Road Home Program: The Podcast

What is Military Sexual Trauma (MST) and how does it impact my life? In this episode, Outreach Coordinator Ashton Kroner leads a discussion with Dr. Vanessa Tirone, Dr. Jocelyn Kressler, and MeeSoh Bossard, LCSW, to better understand sexual assault, PTSD, and the MST treatment options available to veterans.

It’s been 30 years since Operation Desert Shield (the operations leading to the buildup of troops and defense of Saudi Arabia) and Operation Desert Storm (the combat phase). The brief conflict played a role in the dissolution of the former Soviet Union and prompted a “revolution in military affairs” response among world powers.

Road Home team members Will Beiersdorf (Executive Director), Chris Miller (Community Outreach Coordinator), Ramon Prieto (Outreach Coordinator) and Mark Schimmelpfennig (Chaplain) share their deployment experiences during that time and what’s happened since.

Outreach Coordinator Ramon Prieto, a 26-year Army career veteran, shares why he's actively working in his community to build relationships and close the gap between the veteran-military community and our fellow citizens.

Veterans can experience damage to mind, body and spirit. Mark "Chaps" Schimmelpfennig was a soldier before he went to seminary. He relates how his military service and his current role as Staff Chaplain of the Road Home Program directly helps with recovery and moral injury repair.

Veteran and Road Home Program Outreach Coordinator Ashton Kroner shares why the Marines' classic 'lava monster' commercial sparked her interest in joining the Marines, and how the skills she picked up on recruiting duty help her today in finding veterans in need of PTSD treatment.

Dr. Mark Pollack, former Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Rush University Medical Center, helped establish the Road Home Program. He shares with Will Beiersdorf, Road Home’s Executive Director, how a visit by the World-Series-winning Boston Red Sox to the White House inspired an idea to help veterans dealing with PTSD.

Marine Corps veteran Eric Schuda and his wife Bridget share the journey that led them to the Road Home Program. Eric graduated from the Intensive Outpatient Program in 2019.

What makes the Road Home Program at Rush unique among organizations helping veterans? Road Home’s Executive Director Will Beiersdorf and Outreach Coordinator Chris Miller discuss the mission to care for veterans and family members dealing with the invisible wounds of war.