The Department of the Army awarded the DC Institute of Technology with the Integrative Pain Clinic contract for the Fort Belvoir Community Hospital. In the first of its kind for the US Army, DCIT personnel provide alternative options to treat chronic pain for our wounded warriors. The clinic is staffed with a Physician Acupuncturist, a Physician's Assistant for Chronic Pain, Registered Nurse for Acute Pain, Registered Nurse for Chronic Pain and Integrative Pain Management and a Licensed Practical Nurse.
This clinic offers multidisciplinary, individualized treatment plan for warriors, retirees, dependents and caregivers for chronic pain ailments without first dispensing pharmaceuticals. The clinic also seek ways to wean current individuals off of current pain medication treatment plans. The staffed positions carry very specific requirements ensuring that the soldiers are getting the absolute best of class treatment. This treatment clinic also interfaces with the Traumatic Brain Injury Clinic already in operation at Fort Belvoir to share information and best practices.
The DC Institute of Technology (DCIT) is an established leader in solutions-based medical staffing as well as IT and logistics staffing. Providing medical staffing solutions and administrative support to the DoD and other Federal Agencies is our core business and comprises 85% of our federal business. Our corporate organization maintains the tools, resources, and processes to recruit, hire and retain highly qualified professionals across multiple geographically dispersed locations.
The DC Institute of Technology has always prided itself on supporting the mission of our armed forces soldiers and civilians. Two contracts awarded to DCIT are examples of our ongoing commitment to helping our wounded warriors.
The DC Institute of Technology also provides Healthcare Professionals to Ireland Army Community Hospital (Ft. Knox, KY). These health care providers include a Neurologist, a licensed practical nurse and a licensed clinical social worker who support the Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Clinic for the U.S. Army Medical Department Activity (USA MEDDAC) at Fort Knox, Kentucky.
TBI is considered the signature injury of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; the Department of Defense has invested millions of dollars to diagnose, treat, rehabilitate, and reintegrate Soldiers into their units if they want to stay on active duty.
IACH Commander Col. Rhonda Earls said that the clinic was developed for Soldiers who experience the blasts of Improvised Explosive Devices - and not just once or twice. "I saw a Soldier who had sustained nine IED blasts in 15 months," Earls said.
Trish Burtoft, a physician assistant, oversees the Tele-A-Nurse program, another part of the TBI clinic. With a large TV screen and telephone link, Burtoft can conduct a consultation with a neurologist at Walter Reed on a patient standing in the TBI clinic.
While the staff will help screen patients and determine their deficits, physicians will treat the symptoms. Because there is so much similarity between TBI and PTSD symptoms, it requires a team to cover all the problems, which affect memory, balance, sleep, and mood. "Nothing is more wonderful than seeing all this happen in one place," Burtoft explained.