Department of Psychiatry announces opening of NYU Langone's Military Family Clinic

The Department of Psychiatry is pleased to announce the opening of the Military Family Clinic at NYU Langone Medical Center, the first clinic of its kind in New York City to provide important mental health and clinical services for both returning veterans and their supportive families.

Established in July with a generous $500,000 gift from Robin Hood, NYU Langone's Military Family Clinic was created to fill the gap in mental health care for the 15,000 Afghanistan and Iraq war veterans and their families living in the New York City region. Located at One Park Avenue in Manhattan, the clinic hopes to serve approximately 300 families in its inaugural year, and will target families of economically-disadvantaged veterans to ensure those who are uninsured and under-insured have access to this care.

"We are thrilled the Military Family Clinic will provide service members and their families with the specialized mental health care they deserve for the sacrifices they have made," said Charles Marmar, MD, the Lucius N. Littauer Professor and chair of the Department of Psychiatry. "NYU Langone's commitment to serving veterans and their families is reflected in our longstanding partnership with the Veteran Affairs New York Harbor Healthcare System, our NYU Langone affiliate. Though the Military Family Clinic is not affiliated with the VA, its creation supports the overarching mission of both organizations to help our veterans and their families recover from the reality of military action."

Caring for veterans as part of a family unit is crucial since the health of a veteran's family is the most influential factor in his or her ability to return to a productive life following active duty. Significant data exists on the effects of military deployment on veterans and their families, which include increased rates of domestic violence, child maltreatment, increased rates of depression among military mothers for two weeks following their husbands' deployment, and higher rates of substance abuse among veterans.

Despite these findings, individual mental health treatment for spouses, children, parents, or siblings of veterans is generally not available through the Veterans Administration (VA) healthcare system, and limited marital/couple therapy is offered. Additionally, many veterans are reluctant to participate in the VA healthcare system for fear of it having negative effects on their careers. According to a 2008 study by the VA, 41 percent of eligible veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars have not enrolled in the VA due to a persistent concerns that government access to their medical history will damage their careers, which demonstrates the need for parallel, non-VA mental health services.

"The sad reality is that one in five veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan report a service-related disability or suffer from post-traumatic stress or major depression," said Eric Weingartner, managing director of Robin Hood. "The Military Family Clinic will provide veterans and their families with the family-focused and compassionate treatment they require and deserve. In addition, we expect the Military Family Clinic to become a valuable resource for other organizations within Robin Hood's veterans' initiative, which will benefit even more families." In addition to Dr. Marmar, the clinic is led by Dara Cho, MD, director of the Military Family Clinic and clinical instructor of psychiatry, and Clare Henn-Haase, PsyD, assistant professor, Departments of Psychiatry and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, who have extensive expertise in trauma and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The clinic's leadership team is recognized world-wide for delivering excellence in clinical care to veterans and their families.