When Modie Lavin joined the outreach team at the Road Home Program in 2015, the flagship accelerated brain health program 鈥 formerly known as the Intensive Outpatient Program 鈥 did not yet exist. There were fewer than 20 employees in about half of the program鈥檚 current space, with a steady stream of outpatient activity.
She leveraged her experience launching recreational programs for veterans at the Chicago Park District and her wide network to develop events and activities that complemented Road Home鈥檚 clinical offerings.
鈥淭hey saw my impact in the community and thought I鈥檇 be a good fit,鈥 explained Lavin, who currently serves as senior outreach coordinator for Road Home. 鈥淚 was looking for an opportunity to help veterans and their families on a deeper level.鈥
Around the time Lavin started, U.S. Army veteran Juan Sanchez was receiving outpatient care at Road Home. He returned from the war in Iraq with unprocessed trauma that made it difficult for him to be the father he wanted to be.
When he was ready to process his trauma, Sanchez felt the VA couldn鈥檛 offer him what he needed. Road Home could, first through its outpatient services and then as part of its accelerated treatment pilot 鈥 which was held in the main hospital. At the time, there was no dedicated space for the program.
Despite the care he received, Sanchez spent a lot of his free time alone. Programs like the ones Lavin designed got him out of the house to 鈥済et connected with other veterans鈥 and feel a little less lonely.
鈥淚t鈥檚 people like Modie, a Gold Star Mother, who get us veterans,鈥 Sanchez said. 鈥淲e can be ourselves around them. It鈥檚 beautiful to have people like her in your corner.鈥
Lavin can empathize with veterans鈥 suffering and grief. Her son, U.S. Marines Cpl. Conner T. Lowry, was killed in action in Afghanistan in 2012.
鈥淚 flew out to Camp Pendleton for services and met some of Conner鈥檚 brothers and sisters in arms,鈥 she recalled. 鈥淚 saw very broken service members, and this motherly instinct to help them kicked in.鈥
Like most Road Home staff members, Lavin鈥檚 personal connection to the mission drives her to ensure each client receives the best possible care. This program-wide approach and mentality have informed Road Home鈥檚 comprehensive care model and defined its evolution.
鈥楳ore is not always better鈥
Just 15 years ago, the assumption was that once you had PTSD, it would impact your life so much you couldn鈥檛 function.
Road Home Research Director , has spent the last 10 years chipping away at that belief and transforming how we view, study and address PTSD in the process. With each scientific discovery, services evolved and improved.
For instance, when Road Home piloted a two-week virtual program during COVID, it cut 40 clinical hours from care. On paper, that kind of change might appear as if it would negatively affect outcomes.
Dr. Held and his colleagues discovered quite the opposite.
鈥淲e reduced the amount of care but continued to see the outcomes, such as reduced PTSD symptoms 鈥 which we now know also persist over time,鈥 he said. 鈥淪o not only do you get better in a shorter amount of time, you stay better. More is not always better. What matters is the type of treatment you receive.鈥
As soon as the Road Home transitioned back to in-person care, clinicians implemented the two-week program. Even with this switch, Road Home and its services just keep growing.
More staff, a condensed program, more specialized treatments, telehealth options and consistent outcomes mean Road Home can continue to reach more veterans, active-duty service members and their families, who can expect similar results.
Meanwhile, a streamlined intake process has cut time to care by at least a month, so clients can access the services they need even faster. Even art therapy has scaled up from weekly one-hour sessions attended by a few people to monthly three- to six-hour-long sessions to promote community building and healing.
Lavin, who has watched these changes unfold, is constantly amazed.
鈥淚鈥檓 so impressed with our clinical and research staff鈥檚 willingness to continue to improve upon something that I, from the outside looking in, already thought was perfect,鈥 she said.
Dr. Held and his colleagues know there is room to keep refining and improving Road Home鈥檚 approach to deliver the best possible outcomes for the military community.
鈥淥ne in four veterans does not experience a meaningful reduction in PTSD symptoms,鈥 he said. 鈥淚f we鈥檙e truly a National Center of Excellence, then we need to figure out how to support those individuals and help them feel better and stay better.鈥
Finding purpose and healing
Ten years and more than 50 peer-reviewed publications later, Road Home has shifted the paradigm on how to treat PTSD and changed perceptions of how long it takes for someone to feel better.
鈥淭here鈥檚 no cure for what I have,鈥 Sanchez said. 鈥淩oad Home showed me how I can co-exist with this trauma so I can live my life and not let it define me.鈥
According to Dr. Held, this mindset surrounding PTSD is new. It鈥檚 evolved, in part, because of Road Home鈥檚 ability to evaluate and modify the program in real time 鈥 with meaningful, life-changing effects.
"If you step back, it鈥檚 exciting,鈥 Dr. Held said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e had an impact on the entire field. Even organizations such as the VA are adopting these accelerated treatment models as a direct result of the work we鈥檝e done.鈥
Philanthropy has made the difference, he said. It allows Road Home to provide services at no direct cost to the military community and conduct studies that result in better care, which opens doors for clients to achieve their goals and live healthier lives.
鈥淏ecause of the Road Home Program, I had the opportunity to be a father, which I didn鈥檛 have before because of the trauma,鈥 Sanchez explained. 鈥淎nd even now, when I鈥檓 struggling, Road Home is there. I know I have the tools I need to keep me going.鈥
Lavin has seen these transformations in veterans like Sanchez 鈥 as well as several who served with Conner and received care. Over the years, she has traveled the country raising awareness about Road Home and its programs. She finds purpose and healing in this work. It鈥檚 a way to connect with military families, find peace and honor Conner鈥檚 life.
鈥淚 feel him lift me,鈥 she shared, choking back tears. 鈥淗e was a natural leader, and if he were still alive, he鈥檇 be helping veterans, too.鈥
