Steven A. Cohen, a billionaire hedge fund manager that seldom makes public appearances, broke his long held silence for the kickoff of his Cohen Veterans Care Summit. The two-day meeting held in Washington D.C. is sometimes referred to as simply as “Cohen Cares,” and was the springboard for a major announcement. Cohen has pledged to donate $325 million over a five year period to two new initiatives that will focus on helping veterans and preventing them from committing suicide.
Steven A. Cohen
Cohen states that his son Robert inspired him to take a more active role in the mental health of military vets. His son is a U.S. Marine that served in Afghanistan in 2010. Interacting with his son and hearing his stories was a sobering reality check for Cohen. After seeing how the war changed his son he knew it was time to make a difference. He stated during the conference:
“The treatments we have today fall short. There are no cures. Together, we’re going to change that…so our veterans can benefit right away.”
The Cohen Veterans Network is currently made up of five separate facilities across the country. They serve hundreds of patients and hope to increase that number exponentially over the course of the next five years. They plan to open at least 20 additional clinics that will provide free healthcare for veterans and their families. If the program is successful they plan to extend their services to other Americans that suffer with PTSD, regardless of whether or not they are veterans.
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