Washington, DC — Witness Justice today launched Team Heal Trauma, a national charity running team created to draw attention to the pervasiveness and impact of psychological trauma as a pressing public health issue.

In September 2006 Witness Justice hosted an issue briefing on trauma on Capitol Hill that prompted an immediate, bi-partisan call for education and awareness. Building on this foundation, the goal of Team Heal Trauma is to raise awareness and funding to support the continued advocacy and education necessary to improve policies and programs across the nation.

As its first event, Team Heal Trauma will run the 26.2-mile Marine Corps Marathon on October 28, 2007. The team consists of 50 dedicated runners representing a broad range of trauma survivors and allies. Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX), Co-chair of the Congressional Crime Victim Rights Caucus, is running the concurrent 10K race as a member of Team Heal Trauma.

"We are honored and grateful for Congressman Poe's support and leadership," said Helga West, President and CEO, Witness Justice. "Trauma is a central issue to crime victims, and unfortunately the reality is that most service providers are unaware of it or ill-equipped to recognize or respond to it."

Witness Justice is a national, grassroots nonprofit organization created by survivors for survivors. Our mission is to empower and assist victims of violence and their loved ones with both healing from trauma and in navigating the criminal justice process. Witness Justice offers support regardless of where a victim lives, when or where the crime occurred, or whether the crime was ever reported. For more information, visit www.WitnessJustice.org.