New veterans treatment center opens in Old Town

San Diego, which is home to 36,000 troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, according to KPBS, now has a facility to treat veterans for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other combat-related issues.

The new residential rehabilitation treatment facility, called the Aspire Center, can treat up to 40 men and women at a time and will include both medical and mental health services, occupational therapy, and vocational therapy. The program offers care to patients at an average stay of 60 to 120 days.

“As one of the top destinations for returning post-911 Veterans, we are very pleased to have this center in San Diego to offer support to those Veterans who may need assistance,” VA San Diego Healthcare System Director Jeff Gering said in a press release. “The Aspire Center will help prevent homelessness in this new cohort of Veterans while providing the necessary treatment for combat-related conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury. 

According to the release, the Aspire Center is the only program in the country designated for Veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan and one of five new residential treatment programs that have opened or plan to open in 2014. The other residential treatment locations are Philadelphia, Atlanta, Denver and West Palm Beach (scheduled to open in 2015 – 16). There are already 107 VA residential treatment facilities nationwide.