Fort Hood's Community Care Unit for wounded, ill Soldiers expands Family bonding

By Ms. Gloria Montgomery (Army Medicine)January 15, 2016

Fort Hood's Community Care Unit for wounded, ill Soldiers expands Family bonding
1 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Command team visits to meet the Soldier's Family are key to a Community Care Unit Soldier's healing and transitioning. From left, Capt. Jonathan Olson, Fort Hood CCU commander; "Charlie"; Sgt. 1st Class Dionne Purley, CCU platoon sergeant; and Debbie... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Fort Hood's Community Care Unit for wounded, ill Soldiers expands Family bonding
2 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Fort Hood's Community Care Unit for wounded, ill Soldiers expands Family bonding
3 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Fort Hood's Community Care Unit for wounded, ill Soldiers expands Family bonding
4 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Fort Hood's Community Care Unit for wounded, ill Soldiers expands Family bonding
5 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

A year ago, Sgt. 1st Class Alexander Mehnert was commuting back and forth from Fort Hood to Grapevine, Texas, every weekend.

It was hard, said the 45-year-old wounded warrior who at the time was assigned to Company B, Warrior Transition Brigade, while receiving medical care for his injured shoulder. But it wasn't about the travel time, but about who he was leaving behind every weekend: his Family.

That all changed in early 2015 when he was offered reassignment to WTB's Community Care Unit (CCU). Now, instead of healing and transitioning 150 miles south of his Family, he would be healing at home with them and his medical care remotely managed.

Recently found fit for duty, the Reservist will soon return to his "citizen-Soldier" life. It is, he said, bitter sweet because he's happy he will be returning to his Reserve unit, but sad because of the things he'll have to give up.

"I love being 'dad' at home and being able to pick up my daughter from school," he said, adding that other dads would give him grief because he usually would be the only dad in the mix of moms. "That's the one thing I'm going to miss when I return to work."

Mehnert credits CCU and its remote concept, which promotes healing at home in a Soldier's community, to his successfully transitioning back into civilian life.

"Before I was assigned to CCU, I was seeing physical therapists on a limited basis," he said. "Being in CCU not only offered me flexibility and more access to community resources, I also was able to heal faster than I would've otherwise."

He also praises CCU for the additional bonus: expanding "Family" time.

"This opened up an opportunity to heal without losing any of Family time," he said, adding how much he missed sharing special times with his Family during his two deployments. "It has given me something back that I didn't have before when I was gone."

To CCU company commander, Capt. Jonathan Olson, remote care is all about the Family.

"It's making good on that promise that when you are serving as a citizen-Soldier in the Guard or the Reserves, you activate for that moment in time, and then you return home to be with your Family," Olson said. "Some of these Soldiers come to us from a demobilization site and then get stuck in a WTU. Now, instead of going back to be with your Family, you're away getting medical care. Make no mistake, you're still getting world-class care, but sometimes it's in the Soldier's better interest to get them home and back in their community where their support is strongest."

According to the Army's Warrior Transition Command, "Soldiers assigned to a CCU primarily use the TRICARE network and heal in their home communities with the support of their Families and communities. They also continue to receive the benefits of a dedicated unit of cadre, triad of leadership, medical treatment facility (MTF) staff and WTU staff. They also are provided access to installation resources to ensure that all Soldiers have the same experience across the program. Soldiers may only be assigned to a CCU if they have non-complex medical cases and meet other criteria with regard to personal risks."

Fort Hood's CCU was activated in 2014 and is one of 11 units on an Army installation.

While assigned to a CCU, the Soldier's medical management team coordinates a "plethora of things."

"We coordinate their primary care management, as well as specialty care," said Maj. Robert Crutchfield, who is CCU's head nurse case manager. "We also hook them up with local community services such as the local Boy's Club where they can swim for free, which helps them in their physical reconditioning."

Crutchfield said working in a CCU is "uniquely, unique."

"We are so unique because here we get to see a Soldier's progression from admission to discharge," he said, adding that his CCU assignment has been his favorite duty station in his 32-year Army career. "You don't see this in any other aspect in the military because you go your own way. Here, we get to see the progression. As a nurse, it has been a very rewarding experience."

He said he particularly enjoys the home visits where the command team will meet with the Soldier and his or her Family in the Soldier's environment. This, he said, increases Family participation in the Soldier's healing.

"Now the spouse has met me and knows me by name," he said, adding that this generally reduces the hesitancy for the spouse to call if there is a problem or a need. "The number one support basis is Family, which is why we do the home visits."

The home visits, according the CCU's 1st Sgt. Sammie Reynolds, also shows the Family that their chain of command hasn't forgot about them.

"You can tell by the expression on their faces that they are happy to see the command team," he said. "Just by being there and talking to them, they know that we genuinely care about what is going on."

Former CCU soldier, Capt. Perry Snyder, said she is grateful for the opportunity to heal in the CCU environment. Injured in Afghanistan in 2014, she said healing wouldn't have been possible if she were in the barracks.

"I needed my Family, both physically and emotionally, to take care of me after my surgeries," the 44-year-old medically retired Soldier said. "Healing at home with my sons and all the professionals in one area have been very beneficial to me."

Crutchfield said the Family is so grateful that their Soldier is home that sometimes it feels like a party.

"They come to us with so much gratitude," he said, adding that this translates into better odds that the Soldier will comply with CCU and military requirements. "We have them in their support system where they want and need to be so they understand that their compliance is key to remaining in the CCU."

"With CCU, they don't have to miss birthdays and other events, so pulling them back into their Family and letting them be a father or a mother is very important to the Soldier," said Staff Sgt. Regina Cunningham, a CCU squad leader. "You also have that spouse who wants that normalcy. They know their Soldier is part of the military, but they don't want their transition or their medical side to affect the Family," adding that it really makes a difference in a Soldier's morale if he or she is healing and transitioning with their Family.

For Sergeant 1st ClassMehnert, the CCU has given him time to be with his Family and the time to transition back into the force.

"I am insanely grateful for this program and am blessed to have this opportunity to heal physically and emotionally and just to be able to be around my Family," the civilian radiologist. Being home working on healing allowed me to take my kids to school, pick them up and go on field trips with them. When I go back to work, I know I won't have that same experience. Coming over to the CCU was the best decision I could have made. It has been nothing, but a positive experience. Never once did I ever hear my command team say no. They supported me 100 percent in my healing and transitioning."

Related Links:

Army Community Care Units

Warrior Transition Command