CRCC - COMPREHENSIVE WARRIOR CARE" MARCH 31, 2011

Concussion Restoration Care Center

Premier Issue!! In this Issue

Below, the Staff of the CRCC
• Letter from the OIC

• Mission Statement

• What does the CRCC do?

• Where We’re Headed

• Stories from our Heroes

• By the Numbers - CRCC

data

At le! - the staff of CRCC

Back Row:
LCDR Ditto, CDR LaBrie

Front Row:
HM3 Woodberry, LCDR Clark, CDR
Sams, CDR Frantz, HN Tissier, CAPT
Schauer, HA Garcia, HN Roach, HM1
McGee, LT Norris

LETTER FROM THE OIC

Hello all,
My name is Earl Frantz and I am a Sports The one thing that stands out to everyone who
Medicine and Family Medicine Physician. I am works here is the uncommon bravery and valor of the
currently an Independent Augmentee as the Officer patients we are blessed to serve. Thus there will be a
in Charge of the Concussion Restoration Care story or two about these real American heroes. This
Center here at Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan. promises to be a special, unique and rewarding
deployment for all of us, and I look forward to
working and growing with each and every one of you.
The purpose of this news letter is to do a
monthly update on what we are doing out here.
Since this is the first news letter, I will give an outline CDR Earl Frantz, DO, USN
of our staff and our mission. Every month we will
give updates and new events happening, including
results of our data collection, so you, can see in real
time the fruits of our labor.

" PAGE 1
 CRCC - COMPREHENSIVE WARRIOR CARE" MARCH 31, 2011

WHAT DOES THE CRCC DO?

The CRCC gives the best possible care to underlying mood disorders, as well as developing
our marines, sailors, and ISAF counterparts and coping and healing activities using group therapy
returns them to duty in the most efficient, safe sessions, sleep hygiene education, and cognitive
manner. This includes: behavior therapy
• Concussion Care The OT/PT work in tandem with our team
providing vestibular rehabilitation for concussed
• Sports Medicine
patients as well as customized splinting for
• Family Medicine upper extremity injuries. Physical Therapy
• Mental Health provides evaluations for co-morbid
musculoskeletal conditions associated with
• Physical Therapy concussion, like cervical neck strain.
• Occupation Therapy The staff corpsman help bring all this
• Manipulation together providing first line contact with our
warriors and directly assisting the providers in
• Acupuncture check-in, assessment, evaluation, testing, and
We provide our warriors with current follow up.
evidence-based care like ANAM testing, WHERE ARE WE HEADED?
occupational and physical therapies,
psychological evaluations and awareness training The CRCC is a proof of concept of
on things like sleep hygiene, acupuncture, specialized care in the field and is observing
counseling, home exercise based programs, and trends that may mold and shape the way we do
education all geared toward returning that business in the future.
warrior to duty as soon as possible in the safest We are compiling an extensive amount of
manner . data on ALL concussed patients (over 160
Our Family and Sports Medicine physicians metrics) so we may answer critical questions on
the recovery and prognosis of our wounded
are the foundation of the group utilizing a
warriors; for example, can we identify high risk
holistic approach. They identify any outliers
with co morbid conditions and treat accordingly. patients and place them in a low risk MOS?
Our Sports Medicine Docs also offer non A dedicated research psychologist assigned
operative muscle skeletal care. They also from the in-theater research team is currently
conduct trend analysis and research which will leading the effort in this data collection and
shape the future by establishing new protocols. analysis.
These physicians spearhead training in the The CRCC is developing an extended care
management of concussion and heat injury for facility to house concussed warriors, providing
other providers in theater. an ideal living environment in the field to
Our Mental Health specialists work with the maximize their recovery and return to full duty.
warriors to identify early PTSD and/or

CHAIN OF COMMAND
The CRCC is led by CDR Earl Frantz, MC, USN under CDR Christensen, MSC, USN,
CO Alpha Surgical Co. The CRCC is located near 2nd Maintenance BN, CLR-25 in the 2nd
MLG Compound, Camp Leatherneck.

" PAGE 2
 CRCC - COMPREHENSIVE WARRIOR CARE" MARCH 31, 2011

STORIES FROM OUR the room to be re-assessed. precedence to his well being.
HEROES Within moments he found He dutifully completed our
Semper Fidelis! We are himself and his superiors concussive exercise stress
very fortunate to work in the thrust to the ground test, declared he was
CRCC where we see this secondary to a blast. Despite symptom free and
uncommon virtue embodied suffering shrapnel wounds respectfully asked to be
in our patients on a daily and symptoms of a discharged from the clinic.
basis. We typically see young concussion, he took charge of Those of us who spend
enlisted Marines in our clinic the situation, directed the our days ‘behind the wire’
who have suffered a MedEvac of injured stand in awe of such loyalty “Loyalty to his
concussion from an IED personnel and attended to in the face of personal
the loss of one of his NCO’s. men took
blast while convoying in an danger. Our Marines live and
MRAP or while dismounted Ultimately he was breathe the virtue of Semper precedence to
on foot patrol. We recently MedEvaced to the hospital Fidelis. We consider ourselves his well-being.”
had an infantry Company for his shrapnel wounds and blessed to care for the few
Commander, a Marine concussive symptoms, then and the proud.
Captain whisk through our seen in our clinic the
clinic. Less than 24 hours following day. His one and
prior to presenting he was only concern was getting - CDR Richard “Rick”
with other senior leaders back to his men who needed Sams, MC, USN
assessing a compound taken him in this dire hour. If he
in a battle with the Taliban. was experiencing any
He noted evidence of a lingering symptoms, it’s
possible IED and ordered doubtful he would tell us –
loyalty to his men took

SPOTLIGHT- and concern. Gunshot

PHYSICAL THERAPY
The CRCC Physical
Therapist provides
musculoskeletal evaluation
and condition education
including realistic
expectations for return to
duty for both patients and
their chain of command.
Specific treatment plans
are designed to address
injuries while appropriately
stressing healing tissues to
allow a more rapid return
and maximizing physical
function.
Injuries sustained due to
IED exposure are evaluated
and appropriately addressed
which eases apprehension
wounds and shrapnel injuries
are closely managed to
maximize functional
outcome.
In-theater management
allows rapid evaluation,
rehabilitation, and return to “In-country management
full operational duties.
allows rapid evaluation,
Typical sports injuries are
rehabilitation, return to full
evaluated and managed in
operational duties and unit
close proximity to the unit.
This practice retains the reintegration.”
fighting force in country,
minimizes downtime, and
facilitate return to full
function.
- CDR Shane Vath, MSC,
USN

" PAGE 3
 CRCC - COMPREHENSIVE WARRIOR CARE" MARCH 31, 2011

BY THE NUMBERS - WHAT " Since the the inception of Mailing Address
WE’VE ACCOMPLISHED CRCC in August of 2010, more CRCC
warriors have returned to their 2nd MAINT BN FWD
units following injuries. The
The CRCC has been ATTN: SURG CO
collecting data from before Aug graph below illustrates the UNIT 73615
CRCC’s effectiveness in
30th 2010, reflecting the work FPO AE 09510-3615
preventing MedEvac for
and success of our team.
treatable conditions out of
To date, 1533 of 1569 theater. DSN Phone:
patients seen have been 318-357-2755
returned to full duty (RTFD), a " Through the data, you can
see the positive impact of the
97.7% retention rate! We’re on Sharepoint!
CRCC’s services to the warriors
Other services are equally and the benefit to sustained In the RC(SW) homepage
impressive: operations. - search CRCC

Muscle/Skeletal
794/801 = 99% RTFD THE CRCC TEAM
Mental Health
103/108 = 95% RTFD • CDR Earl Frantz - Officer in
Charge, Sports Medicine and
Concussion: Family Medicine Physician
378/406 = 93% RTFD • CAPT Judy Schauer - Sports
Medicine and Family Medicine
Physician
• CDR Richard Sams - Family
Medicine Physician
• CDR Walter LaBrie - Clinical
Psychologist
• LCDR Daniel Clark - Clinical
Manager,
• CDR Shane “Seth” Vath -
Physical Therapist
• LCDR Kathleen Ditto -
Occupational Therapist
• LT Michael Okasinski -
Psychiatrist
• HM1 Jason McGee- Leading
Petty Officer
• HM3 Brian Woodberry -
General Duty Corpsmen
• HM3 John Tissier - General
Duty Corpsmen
• HM Stephen Roach - General
Duty Corpsmen
• HA Josiah Garcia - General
Duty Corpsmen

" PAGE 4