New PTSD Clinic to Enhance Veteran Care

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – More than two years after construction began in November 2010, a new post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) clinic for veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars is scheduled to debut this spring at the Memphis Veterans’ Administration Medical Center in Tennessee.

Tupelo, Miss.-based JBHM Architects designed the facility so that the patients, who will be seeking treatment for emotional stress, can feel comfortable in a setting that doesn’t resemble a hospital. John McBride, architect with JBHM, describes the PTSD clinic as “like a hotel. There are five bedrooms; there’s a dayroom that has the entertainment area and kitchen. Then, there’s the clinical area with group therapy rooms, a consult room and a visitors’ area. There’s also a recreational and outdoor deck area.”

The about 8,000-square-foot facility was built on top of an existing building at the hospital, with design elements to make the patients feel at home. “These patients are emotionally stressed, and the idea is that this area of the hospital wouldn’t appear hospital like. There are some things we couldn’t get away with, but we wanted to make it as homelike as possible,” McBride said. “It has more of a residential wood look and hotel-type finishes, plus high ceilings, which is unusual for a VA facility. [The medical center] gave us some leeway in that sense.”

Another key design element is the use of natural light in the dayroom space, a large open lounge used for group therapy, activities and relaxation. McBride predicts that this space is where patients will spend most of their time. Two 36-foot by 5-foot glass walls, each located on the eastern and western sides of the building, let in an abundance of natural light, which several studies say help shorten patients’ recovery times.

The original design featured walls with static glass, but the large expanses of windows would invite significant glare and solar heat issues. Motorized shades could have provided a solution to block the sun during problematic times of the day, but the cost and loss of natural lighting deterred McBride from that decision.

“I didn’t want motorized blinds or something that would collect dust, and I just happened to run across this product that would electronically tint the glass, protecting the space from direct sunlight early in the morning and in the evening,” McBride said. “We sold the hospital on it, and they were happy with it.”

Through the use of SageGlass electronically tintable dynamic glass the windows can be tinted or cleared to maximize daylighting. The product manages the sunlight and heat that enters a building, which can improve people’s comfort and reduces the building’s cooling load by up to 20 percent.

The new facility will help several service members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan who suffer from PTSD. The Memphis VA Medical Center has developed a special team called the Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn Team to support veterans in the clinic who served in these campaigns. Most of the patients will be at the clinic for six-week intervals. Whilst this new facility will be extremely beneficial for those suffering from PTSD in the local area, people who don’t live near the facility will continue to struggle with their PTSD. Hopefully, a center like this will open in more areas soon, but for now, there are some coping methods that could be used. For PTSD sufferers struggling with anxiety and stress, they could look into the relieving effects offered by marijuana (like the options seen if you Click here). This substance can be taken in many forms, be they edibles, vapes, or as the oil form that can be taken orally. Additionally, it can be smoked in multiple different ways, however, a homemade pipe might be the easiest way to smoke it. It might be a good idea for these people to follow fat buddhas guide to making a homemade pipe as it can be difficult for first-time users. Once the pipe is made, PTSD sufferers should begin to feel more relaxed. With the right pipe, those that struggle with PTSD should make sure they get the right strain of cannabis to help them manage their stress and anxiety. Websites like Bud Express Now (get more info) provide a wide variety of strains that can help to treat a range of issues associated with PTSD. The strains of cannabis can be best enjoyed using vaping devices that helps stabilizes the burning sensation in the throat. One such device is the Volcano vaporizer. It not only reduces the effects of throat irritation, the vaporizer has a rotatable tube system that calculates precisely how much vapor can be inhaled safely. In fact, the latter method tends to be more beneficial. However, there are many other treatments available too.

The Memphis VA Medical Center opened in 1922 and serves more than 196,000 veterans living in a 53-county area of western Tennessee, northern Mississippi and northwest Arkansas. In addition to the center’s services, there are 10 community-based outpatient clinics available for veterans to also seek care.