NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A foundation created by a graduate's family is giving a private university in New Orleans $1 million to help treat military veterans’ brain injuries and service-related mental health problems.
The Priddy Family Foundation, led by economics alumnus Robert Priddy and his wife, Kikie, is creating a new fund to support intensive outpatient care with an emphasis on music therapy at Tulane University's Center for Brain Health, the university said in a news release Tuesday.
“We’re excited to see how Tulane’s Center for Brain Health will use music therapy to improve the lives of afflicted veterans who need help,” Kikie Priddy said.
The new Priddy Family Brain Health Fund will help treat veterans suffering from mild traumatic brain injuries, post-traumatic stress disorder and other service-related mental health issues, the university said.
Tulane said the center blends conventional medicine such as neurology and pharmacology with complementary and alternative options that include yoga, canine therapy, and art and music therapies.
The center expects to evaluate about 150 to 200 veterans each year. Its three-day evaluations provide services that could take 17 to 18 months for veterans using traditional healthcare channels, the university said.
The foundation has a particular interest in advancing brain science and finding cures and treatments for neurodegenerative diseases, Tulane said. In 2018 it gave $1 million to the Tulane Brain Institute for a fund to provide competitive awards to faculty for early-stage research.
The Priddys live in New Orleans. Their foundation also includes a son who lives in Dallas with his family, and a daughter and son-in-law who live in Charlotte, North Carolina and have a son who's attending Tulane Medical School.