Grand Rounds, Light It Up Foundation and University of Rochester Medical Center Partner to Provide Military Veterans and Retired NFL Players Preeminent Integrative Care

SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwired - September 22, 2015) - Grand Rounds, the leader in identifying high-quality health care providers and connecting patients with these physicians, today announced its partnership with the Light It Up Foundation and the University of Rochester Medical Center to provide best-in-class care to veterans and retired NFL players suffering from ailments such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Through the University of Rochester (UR) Restoration Project, the partnership brings forth a unique, integrative medicine approach that combines mind/body techniques, western medical expertise and digital health technology creating a roadmap to resilience, recovery and wellness.

There are 350,000 veterans with PTSD. Another 80,000 have Parkinson's disease and many more have dementia, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other neurological issues due to head trauma. Tragically, 22 veteran suicides occur each day. The UR Restoration Project provides a sustainable and scalable solution to this immense issue.

"Whether you served our nation's defense or the NFL, you face the same vulnerabilities as other medical outsiders," said Dr. Lawrence "Rusty" Hofmann, co-founder of Grand Rounds and professor and chief of interventional radiology at Stanford University. "We are proud to help shine a light on the care quality differential, making sure those who have sacrificed the most -- be it for our nation's safety or entertainment -- get the care they direly need and unequivocally deserve."

Grand Rounds provides a technology platform to power this first-of-its-kind program. Similar efforts often rely on legacy, time-intensive means of information collection, documentation and sharing that are particularly ill-suited for geographically disperse patients. With Grand Rounds, every step along the patient's yearlong journey -- from registration, medical records collection, to delivery of the individualized care plan -- is facilitated by both technology and care team infrastructure, an approach shown to nearly double both patient comprehension and adherence. Further, this infrastructure maximizes each physician's impact through a novel medical records review platform that optimizes information accessibility while cutting review time in half.

The program officially commences October 5 with participants attending a UR Restoration Project retreat at Beaver Hollow Conference Center in Java Center, New York. Over the program's first year, the goal is to enroll 500 veterans and NFL players for leading edge, empathetic care.

Keith Mitchell, a retired All-Pro NFL linebacker and founder of the Light It Up Foundation, originally envisioned the project along with Ryan Korn of University of Rochester Medical Center. While playing for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2003, Mitchell was paralyzed making a tackle. During his hospital stay, he used deep breathing and meditation techniques to help cope with neurological and psychiatric disorders. A modern medical miracle, Mitchell credits this approach, along with yoga, for his ability to not only walk again but also to become an internationally prominent mind/body authority.

"The UR Restoration Project is not a study, it is a treatment plan that enables veterans to get immediate help from the top physicians and holistic practitioners in the world," said Mitchell, who is the son of a veteran. "Mindfulness is a vital part of the holistic healing process, and partnering with University of Rochester Medical Center and Grand Rounds in our shared commitment to helping veterans is tremendous."

"For too long many of these individuals have suffered in silence. We hope that our care plan -- combining traditional clinical care with novel applications of technology, education and mindfulness -- helps put program participants on a path to restored health," said Dr. Ray Dorsey, professor of neurology at University of Rochester Medical Center. "We're thrilled to be working with Grand Rounds to help ensure the program's utmost reach over time."

About UR Restoration Project
The UR Restoration Project is designed to help retired NFL players and military veterans suffering from neurological and psychiatric conditions, including specific neurodegenerative diseases such as PTSD, TBI, Parkinson's disease, ALS and dementia. Backed by a technological platform, the program gives former players and veterans in-person and remote access to world-class medical expertise. In addition to traditional medical care, the program includes training in yoga, meditation, conscious breathing and mindfulness, with the goal of exposing participants to a unique approach to healing and to awareness of one's body. The approach to individualized care plans for UR Restoration Project patients is comprehensive, multidisciplinary and focused on setting each participant on the track to health and restoration. For more visit information visit www.justbreatheforvets.org.

About Grand Rounds
Grand Rounds provides a platform that delivers improved clinical outcomes for patients while reducing care delivery inefficiencies. It does this through an end-to-end solution that connects patients with highly specialized care that is informed by the latest and best practices -- preventing and correcting misdiagnoses, unnecessary and failed treatments. Founded in 2011, Grand Rounds helps restore individual health and quality of life, and benefits employers by facilitating decreased health care cost and increased employee productivity. For more information, please visit grandrounds.com.