Soldiers recovering from injuries recently got another helping hand to aid in their recovery.

A new Community Care Unit (CCU) opened at Madigan's Warrior Transition Battalion Sept. 5, beginning a shift in how the Army manages care for its wounded soldiers.

The new unit at Joint Base Lewis-McChord is one of 13 new CCUs to be opened by the Army as part of its Warrior Care and Transition Program. The program addition occurred at 11 Army bases across the country.

Part of the assignment of the new care units is to provide medical management. It's a shift in how the Army manages care for soldiers living in their home towns.

"Our soldiers will not be relocated, but will remain in their communities with their families," said Lt. Col. Jeffery Mosso, Warrior Transition Battalion commander. "They will continue to receive the same quality medical care and advocacy that they've been accustomed to while assigned to the Community Based Warrior Transition Unit in California."

The new CCU at Madigan manages the care for Army National Guard and Army Reserve soldiers living in their hometown communities in Washington, Oregon, Alaska and California.

The Army's Warrior Care and Transition program has undergone some changes since it first started in 2007. The recent change to the program was made because reviews showed a declining number of soldiers in the Warrior Transition Unit. The change was made so the Army could continue to provide the best care and support for its injured and ill soldiers.

Allowing soldiers to remain in their hometowns while they receive care will allow them to continue to be surrounded by their families and thereby receive the support and encouragement often needed for recovery.

The new CCU manager at Madigan is Capt. Jennifer Goulet. As a medical service officer, Goulet has been deployed to both Afghanistan and Iraq. She's also been assigned to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, where wounded American soldiers often receive initial care after being injured downrange.

In fact, many of the wounded soldiers now under Goulet's care she first saw when they went to Landstuhl for their initial care.

"Seeing them from that point to now is incredible," she said.

The new CCU at Madigan takes care of up to 83 ill or injured soldiers. Goulet praised her staff for their diligent work to get the new unit operational.

"The oversight and support for our soldiers healing at home will transition to our CCU located at JBLM," Mosso said.

Madigan's Community Care Unit will assume the mission of the Community-Based Warrior Transition Unit in California, which was located in Sacramento and was formally deactivated on Aug. 13.