The George W. Bush Institute’s Veteran Wellness Alliance is a coalition of veteran peer-to-peer networks and best-in-class mental and brain health care providers who connect veterans, service members, their families, caretakers, and survivors to high-quality care for their invisible wounds.
Q&A with Clare Suomi, Buddy Program and Outreach Coordinator
Meet the Veteran Wellness Alliance: UCLA Health Operation Mend
The George W. Bush Institute’s Veteran Wellness Alliance is a coalition of veteran peer-to-peer networks and best-in-class mental and brain health care providers who connect veterans, service members, their families, caretakers, and survivors to high-quality care for their invisible wounds.
Operation Mend was founded in 2007 as a partnership between UCLA Health and the U.S. military. How did that collaboration come about, and how has the partnership evolved?
The partnership began when Ron Katz, his daughter-in-law Dana Katz, and family friend David Kelly, toured the burn ward at Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) in San Antonio, Texas. They were moved by the needs of severely injured service members at the burn ward and helped initiate conversations about how UCLA Health could contribute.
During the first year, UCLA Health, plastic surgeons, and medical burn surgeons from BAMC worked together to consult on cases and provide reciprocal training to surgical teams.
This early collaboration evolved into Operation Mend, a longstanding partnership dedicated to providing world-class surgical, medical, and psychological care to wounded service members and veterans.
Please tell us about Operation Mend’s Buddy Program and how it supplements the overall mission of Operation Mend?
Operation Mend’s Buddy Program provides family-centered, nonmedical support to warriors and their caregivers while they receive treatment at UCLA Health. Each patient and caregiver is paired with a local Buddy Family who offers friendship, activities outside the clinic, and a sense of community during their stay with Operation Mend in Los Angeles. These connections often grow into lifelong bonds and help ensure that warriors feel welcomed and supported far from home.
As the coordinator for the Buddy Program, I ensure each warrior and caregiver is matched with the right local support. The Buddy Program strengthens Operation Mend’s mission by addressing social and emotional needs alongside medical care.
You first became involved with Operation Mend in 2009, when you and your three children signed up for Buddy Family to support five warriors and their families. What was your personal experience as a Buddy Family?
My father served in the Marine Corps during WWII and the Korean War, so I grew up in a patriotic home. The Marine Corps flag hung every day right next to the American flag. The Marine Corps’ birthday was honored every year as if we were celebrating a family member’s birthday. My father didn’t talk very much about what he experienced during his multiple enlistments, but he was proud and respectful.
When I learned about the wonderful mission of Operation Mend and that I could be a part of it by just welcoming our warriors and their loved ones into my home that was already filled with love, I couldn’t believe how lucky I was to be in a position to be a Buddy Family.
While I have made my home in Los Angeles for the past 25-plus years, I grew up about 20 miles away from the World Trade Center and knew people who perished on 9/11. Giving back to the ones who were already serving, or joined the military because of 9/11, came easily to me, and my children loved the engagement and opportunities to talk to “real” soldiers.
Our first connection was with two soldiers who were best friends and did everything together, including joining the military and going into combat, where they were both severely injured with burns and lost limbs. When they arrived at our home for the first time, they sat my kids down in front of them and said, “Ask us any question about the way we look.” The kids had questions, they were answered, and we all moved on with a great relationship.
During the next seven years, we were connected with three more families and have watched all the kids grow and seen our warriors and caregivers heal … all by extending warm hospitality and love.
How has being a part of the Veteran Wellness Alliance advanced your mission of connecting more veterans and their families to care?
Being part of the Veteran Wellness Alliance has helped us reach more veterans and families by connecting us with organizations that share our mission. Working together allows us to learn from one another, share what works best, and improve our peer-to-peer and clinical support programs.
We reduce barriers to care through reciprocal referrals, the streamlined VWA Check-In process, and ongoing collaboration with partner organizations. This helps us connect veterans to the resources they need more quickly and effectively.
Having been a part of Operation Mend for more than a decade, how have you seen awareness of veterans’ experiences evolve, and what do you hope to see next?
While Operation Mend still provides our core surgical program, being part of the addition of our PTSD programming since 2016 has been very rewarding.
Since then, so many warriors have come through our doors looking for mental health support, and seeing their growth after spending time with our world-class staff is very satisfying.
During the very troubling time of COVID-19, when so many people were worried about losing their jobs, our leadership was focused on how to keep our doors open and continue serving our warriors. Rather than scaling back, they decisively expanded our program to include (traumatic brain injuries) TBI and SUD (substance use disorder). I was a very proud employee when I saw our leadership expanding the program and recognizing the many complexities our warriors face.
What I hope to see next is continued support, both physically and mentally, for our warriors and caregivers who have given so much to our country.
