Team Photo with Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX), Co-Chair, Congressional Victim’s Rights Caucus—October 28, 2007; 7:00 am; Pentagon Metro Station (at the Metro elevator, sidewalk level, near the station entrance/exit)

Washington, DC – On October 28 at the Marine Corps Marathon, Team Heal Trauma will run the first 26.2 miles toward its long-term goal of helping survivors of violence and trauma on the road to recovery and wellness. Witness Justice, a national nonprofit organization, formed the charity racing team to highlight the pervasiveness and impact of psychological trauma as a growing public health concern.

In addition to awareness, Team Heal Trauma will raise funding to support the ongoing advocacy and education necessary to improve trauma treatment policies and programs across the country.

The team has received support from a number of individuals, organizations, and corporations. Team sponsors include, All Saints’ Episcopal Church (Frederick, MD), the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Glory Days Grill, Round House Theatre (Bethesda, MD), SACS Consulting, and SUZANNE™, a direct sales company founded by actress and entrepreneur Suzanne Somers.

“Our goal is to reach all those who live under the cloud of violence, abuse, neglect, disaster, terrorism, or war, and to foster hope and healing for survivors and their families— but we’re far from the finish line,” said Helga West, President and CEO of Witness Justice. West is also running the Marine Corps Marathon as a member of Team Heal Trauma.

A survivor of a brutal attempted murder, West founded the organization in 2002 with her husband Randy. Witness Justice serves victims of all types of violence and trauma through advocacy, education, and support.

“The Marine Corps Marathon offers an appropriate backdrop for Team Heal Trauma’s debut,” West added, “given the number of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan who face the potentially disabling effects of combat trauma.”

A residency in a Veterans Administration hospital convinced Daniel McGinley, a fourth-year student at East Tennessee State University’s School of Medicine, to join the team as a runner.

“I listen to the news and we’ve had lectures about the psychological challenges of soldiers as they come home, but it was a different world to see patients firsthand struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety,” McGinley said. “I found a new kind of respect forming inside me for those men and women in uniform. So if I can do my part now by raising money for Witness Justice and if I can be more personally aware of the effects of trauma as a physician, then perhaps I’ve done some small part for my country.”

McGinley and his fellow runners, volunteers and supporters, representing a broad range of trauma survivors and allies from across the country, will gather at 7:00 a.m. near the Pentagon Metro Station entrance for a team photo before the race. (To meet more members of Team Heal Trauma and to view their fundraising pages, click here).

Rep. Ted Poe, (R-TX), Co-chair of the Congressional [Crime] Victim Rights Caucus, is running the concurrent Marine Corps Marathon 10K Race (which starts at 8:20 am) as a member of Team Heal Trauma.

“As a lifelong advocate for victims and founder and co-chair of the Victim’s Rights Caucus, I am proud to be a part of this dedicated team to draw attention to the impact that trauma has on the lives of survivors,” Poe said. “Being supported in the aftermath of violence should be a right of every American – and trauma-informed care gives us hope that the many crime victims will find health and wellness again.”

“We’re honored and grateful for Congressman Poe’s support and leadership,” said West. “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 and respond effectively to it.”

Last September, Witness Justice hosted an issue briefing on trauma on Capitol Hill that prompted an immediate, bi-partisan call for education, awareness and support for an integrated, “trauma-informed” approach to assisting the spectrum of survivors.

“With more Americans serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, continued threats of terrorism, rising crime, and the lingering aftermath of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, we face a growing public health crisis caused by trauma that touches us all,” West explained. “The effects can be felt from our hospitals and prisons to our schools and businesses — costing our nation billions of dollars annually. The vast scope and scale of this issue demands our urgent attention.”

Each month, Witness Justice receives more than 200,000 hits to its web site, and approximately 300 individuals seek direct assistance, making it one of the most sought-after victim services in the country. The organization currently works with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (USHHS’) National Center for Trauma-Informed Care and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women. USHHS also has contracted Witness Justice to design a national public awareness campaign on trauma.