Medical College of WisconsinBRAVE program pitches no-cost intensive care for veterans and first responders

Gregory Burke, MD, director of BRAVE at the Medical College of Wisconsin, described an intensive, team-based program to treat traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress for veterans and first responders during the Port Washington Police & Fire Commission meeting Monday.

The BRAVE program, Burke said, provides a three-day comprehensive evaluation followed by a typical three-week intensive outpatient program that combines physical therapy, speech-language pathology, psychiatric care and classroom work. "We have an entire team of clinicians that are there at the time of evaluation and at the time of treatment that work as an interdisciplinary team," Burke said.

Why it matters: Commissioners and audience members emphasized that stigma, logistics and access keep many first responders from seeking care. BRAVE said it covers lodging, meals and other logistical barriers at little or no cost to the participant, bills insurance when possible and accepts out-of-area referrals. That combination is intended to make an intensive, coordinated pathway available to people who otherwise might not follow up on care.

Burke told the commission the program was established about a year ago and focuses on "invisible wounds of service," primarily mild-to-moderate TBIs and post-traumatic stress. He described the program as culturally attuned to military and first-responder life: "About three-quarters of our clinicians are vets or first responders themselves," he said, adding that staff without that background receive cultural training.

Burke outlined the clinical model: an initial, multidisciplinary evaluation; a clinician team meeting to craft a personalized treatment plan; and an intensive outpatient program comprising six to eight hours per day of combined individual therapies and group instruction. Topics include TBI education, trauma coping, sleep hygiene and cognitive rehabilitation. The BRAVE model also offers ongoing follow-up and access to classes and services for at least a year after program completion.

Commissioner Joe (first name only in the record), who introduced Burke, said local leaders want to make Port Washington "the best place for first responders as measured by recruitment, retention, training, skill level, morale, effectiveness, and obviously physical and mental health." Sheriff Christie and representatives from the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Ozaukee attended and asked questions about cost and eligibility.

Burke said the program is open to veterans and first responders from outside the immediate area and that BRAVE will pay for lodging when needed. "We do not charge co-pays," he said, adding the program will bill insurance when available but will still provide care if the participant has no coverage.

Attendees asked how referrals should occur. Burke said referrals can come by email (brave@mcu.edu), phone call or walk-in; BRAVE staff begin relationship-building at first contact and offer case-management support to reduce dropout risk and scheduling barriers.

Commissioners discussed outreach strategies. Burke recommended word-of-mouth and direct department outreach; BRAVE said it can provide leave-behind brochures and conduct department visits or short in-service sessions to explain the program.

The presentation closed with local leaders endorsing BRAVE's work and encouraging Port Washington-area first responders to consider the program. "It's pretty cool," one attendee said after describing a BRAVE graduation they had observed.

The commission did not take any formal vote related to BRAVE during the meeting.