University of Florida clinic gets $3 million grant for VR treatments – Becker’s Hospital Review

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Gainesville-based University of Florida’s RESTORES clinic received a $3 million grant from the U.S. Defense Department to develop virtual reality technology for treating veterans and emergency services workers, according to NBC News.

The RESTORES clinic has tested VR therapy to help veterans adjust to scenes and sounds of warzones since 2010.

The main objective of the VR therapy techonology is to help veterans and emergency workers  who develop post-traumatic stress disorder.

“This is cutting-edge technology for people in the fire service, police officers and so on. They suffer with PTSD as much as veterans, but there’s no tech out there for them at the moment,” Deborah Beidel, founder and director of the clinic, told NBC.

Initial trials have shown about 66 percent of combat veterans and about 73 percent of first responders no longer meet the clinical definition of PTSD after completing the three-week program, which combines VR with group therapy sessions.

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