Warriors Heart Virginia Soft Opening on 9/11/23 Announces New Peer-to-Peer Healing Center

On September 11, 2023, Warriors Heart announced the Soft Opening of Warriors Heart Virginia as their second U.S. healing center exclusively for warriors.

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA, UNITED STATES, September 28, 2023 /EINPresswire.com/ -- During a special ceremony, Warriors Heart announced the Soft Opening of Warriors Heart Virginia on September 11, 2023, as their second U.S. location. As the #1 warrior healing center in the United States, Warriors Heart provides a unique peer-to-peer residential treatment program exclusively for military, veterans and first responders struggling with addiction, PTSD and co-occurring issues. Along with being in Bandera, Texas (near San Antonio), this new east coast location is in Milford, Virginia, in-between Washington D.C. and Richmond.

This soft opening ceremony included the Warriors Heart Founders (CEO/Founder Josh Lannon, Former Law Enforcement Officer/Founder Lisa Lannon, Former Special Operations/Founder Tom Spooner and Founder Laurie Spooner), new Warriors Heart Virginia Executive Director Mike Marotta, VIP Guests, employees, alumni, veterans, first responders, community members, loved ones, The Wolf Creek Indian Tribe with Chief Terry Price, and K9 friends.

VIP Guest presenters included Commissioner Daniel M. Gade and Commissioner Nelson Smith, along with attendance by Tom Crabbs (Military Liaison, Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs, Office of the Governor, Commonwealth of Virginia), who supported bringing Warriors Heart to Virginia.

Colonel, U.S. Army, Retired and Chief Strategic Officer, Warriors Heart Angel Lugo kicked off the presentations by introducing the four Warriors Heart Founders, who expressed deep gratitude and reflections on this milestone.

CEO/Founder Josh Lannon explained, “Based on the tremendous demand for our services at Warriors Heart in Texas (2500 have gone through the program), we started looking for a second location. We were invited two years ago to come to Virginia, and answered the call. We’re here to support our warriors, and Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin’s Right Help Right Now behavioral health care plan. We know what it's like to walk in that front door, scared to death. We know what it's like to be at home not knowing if your loved one is coming home alive or dead. We love you, and we're in this together, we are protectors.”

Warriors Heart Founder/President and U.S. Army Veteran Tom Spooner reflected based on 21 years of service and 12 deployments by sharing, “Today is a special day of remembrance, and a special day for us with this new beginning. Our military, veterans and first responders answered the call to fight the global war on terror on 9/11. And when many came home from combat, they struggled resulting in unacceptable suicide rate averages of 22 veterans and 17 first responders per day. Warriors Heart is here to help ‘bring them home’ and rebuild their lives.”

Former Law Enforcement Officer and Warriors Heart Founder Lisa Lannon added, “We're glad to be in this rural community doing what we do best, and healing those suffering from addiction, PTS and all the other conditions that go with dealing on the front lines. When we found this ranch, and walked through the property, we knew this was the right place for Warriors Heart’s second location….And this ground is very, very sacred to us, and we're honored to continue to do the good work here.”

VIP Guest and Virginia Department of Veterans Services Commissioner Daniel M. Gade then spoke. Gade served in the U.S. Army for 25 years, and graduated from West Point. Gade was commissioned as an Armor Officer, and was wounded in action twice in Iraq while serving as a tank company commander. Gade emphasized, “I'll sing your praises….I have tons of resources. I have tons of authority, lots of people that work for me, and have large budget, but what I don't have is enough partners. What I don't have is enough people who are reaching into the community and doing the hard work of being the hands and feet of the community providing for our veterans. And so I consider you to be partners. I consider you to be teammates as we go forward and serve Virginia's 750,000 veterans and warriors across the nation. I'm just really proud of you. I'm proud of this launch. And I'm grateful for all of you who have served and are serving now. Thank you for your service, especially on 9/11.”

Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services Commissioner Nelson Smith spoke next. Smith is a U.S. Army Veteran, 5th Special Forces Group, where he received numerous awards and accolades for his outstanding leadership and courage, including the Purple Heart, four Bronze Star Medals, one including the “V” device for Valor, and the Green Beret. Smith added, “I echo Commissioner Gade and his statement, and want to yell it from the rooftops. You're doing things here that are tremendous... So thank you.”

Warriors Heart Virginia Executive Director, USAF Veteran and retired Law Enforcement Officer, Mike Marotta then expressed gratitude to everyone and his team for getting the new facility ready to accept clients. Marotta emphasized, “With all the excitement around this momentous occasion, my heart also weighs heavy thinking about the sacrifice so many of our first responders and military members made on that fateful day 22 years ago…My heart weighs heavy as I think about the families who are so deeply affected by 9/11 and continue to shoulder that burden today. Finally, I have to acknowledge a tremendous weight of service carried by our nation's warriors. Our nation's military and first responder communities need a solution today. We celebrate that solution today. We change the storyline today, we change the narrative. Today we offer hope, healing, and possibilities.”

Towards the end of the program, a special Native American dance and song was performed by The Wolf Creek Indian Tribe with their Chief Terry Price.

The ceremony concluded with the four founders officially announcing Warriors Heart Virginia’s Soft Opening, followed by cheers and a reception with refreshments made by their in-house Chef in chow hall.

Along with Detox, the new Warriors Heart Virginia’s 42-day residential treatment is a 60-bed facility based on Warriors Heart’s proven training program approach and peer-to-peer healing at their first location in Texas. It’s a holistic healing center, where clients regularly participate in individual and group therapy, and have the choice of electives (fishing at the lake, gym, hiking trails, K9 center, art studio, wood shop and more).

In addition, Warriors Heart Virginia is a community care provider with the Veterans Affairs, and will continue to look for ways to support local organizations and businesses.

WEBSITE - Warriors Heart Virginia
https://www.warriorsheart.com/virginia

MEDIA CONTACT
Liz Kelly, 310-987-7207

ABOUT WARRIORS HEART (Bandera, Texas near San Antonio and now Milford, Virginia) is the first and only private and accredited treatment program in the U.S. exclusively for “warriors” (active duty military, veterans, first responders and EMTs/paramedics) faced with the self-medicating struggles of alcohol addiction, prescription and drug addiction, PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), mild TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) and other co-occurring issues. Warriors Heart has a private, 100-bed facility on a 543-acre ranch in Bandera, Texas and now a 60-bed facility on a 520-acre ranch in Milford, Virginia. Along with a minimum 42-day peer-to-peer residential treatment program, Warriors Heart offers a full continuum of care. Warriors are given the option of Detox, Residential Treatment (inpatient), Day Treatment, Outpatient (IOP), Sober Living, MeRT (brain treatment) and Aftercare. Warriors Heart’s work has been featured on the TODAY Show, CBS Health Watch, A&E Intervention, FOX 5 DC, NBC 12 Richmond, CBS KENS5 San Antonio, FOX 11 Los Angeles, National Defense Radio Show and in TIME, Forbes, The Chicago Tribune, Addiction Pro magazine, Stars and Stripes, and many more. There is a 24-hour Warriors Heart hotline (844-448-2567) answered by warriors. https://warriorsheart.com

Liz Kelly
Goody PR
+1 310-987-7207
email us here

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