The AOA is proud to participate in the White House-sponsored Joining Forces initiative, which addresses the health care needs of military service members and veterans and their families.
About the Initiative
The Joining Forces initiative is an important effort that seeks to mobilize and coordinate all sectors of our society to provide our service members and families opportunities and support. An important component of the initiative is ensuring that physicians and other health care providers understand the unique physical and mental health care needs of our service members, veterans, and their families.
On Jan. 10, 2012, the AOA was honored to participate in an inaugural roundtable discussion at the White House with First Lady Michelle Obama, members of the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense, and other health care organizations. On Jan. 11, the First Lady announced the initiative at a special medical college event at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond.
Pledge of Support
The nation's 26 osteopathic medical schools have signed onto a pledge of support for the initiative with the following goals:
Train current and future osteopathic physicians in the unique clinical challenges and best practices associated with caring for military service members, veterans, and their families
Spread the most up-to-date information about traumatic brain injury (TBI) and psychological health conditions, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Grow the body of knowledge leading to improvements in health care and wellness for servicemen and their families
Join with others to further strengthen the supportive community of physicians, institutions, and health care providers dedicated to improving the health of military service members, veterans, and their families.
The AOA looks forward to partnering with the Joining Forces Initiative and other organizations to provide information and education materials for our physicians.