Meeting Proceedings for “We Serve Too: Addressing the Needs & Challenges of Military Families"

Proceedings Feature Policy Recommendations and Discussion Summaries

Washington, DC (November 11, 2024)—This Veterans Day, the American Academy of Nursing (Academy) has released the meeting proceedings from the May 2024 Policy Dialogue, “We Serve Too: Addressing the Needs and Challenges of Military Families,” hosted by the Academy’s Military and Veterans Health Expert Panel. The Academy’s Policy Dialogues convene thought leaders to discuss a pressing topic and to propose policy recommendations that champion the organization’s policy priorities to advance health equity.

The Academy’s Expert Panels are the organization’s thought leadership bodies. Through the Expert Panels, Academy Fellows, with subject matter expertise, review the current trends, research, and issues within their field to make informed and evidenced-based recommendations. By hosting Policy Dialogues, Expert Panels lead engaging discussions to further enhance awareness and develop policy proposals that work to achieve the Academy's vision of healthy lives for all people.

The Academy is pleased to release the summary for this Policy Dialogue, centered on policy issues aimed to ease the challenges faced by military and veteran families. This event explored issues such as a lack of visibility and connectedness; disparities arising from social determinants of health; and inadequate funding for initiatives, research, and outreach. Participants in this dialogue were able to hear from leading experts about the unique health needs of this population and proposed policy solutions for improving health equity and outcomes among military families.

Key takeaways from the dialogue include:

• Military and Veteran Families Face Unique Stressors that Affect Health
• Approaches to Maintaining the Health of Military Families Must be Multi-Faceted
• Nursing Expertise is Valuable to Provide Person-Centered, Trauma-Informed Care to Military Families
• Protecting the Health of Military Children and Spouses is Essential to Promote Overall Military Family Well-Being

Speakers for the dialogue, listed in order of presenting, included:

• Gregory A. Leskin, PhD, Director, NCTSN Military and Veteran Families and Children Program, UCLA National Center for Child Traumatic Stress
• Tracey Pérez Koehlmoos, PhD, MHA, Professor & Director, Center for Health Services Research & Doctoral Programs in Public Health Department of Defense, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
• Elisa V. Borah, PhD, MSW, Director and Research Associate Professor, Institute for Military & Veteran Family Wellness, Dell Medical School Department of Health Social Work and Steve Hicks School of Social Work, The University of Texas at Austin

Based on the discussion, the following policy recommendations were highlighted as key priorities for nursing to champion:

• Implement strength-based, multi-tiered programs and systems of support for military children, particularly in school settings.
• Promote military cultural awareness among providers, allowing nurses and other health care providers to recognize early signs of distress and support the needs of military children, spouses, and caregivers.
• Advance key provisions within the National Defense Authorization Act to address crucial health gaps among military families as well as compensation for nurses and providers that care for military families.
• Expand education and outreach to improve provider and family awareness of programs that support the mental, physical, and emotional well-being of military and veteran spouses and caregivers.
• Expand funding for research into the health care needs of military families.

Read the entire meeting's proceedings online. Additional Academy Meeting Proceedings are available to view online.