include deficiencies in physical functioning (balance and dizziness), behavioral functioning (irritability and emotional distress) and cognitive functioning (memory, attention and concentration). Since SHARE's inception, the program has served over 450 individuals, from all service branches.
“My job is to make sure that each wounded warrior transitions back in to the community psychiatrically stable,” said Raziano. “I tailor my treatment and follow up therapy to meet the needs of each one of my clients. In turn, I work closely with military bases and veteran administrations throughout the nation in order to insure the highest level of care and advocacy.”
The military patients in the SHARE initiative receive their care at no cost to them or their families. According to Raziano, on average, insurance providers pay only 37 cents of every dollar's cost of care, leaving Shepherd Center to cover the remainder of the costs.
“They took care of me medically and vocationally and helped me reestablish my communications skills,” Sgt. Leonard Goodson, III, who injured his neck and back in Afghanistan. I had to learn how to reconnect with my wife. The Wounded Warrior Project has a lot of programs, retreats, that help the family reintegrate.”
For more information about SHARE, you may contact Tina Raziano, Military Coordinator, at 404-293-4071 or visit http://www.shepherd.org/share. For more information on the Wounded Warrior Project visit http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/.
| Date Taken: | 03.16.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 03.22.2013 17:02 |
| Story ID: | 103979 |
| Location: | ATLANTA, GA, US |
| Web Views: | 213 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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