Tampa General Expands Mental Health Resources for Veterans, Strengthening Access to Care and Suicide Prevention

New behavioral health services, specialized treatment programs and a $750,000 federal grant support veterans and military families with care ranging from resilience-building to intensive mental health treatment.

TAMPA, Fla., Nov. 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Tampa General Hospital is enhancing access to mental health services for veterans, active-duty service members and military families through a coordinated network of programs. The initiative aims to provide support for everyday challenges, early intervention for mental health concerns and specialized treatment for more serious conditions.

The academic health system is introducing three complementary initiatives to better serve the military and veterans community: behavioral health services embedded within the Tampa General Medical Group Military and Veterans Primary Care Center in partnership with Home Base and USF Health; specialized inpatient and outpatient treatment through the Help for Heroes program at the TGH Behavioral Health Hospital and a new $750,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs that will strengthen community-based suicide prevention.

Together, these resources expand access to mental healthcare at every level, from managing stress and building resilience to treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, substance-use disorders and acute mental health crises. The efforts will serve to strengthen connections between clinical services and community-based support. This is in recognition that veterans' well-being can be affected by challenges that extend beyond their usual healthcare needs.

"Active-duty service members, veterans and their families deserve access to care that is tailored to their specific needs and experiences, making it easier to get help, whether they are managing everyday challenges or facing a serious mental health crisis," said Doug Leonardo, CEO of the TGH Behavioral Health Hospital and leader of TGH Behavioral Health services. "By expanding access to specialized treatment, early intervention and community-based support, we're helping more veterans find the resources they need to improve their health, strengthen their resilience and build a path toward recovery."

ABOUT THE INITIATIVES

Bringing Mental Health Care Into Primary Care
In partnership with Home Base and USF Health, Tampa General is expanding specialized outpatient behavioral health services at the Tampa General Medical Group Military & Veteran (MVP) Primary Care Center, in order to make mental health care more accessible where veterans and service members already receive their primary and specialty care.

Founded by Massachusetts General Hospital and the Red Sox Foundation, Home Base is a national nonprofit whose mission is to heal the invisible wounds of war for veterans of all eras, service members, military families and families of the fallen. Tampa General partners with Home Base on free Warrior Health & Fitness and Outpatient Traumatic Brain Injury programs. 

Opening on November 16, the program will provide comprehensive behavioral health evaluations, individual therapy for adults and children, customized treatment plans, family support and education and ongoing multidisciplinary care. Clinicians trained in military culture and trauma-informed treatment assist individuals to manage PTSD, depression, anxiety, grief, stress, anger and substance-use concerns, as well as behavioral challenges that affect children and adolescents.

Beyond treating diagnosed conditions, the program emphasizes building emotional resilience, strengthening family relationships and helping individuals navigate the challenges of military service and transitions to civilian life.

"By bringing behavioral health services into a primary care setting, we're making it easier for veterans and military families to seek support early, before challenges become more serious," said Dr. Yamil Miranda-Usúa, medical director, Primary Care, Tampa General Medical Group. "This approach recognizes that physical and mental health are closely connected and helps individuals and families build resilience while accessing care that is tailored to their unique experiences."

Services are available to veterans, active-duty service members, members of the National Guard and Reserves and their families, regardless of discharge status or ability to pay. Through the partnership with Home Base, all services are provided at no cost. In-person care is available with telehealth services offered throughout Florida.

"At Home Base, removing barriers to care means making sure veterans, service members, military families and families of the fallen can get the specialized behavioral health care they need, when and where they need it, at no cost," said Michael Allard, COO, Home Base.

"Bringing this care directly into the Tampa General Medical Group Military & Veteran Primary Care Center helps make behavioral health an integral part of the comprehensive care veterans and service members already receive."

Help for Heroes — Specialized Treatment for More Serious Challenges
For veterans and service members who require a higher level of behavioral health care, the TGH Behavioral Health Hospital launched Help for Heroes on October 19. It is a specialized program that addresses the mental health and substance-use concerns of military personnel, veterans, first responders and healthcare workers.

The program recognizes that military service and other high-stress professions can involve repeated exposure to trauma, chronic stress and experiences that require specialized approaches to treatment.

Help for Heroes offers evidence-based, trauma-informed care tailored to these populations. Cognitive behavioral therapy, medication management, group and individual therapy and treatment for co-occurring mental health and substance-use disorders are integral elements of the program.

Treatment options include inpatient care for individuals who require intensive psychiatric support and structured outpatient services for those who need more assistance than traditional therapy can provide. Partial hospitalization offers intensive daytime treatment without need of an overnight hospital stay; this allows patients to receive therapeutic support while remaining connected to their families and communities.

Opened in March 2025, the TGH Behavioral Health Hospital is Florida's first Medicare-certified, freestanding academic medical center-affiliated behavioral health hospital. The hospital is a collaboration between Tampa General and Lifepoint Behavioral Health, in tandem with USF Health.

"Effective behavioral health care requires access to a full range of services to meet changes in patients' needs over time," said Dr. Ryan Wagoner, chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. "For veterans, that means having specialized outpatient treatment early on and more intensive care when a crisis occurs. Ensuring access to these different levels of care is essential to helping people achieve stability, sustain their recovery and live their fullest lives," Wagoner added.

Expanding Suicide Prevention Beyond Traditional Health Care Settings
Tampa General is extending its commitment to veterans beyond traditional clinical settings through a $750,000 grant awarded under the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program.

The funding will support a new program called Project Link (Linking Veterans to Intervention, Navigation, and Community-Based Networks), an initiative designed to identify and support veterans at risk of suicide throughout Hillsborough County. The program aims to serve approximately 150 veterans annually, with particular emphasis on reaching those not currently connected to other healthcare resources or who face barriers to accessing treatment and other essential services.

Project Link will use multiple points of access within the Tampa General system: the TGH Behavioral Health Hospital, the Military and Veterans Primary Care Center and the Mobile Behavioral Health Unit, to reference just a few. The mobile unit will extend outreach into the community, creating additional opportunities to reach veterans who otherwise might not seek care in traditional healthcare settings.

A team of three veteran peer navigators, individuals with military experience and specialized training will help fellow veterans connect with appropriate resources. Working in tandem with clinical staff and community partners, the navigators will provide suicide risk screening, individualized support, care coordination and assistance in accessing VA benefits, behavioral health treatment and other services.

Recognizing that suicide risk can be influenced by factors beyond mental health, Project Link will help veterans address challenges such as housing instability, financial hardship, social isolation, employment concerns and transportation barriers. Participants will receive individualized support based on their level of need, with structured follow-up and assessments during an initial 90-day period.

The initiative builds on Tampa General's partnerships with a variety of Community Service organizations that provide health care, benefits assistance, housing resources, family support and community services. The USF College of Behavioral and Community Sciences, through its Department of Behavioral Health Science and Practice, will support program evaluation and quality improvement.

Project Link aims to connect at least 75% of participating veterans with VA or community-based behavioral health services through coordinated referrals and follow-up. The program complements existing TGH and VA services, to help veterans navigate available resources while maintaining continuity of care.

Tampa General's award, made to Florida Health Sciences Center Inc. to serve Hillsborough County, is part of $9.6 million given to 19 community organizations in Florida and Georgia, and $112 million to 191 organizations nationwide.

The need for community-based suicide prevention is significant, particularly in Florida. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' 2025 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report, 550 Florida veterans died by suicide in 2023, the second-highest number of any state. Florida's veteran suicide rate was 38.6 deaths per 100,000 veterans, compared with 35.2 nationally. Across the country, 61% of veterans who died by suicide that year had not received care through the Veterans Health Administration during the year of their death or the preceding year.

The Fox grant program helps to address that gap. In 2025, its recipients nationwide connected 2,647 veterans who previously had not used Veterans Health Administration services to VA care and resources. At the same time, it assisted another 344 at-risk veterans in accessing emergency mental health care.

Together, these programs expand coordinated care for veterans and military families across Tampa Bay, combining early intervention, specialized behavioral health treatment and community-based suicide prevention to strengthen support for those who have served their country.

ACCESSING CARE
Behavioral Health Services at the TGH Military and Veterans Primary Care Center
2106 S. Lois Ave., Tampa
In-person services and statewide telehealth are available at no cost to eligible participants through the Home Base partnership.
Visit www.tgh.org/HomeBase, email [email protected] or call (813) 844-4200.

Help for Heroes at TGH Behavioral Health Hospital
1303 W. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa
For confidential assessments and referrals, call 813-893-6330 or visit TGHBehavioralHospital.com.

Veterans Crisis Line
Veterans in crisis, as well as anyone concerned about a veteran, can receive confidential support 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Dial 988 and press 1; send a text to 838255; or visit VeteransCrisisLine.net/Chat. Enrollment in VA health care or benefits is not required.

ABOUT TAMPA GENERAL HOSPITAL
Tampa General Hospital, Florida's premier academic health system, is a 1,530-bed not-for-profit network of hospital and outpatient services spanning Florida. As the only center for Level l trauma and comprehensive burn care center serving 23 counties, Tampa General delivers world-class care. The system's hospitals include Tampa General Hospital, Tampa General Rehabilitation Hospital, Tampa General Behavioral Health Hospital, all in Tampa; Tampa General Brooksville, Tampa General Spring Hill and Tampa General Crystal River. Tampa General is the highest-ranked hospital in Tampa Bay in U.S. News & World Report's 2026-2027 Best Hospitals for 11 consecutive years, with five medical specialties ranking among the top 50, two additional medical specialties ranked among the top 100 best hospital programs and two specialties ranked in the top 10% in the United States. As the first hospital in Florida to open a clinical command center for real-time situational awareness, the academic health system has elevated its digital care coordination center to the next level by leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and its analytics platform across inpatient and outpatient care to ensure patients receive leading-edge care as quickly and safely as possible. Tampa General's commitment to growing and developing its team members is recognized by four prestigious Forbes magazine rankings — in the 2026 America's Best Large Employers ranked as the Tampa Bay region's #1 employer in the healthcare category for the sixth year in a row, the 2026 America's Best Employers for Company Culture, in the top 100 for the 2026 America's Best Employers for New Grads and the 2026 America's Best Employers for Women.

Tampa General is the area's safety-net hospital, caring for anyone regardless of ability to pay; in fiscal year 2024, Tampa General provided a net community benefit of approximately $289.1 million in the form of healthcare for underinsured patients, community education and financial support to community health organizations in Tampa Bay. It is recognized as one of the leading adult solid organ transplant centers in the nation and is the primary teaching hospital for the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. With five medical helicopters, Tampa General transports critically injured or ill patients from surrounding counties to receive the advanced care their conditions require. Tampa General has a nationally accredited comprehensive stroke center and its 32-bed Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit is the largest on the West Coast of Florida. It is home to the Muma Children's Hospital at TGH, the Jennifer Leigh Muma 82-bed neonatal intensive care unit and a nationally accredited rehabilitation center. Tampa General's footprint includes TGH North, which consists of three hospitals and several outpatient locations in Citrus and Hernando counties; Tampa General Medical Group Primary Care offices; TGH Family Care Center Kennedy; TGH outpatient centers; TGH Virtual Health; and TGH Imaging outpatient radiology centers throughout Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas and Palm Beach counties. Tampa Bay area residents receive world-class care from the TGH Urgent Care, powered by the Fast Track network of clinics. To see a medical care professional live anytime, anywhere on a smartphone, tablet or computer, visit Virtual Health | Tampa General Hospital (tgh.org). For more information, go to www.tgh.org.

Media Contact: Beth Hardy, APR
Assistant Manager
Publications & Physician Communications
(727) 510-6363 (cell)
[email protected]

SOURCE Tampa General Hospital