In May 2024, the American Academy of Nursing (Academy) hosted a policy dialogue titled “We Serve Too: Addressing the Needs and Challenges of Military Families.” The Academy’s Military and Veterans Health Expert Panel convened this dialogue to discuss the unique health 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. 

• Military and Veteran Families Face Unique Stressors that Affect Health
  Military and veteran families face stressors that have implications for the social, emotional, physical, and mental health of children and spouses of those serving in the military. Factors such as frequent relocations, lack of social support, disruption to educational or professional continuity, shifting family structure, and exposure to physical or psychological injury are risks that necessitate support, prevention, and interventions.
• Approaches to Maintaining the Health of Military Families Must be Multi-Faceted
  Due to the complex challenges of military life, programs that address health must be implemented across multiple tiers within the institutions that military families participate in. These programs must aim to identify, intervene upon, and prevent the factors that lead to negative health outcomes. 
• Nursing Expertise is Valuable to Provide Person-Centered, Trauma-Informed Care to Military Families 
  Nurses play a critical role in engaging with military families and children, offering acknowledgement, respect, and support for the significant contributions and unique challenges faced by these families. Being military-informed and trauma-informed enables nurses to recognize the strength and resilience integral to the identity of military families, while also understanding how stress, trauma, and loss may impact their development and life trajectory.
• Protecting the Health of Military Children and Spouses is Essential to Promote Overall Military Family Well-Being
  The increased prevalence of mental health and weight-related (underweight, overweight, and obesity) diagnoses in military children over the COVID-19 pandemic period has adverse implications for their health across the lifespan and could act as a barrier to service in a population that goes on to serve at a higher rate than the rest of the population. Increased rates of dissatisfaction with military life by spouses can lead to adverse mental health outcomes and a greater likelihood of service members not returning to service. Protecting the health of military families addresses both of these factors to promote greater well-being.
  

Guest Panelists

• 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
   

Planning Committee

• Chair, Planning Committee: Mona Pearl-Treyball, PhD, RN, CNS, CCRN-K, FAAN, Colonel (Retired), USAF Nurse Corps
• Chair, Military and Veterans Health Expert Panel: Cheryl Krause-Parello, PhD, RN, FAAN, Spouse of a Marine Veteran
• Peggy Wilmoth, PhD, NSS, RN, FAAN - Major General, US Army (Retired)
• Alicia Rossiter, DNP, APRN, FNP, PPCNP-BC, FAANP, FAAN - Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) USA, USAFR Nurse Corps
• Catherine Ling, PhD, MN, BSN, RN, CNE, FNP-BC, FAANP, FAAN - Combat Veteran and Army National Guard Child, Navy Spouse, Army Mom