SAN ANTONIO – Veterans Day is approaching, and Military City USA is doing its part in honoring and serving veterans by offering free services.
The Endeavors Wellness Center focuses on the mental and physical well-being of veterans and their families in San Antonio.
“There’s a PTSD men’s group that meets on a regular basis that’s been huge to do,” veteran David Carr said. “To kind of get that fellowship and bonding and have other veterans that are going through the same thing that I’m going through.”
Carr retired after 32 years in the U.S. Army. He served some of that time at Fort Sam Houston. After Carr retired, he returned to San Antonio.
It’s a decision more than 90,000 other veterans have also made, according to a 2023 survey on the U.S. Census Bureau website.
Carr said the transition from serving in the military to becoming a civilian comes with challenges.
“What I really like about Endeavors is the balance they have,” Carr said. “It’s not just physical. It’s not just mental. It’s spiritual. It’s all of the above to include financial readiness, assistance with employment (and more).”
The wellness center offers a gym, fitness classes, counseling services for physical therapy, and financial services, among other services, both in-person and virtually, that assist veterans daily.
Behavioral Health Officer Dr. Jill Palmer contributed research that shaped the wellness center’s building design and Wellness Model, specifically for veterans experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder in mind.
“When someone has a lot of anxiety or has lived experience where being inside buildings can be challenging, we wanted to make sure that they can exit quickly (and) see where the exits are,” Palmer said. “You can see all of the entry points. All of the exit points.”
Although the Endeavors Wellness Center was designed with veterans in mind, its services reach a broader audience.
“The spouses, the children and the parents, the brothers and sisters, and all of the people that support our service members (can use the center),” said Kimberly Anderson, Director of Wellness at Endeavors Wellness Center.
Anderson’s husband and several others working at Endeavors are veterans or connected to the military.
“When you get connected to a group, as we’ve seen with (veteran) David (Carr) and the other members of the men’s group, it can really drastically improve your resiliency and reduce that level of stress,” Anderson said. “You’re not alone in it, and you realize it is a normal part of how service affects a family.”
Carr said that the people working at Endeavors are military-connected or are also veterans, which has been highly beneficial.
“That’s important to me because they can empathize with what I’m going through,” Carr said. “A lot of times when you’re dealing with professionals that are outside of the military, there’s a huge gap in their understanding. But that’s certainly not the case here at Endeavors.”
Carr said not only has he benefitted from Endeavors with massage therapy, acupuncture and learning about his PTSD in some of the support groups Endeavors offers, but his wife has benefitted from the center, as well.
“The headache clinic here,” Carr said. “My wife has severe migraines, and since she’s been doing that, they’ve been almost – knock on wood – totally gone.”
Endeavors Wellness Center offers year-round services. Anyone looking for more information on Endeavors’ resources can find it on their website.
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