AACN Renews its Commitment to Veteran's Health

AACN Renews its Commitment to Veteran's Health by Partnering on Joining Forces Wellness Week 

Washington, DC, November 9, 2016 - In recognition of Veterans Day, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) is proudly participating in Joining Forces Wellness Week 2016 (JFWW) in conjunction with the Office of the First Lady of the United States. This work has been led by the Center for Deployment Psychology at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and the Association of American Medical Colleges. JFWW was established to increase awareness about the health needs of the nation's veterans, service members, and their families, and emphasize the critical role health professionals play in serving this valued community. As part of this effort, AACN will spotlight a series of webinars that discuss various aspects of care, from the physical to the psychological. AACN is pleased to partner with 13 other national organizations to showcase the educational resources developed for the 2016 JFWW.   
     
"AACN has a long-standing commitment to the White House's Joining Forces initiative, and 660 schools of nursing have advanced this effort with great pride in knowing its impact on our nation's service men and women as well as their families," said Dr. Juliann Sebastian, Chair of the AACN Board of Directors. "We are honored to continue this effort and collaborate with an interprofessional team of partners to demonstrate that to improve the care of our nation's veterans, we must all work together." 
  
Joining Forces was established in 2011 by first lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden to mobilize all sectors of society to give service members and their families the opportunities and support they need. In 2012, AACN leadership joined the First Lady and Dr. Biden as well as other nursing leaders at the national launch event celebrating nursing's support for the Joining Forces campaign. Since then, the association has developed toolkits, a collaboration community, resources for schools of nursing, and a webinar series to support our membership in their goal to improve veteran's health. We have been privileged to partner with an interprofessional network to support the work of the Joining Forces Wellness Week. 
  

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About Joining Forces
First lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden created Joining Forces to bring Americans together to recognize, honor, and take action to support service members, veterans and their families during their service to our country and throughout their lives. The initiative aims to educate, challenge, and spark action from all sectors of society to support veterans and active military.