The Center for the Intrepid (CFI), San Antonio, Texas, the world’s most technologically advanced rehabilitation center for injured service men and women, marked its five-year anniversary with a ceremonial cake cutting on January 27.
From left, Pfc. Quentin Picone, Maj. Gen. M. Ted Wong, and Spec. Terry Ligman cut the cake in celebration of the CFI fifth anniversary celebration. Ligman represented the past and the longest patient at the CFI and Picone represented the future and the newest patient at the CFI. Photograph by Robert D’Angelo, courtesy of the U. S. Army.
Since its dedication on January 29, 2007, it has provided outpatient rehabilitation for more than 780 service members and averages more than 3,400 patient visits per month. The goal of the care is to maximize the potential of the injured service men and women whether they choose to remain on active duty or return to civilian life.
“The Intrepid is truly a national treasure,” said Maj. Gen. M. Ted Wong, Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) commander. “Not only do we see outstanding results for our patients through the synergistic effects of this facility, joined with our great staff and the encouragement of fellow patients, but the facility itself stands as an icon that the American people fully support our men in women in uniform who have sacrificed for us all.”
The CFI includes clinical, research, and administrative space, a gait lab, a computer-assisted rehabilitation environment, a swimming pool, an indoor running track, a two-story climbing wall, and a prosthetic fabrication lab. The latest addition to care is the Intrepid Dynamic Exoskeletal Orthosis (IDEO), a new energy-story AFO.
The center also provides a wide variety of activities outside the clinical setting, including horseback riding, archery, golf, and scuba diving. These outings help the patients recover basic motor functioning and reasoning abilities, build confidence, and gradually encourage them to re-integrate back into the community.
