PHILADELPHIA – U.S. Military veterans and their families living in the Philadelphia area have new access to free, easily accessible, and comprehensive mental health care through an innovative partnership between the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and The Cohen Veterans Network. The Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at the University of Pennsylvania, which began accepting patients on Sept. 6, 2016, is the first clinic of its kind in the region and is part of a $275 million overall commitment from Steven A. Cohen to support mental health services for veterans and their families.
“We are honored to open the Cohen Military Family clinic here at Penn,” said Amy Gutmann, president of the University of Pennsylvania. “Penn has a long history of supporting veterans through education and community initiatives. This new clinic will continue that tradition while also supporting efforts in the Philadelphia region to provide the men, women, and their families who have bravely served our country with essential mental health services.”
The Cohen Military Family Clinic at Penn is part of the Cohen Veterans Network’s national efforts to provide access to evidence-based, customized outpatient care to veterans and their families in order to treat a variety of mental health issues including depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, adjustment issue, anger, grief and loss, family issues, and children’s behavioral problems. In addition to mental health services, the clinic will also offer support related to unemployment, housing, finance and education and will provide resources such as transportation assistance and child care to its patients.
“Since 2002 almost 2 million U.S. Military personnel have become veterans with approximately 58 percent experiencing mental health issues,” said David W. Oslin, MD, executive director of the Cohen Military Family Clinic at Penn. “This clinic will help break down barriers, such as stigma and accessibility that prevent many veterans and their families from seeking the mental health care they need to lead healthy and productive lives once they have left active duty.”
| WHAT: |
Grand Opening of the Steven. A Cohen Military Family Clinic at the University of Pennsylvania |
| WHERE: |
3535 Market Street
Conference Room B (16th Floor)
Philadelphia, PA 19104 |
WHEN: |
Oct. 14, 2016, 10 a.m. |
WHO: |
- J. Larry Jameson, MD, PhD, executive vice president, University of Pennsylvania Health System, and dean of the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
- David W. Oslin, MD, executive director, Military Family Clinic at Penn and chief of Behavioral Health at The Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center
- Anthony Hassan, EdD, LCSW, president and CEO of the Cohen Veterans Network
- Kyle White, former United States Army soldier, Medal of Honor recipient, and Cohen Veterans Network spokesperson
- Ryan Pitts, former United States Army soldier, Medal of Honor recipient and Cohen Veterans Network spokesperson
- Leah Blain, PhD, clinic director of the Military Family Clinic at Penn
- Ralph Muller, CEO, University of Pennsylvania Health System
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*Kyle White, Ryan Pitts, Anthony Hassan, David Oslin, MD, and Leah Blain, PhD will be available for media interviews after the panel discussion
Penn Medicine is one of the world’s leading academic medical centers, dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, excellence in patient care, and community service. The organization consists of the University of Pennsylvania Health System and Penn’s Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine, founded in 1765 as the nation’s first medical school.
The Perelman School of Medicine is consistently among the nation's top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $550 million awarded in the 2022 fiscal year. Home to a proud history of “firsts” in medicine, Penn Medicine teams have pioneered discoveries and innovations that have shaped modern medicine, including recent breakthroughs such as CAR T cell therapy for cancer and the mRNA technology used in COVID-19 vaccines.
The University of Pennsylvania Health System’s patient care facilities stretch from the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania to the New Jersey shore. These include the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, Chester County Hospital, Lancaster General Health, Penn Medicine Princeton Health, and Pennsylvania Hospital—the nation’s first hospital, founded in 1751. Additional facilities and enterprises include Good Shepherd Penn Partners, Penn Medicine at Home, Lancaster Behavioral Health Hospital, and Princeton House Behavioral Health, among others.
Penn Medicine is an $11.1 billion enterprise powered by more than 49,000 talented faculty and staff.