Behind the Scenes at Vets Prevail

By January 2008, over one-third of our nation's heroes were affected by Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or other mental health issues caused by deployments to Iraq or Afghanistan. Recognizing the urgent need to address a national mental health care epidemic, two friends from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business - Richard Gengler, a combat Veteran, and Roger Sweis, a mental health care administrator - created Vets Prevail.

"The current mental health care crisis facing our Service Members is a very real problem with very real consequences. As a Veteran-owned company, we have a personal stake in the matter and intend to help all Veterans that are in need without ever charging a Veteran or military Family Member," says Richard Gengler, CEO of Prevail Health Solutions LLC, the parent company of Vets Prevail.

Bringing together the expertise of leading mental health care professionals and the latest in Web 2.0 technology, they developed an innovative solution built specifically for Vets, by Vets. The interactive training is delivered online, to reach the modern Veteran, providing a convenient and completely confidential approach to treating deployment-related effects of combat such as PTSD, depression and anxiety. Prevail's cutting-edge technology will assist our Veterans during the reintegration process, just as the best military hardware has supported our Veterans in combat. To help provide this training to all Veterans in need, Vets Prevail has received financial support from the National Science Foundation's Small Business Innovation Research Program. Additionally, the McCormick Foundation, has supported this effort through a grant to the Veterans' Corporation.