New THRIVE Center to focus on wellness, pain management for Veterans

The THRIVE (Therapeutic Holistic Restoration — Integrative Veteran Experience) Center will occupy space that formerly housed the ZIHP clinic/infusion clinic, on the west end of Building 70 (Room E127).

The center brings two valuable resources for Veterans — pain management and Whole Health — under one roof where they can work together collaboratively.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony is planned for 11:30 a.m. July 1, with the center opening to Veterans on July 6.

Dr. Harry Tagalakis, Pain Management Section Chief, described THRIVE as a “multidisciplinary center dedicated to promoting whole health, pain management and wellness for Veterans.”

Services will include acupuncture (including battlefield acupuncture), tai chi, yoga, mental health services, physical therapy and the entire catalogue of Whole Health offerings.

“By blending group and individual care in a holistic framework, THRIVE provides Veterans with personalized support to enhance their physical and emotional well-being, fostering resilience and restoring quality of life,” he said.

Vision comes to life

Tagalakis said the concept for the THRIVE Center had been percolating for a couple of years, but there wasn’t space for it. But when ZIHP closed and the infusion clinic moved to the 10th floor, Chief of Staff Dr. Andreea Anton approached Tagalakis and Whole Health Manager Stacy Olson about bringing the vision to life in that space.

The plan was a win-win for Pain Management and Whole Health: Pain Management needed more space to expand its offerings, and Whole Health had been looking for years to consolidate its offerings and office in one place.

Whole Health has been in existence since 2018 and has never had its own dedicated clinical or group space, Olson said.

“So this is really exciting to actually have a space that we can call ours,” she said. “I think we’re going to be able to offer a lot more programs.”

Addressing Veterans' needs

Olson noted that the Whole Health approach emphasizes offering complementary and integrative health approaches as additional options for treating a wide range of conditions.

“While there’s significant overlap with chronic pain management, these approaches also apply to conditions like anxiety, hypertension, and diabetes,” Olson said. “Many of our core chronic medical issues can benefit when patients enhance their self-management and self-care skills.”

Tagalakis said THRIVE brings together the offerings Veterans like most while also fostering collaboration among different providers.

“This is a specialized area where we can be holistic — thinking of the whole Veteran and helping that Veteran find something that helps. … That’s going to be our focus. If we’re all together and we’re working on this as a team … hopefully it will help the patient.”

Olson agreed.

“I think one of the greatest pieces is just bringing this collaborative effort all together to support our patients,” she said.

Space for group activities

The space includes a large, open room for group activities — a benefit for movement activities such as tai chi and yoga, but also for offerings where a provider can treat multiple patients at the same time.

Group settings often create connections among Veterans, which can lead to better outcomes, Tagalakis said.

“I’m passionate about groups,” he said. “It can be really helpful for patients to see that others have the same type of issues … (and) they can actually work on (them) together to get better. … I think that can motivate each of them.”

“A lot of our patients are looking for a community, and I think the more we can expand groups, the bigger we can expand that sense of community,” Olson said.

The back area of the space has been modified to create a more secluded area for acupuncture and other offerings that benefit from a quiet, calm environment, which wasn’t achievable in the pain management clinic.

“Now we’ll have a place we have designed, which is Veteran-centric,” Tagalakis said. “This is an area where people go to feel better — for wellness.”

Working toward wellness

Both Olson and Tagalakis said the overall goal of the THRIVE Center is to help patients better manage their conditions and work toward improvement — which doesn’t always mean medication.

“I think a lot of patients are starting to recognize that they have this innate ability to self-heal and they can have some control over reducing their symptoms,” Olson said. “And I think the benefit of the THRIVE Center is getting them to learn those skills.”