PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WJAR) — The Providence VA Medical Center has unveiled a new comprehensive wellness center.
It’s called the Integrative and Wellness Center and it’s located on the second floor of the facility.
“Most veterans have said to us, ‘We’ve been waiting for this to happen,'” said Stephanne Proske, patient experience officer at the VA Medical Center and the co-director of the new center, along with Dr. Marjorie Crozier, a psychologist at the medical center. “We will have Tai Chi (and) Qigong. We’ll have yoga. We’ll offer mindfulness meditation (and) monthly workshops on integrative health and nutrition.”
There is also a private room where they’ll offer Reiki, healing touch, and group acupuncture, as well as massage therapy.
The new wellness center came to be after a year of pulling resources together.
“It was reaching out to the community — reaching out to our internal providers and finding out there are a wealth of people who have been doing this for a very long time and have been looking for an opportunity to give back to veterans,” said Proske.
It is meant to be an inviting and healing place.
“There’s some research out there to show a positive outcome with PTSD,” said Proske. “This isn’t about curing anyone’s ailments. I’s not about curing chronic pain, but it’s about improving their functional outcomes in life, improving their quality of life and their outlook on life.”
The Providence location is one of only a handful of VA hospitals offering the center nationally. But the plan is to offer this at all of them down the road.
The center is free to all veterans, but all services are scheduled.
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