Mission

The mission of Tranquility Base USA, is to provide an environment of rest and recovery from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder(PTSD), and Moral Injury (MI), for diagnosed military Veterans, First Responders, and Healthcare Workers of the USA, using various Nature-Based Therapy (NBT) techniques in a setting of cabins, hiking trails, streams, ponds and a working farm, in the Appalachian Mountains.

The DEFENDERS

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, in its 2023 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report, finds that in 2021, there were 6,392 Veteran suicide deaths due in large part to PTSD/MI. Since 2001, about 7,100 military service members have been killed in action(KIA) or on deployment, yet over 146,000 have taken their own life!

The PROTECTORS

Data on PTSD/MI in First Responders is difficult to gather because the group provides help, which is in conflict with seeking help, with many concealing the effects of PTSD/MI for fear of being marked "unfit for duty". Escalating suicide rates among First Responders has caused the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), to issue "A Call to Action" (6-Apr-2021), stating:

"Law enforcement officers and firefighters are more likely to die by suicide than in the line of duty. ... Perceived stigma around mental health problems or concerns over impact on employment (i.e. being labeled "unfit" for duty) may lead First Responders to not report suicidal thoughts."

The HEALERS

Healthcare workers are another group which provides help to others, frequently at great personal sacrifice, but will not seek help, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. The significant exposure of healthcare workers to human suffering and death gives rise to high levels of PTSD/MI, with about 400 physician suicides annually. A CDC paper "Suicide Prevention for Healthcare Workers" (17-Sep-2021) reports:

"The COVID-19 pandemic has also had a major impact on those healthcare workers on the frontlines. The well-publicized suicide of Dr. Lorna Breen underscores the risk for suicide among physicians who are working on the frontlines of the pandemic. Yet, it isn’t just physicians – other health workers are also at risk. Mental Health America conducted a study of healthcare workers – including nurses, community-based healthcare workers, doctors, support staff, EMT/paramedics, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners – from June-September 2020. The survey revealed: 93% of health care workers were experiencing stress, 86% reported experiencing anxiety, 77% reported frustration, 76% reported exhaustion and burnout, and 75% said they were overwhelmed."

University of Michigan Study
2021

A 2021 University of Michigan study revealed that female nurse suicide death rates are double that of the general female population in the USA. Numbering approximately 3 million, nurses are the largest component of the health care workforce in the USA, yet the suicide risk for female nurses is 70% higher than that of female physicians (a group known to be at higher risk for suicide).

"The study findings illuminate the need for high-quality wellness programs for nurses: Nurses are 90% more likely to experience on-the-job problems and 20-30% more likely to be depressed than the general population."

The Future

Untreated, PTSD/MI can at best lead to a life of depression and withdrawal and in extreme PTSD/MI can lead to suicide or violence against the immediate family. For most military personnel, the exposure to new PTSD/MI events conclude with their tour of duty yet for First Responders, and Healthcare Workers, PTSD/MI events only conclude if they make a vocation change, or retire. It is therefore imperative that outlets are available to break the cycle which causes and/or intensifies PTSD/MI.

The Solution - Help Stop This Senseless Loss!

Tranquility Base USA will provide accommodations and various Nature-Based Therapy (NBT) experiences, by acquiring acerage in the Appalachian Mountains for the construction of an environmentally friendly (organic architecture) compound to provide a "base" of short-term lodging and family meal options for PTSD/MI diagnosed Veterans, First Responders, and Healthcare Workers and their immediate family. These three groups have served, and/or continue to serve the USA as Defenders, Protectors, and Healers, and are entitled to PTSD/MI recovery without the additional burden of paying for it. Tranquility Base USA is unique among public benefit and educational organizations, in offering support to diagnosed PTSD/MI patients of all three (3) groups on equal footing.

PTSD/MI treatments take on many varieties with varying levels of effectiveness. Numerous studies demonstrate proven positive results in experiential forms of NBT, below are a few references.