The Roskamp Institute in Sarasota is planning to expand its clinic. The clinic is seeing an increasing number of active duty military and veterans.
The institute is showcasing its military-related programs today to give those involved with the military an idea of how their clinic and research works.
Roskamp Institute President Dr. Fiona Crawford said more veterans are showing up at the clinic, looking for help with issues such as Gulf War Illness, post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury.
“We’ve had folks travel to us from as far afield as Miami in order to be seen in our clinic and it seems a bit crazy,” she said. “So, we just want to make sure that folks know that we are here.”
The plan is to expand the clinic in about a year and a half.
In the meantime, the institute is hosting an open house to talk about its research and tell veterans and active duty military they can sign up to be part of clinical trials or research.
Crawford said local veterans will be able to take part in treatments based on the institute’s research. She said veterans with some of these conditions are not receiving the attention they deserve.
“There’s still a lot of stigma associated with some of these conditions and we really want to make sure that our veterans and military are taken care of,” she said.
Crawford hopes to have clinical trials for a Gulf War Illness-related drug at the end of 2015. The institute is applying for funding for the trials through the Department of Defense.
