OCTOBER 1, 2020 – Starting Thursday, the Army Recovery Care Program will be in full swing following its initial restructure over the summer, an Army medical official said Monday.
The program aims to better serve the needs of individual Soldiers by using a “single-entry criteria,” said Col. Curtis Douglass, deputy chief of staff of the program, which falls under U.S. Army Medical Command. The revised criteria was developed to streamline program resources that are focused on Soldiers who require complex case management.
Around the Army, Warrior Transition Units were renamed to Soldier Recovery Units, or SRUs, during reflagging ceremonies. Some were held in the spring, others in the summer. Some were livestreamed on social media, but all had the same purpose: signal the renaming of the SRUs.
Although the name has changed, the mission to provide quality complex case management to the Army’s wounded, ill, and injured Soldiers continues, Douglass said.
“It has taken nearly two years, and an extraordinary amount of collaboration with Army Medical Command, the Regional Health Commands, the National Guard Bureau, the U.S. Army Reserve Command and many other stakeholders to reach this critical milestone,” he said.
The new SRUs are organized into three tracks centered on Soldiers’ specific recovery phases: complex care, veteran track, and return to duty.
Although SRUs closely resemble “a line Army unit,” Douglass said, each is staffed with professional cadre and integrated processes that build on unit cohesion and teamwork. “The singular mission is to provide comprehensive case management that [assists] healing and transition” of individual Soldiers, he added.
The SRUs will consist of a medical provider, a nurse case manager, and a squad leader who will direct and supervise the individual recovery process. To date, more than 80,000 Soldiers have participated in the program.
This restructure is a total force solution to provide resources to all Soldiers with complex case management needs, regardless of their component, he said. In most cases, Soldiers will be assigned to the SRU installation closest to their duty location or home of record.
“I am truly excited about the new track system, because it allows us to meet each Soldier’s specific needs,” Douglass said.
“The motivation behind this effort was [taking care of] the wounded, ill or injured Soldier,” he added. “The result means that Soldiers who are most in need can be sure that they will receive the full spectrum of resources that the Army Recovery Care Program offers.”
By Thomas Brading, Army News Service