June is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Awareness Month. The purpose of the awareness is to reduce the stigma associated with the disorder which can affect anyone but has a particularly heavy impact on our military members and their loved ones.

PTSD Awareness Month seems like the perfect time to share that Saint Alphonsus will soon be starting a new program to specially train care providers in addressing the health issues and challenges facing our military members, veterans, and their families.
Recently, Saint Alphonsus went live with their new Military and Veteran Health Program.
Through our Military and Veterans Health Program, we are committed to providing respectful and culturally competent health care services in the following ways:
 
  • Providers and staff are trained in military and veterans health
  • Understanding of military culture, including the nuances of various military service branches
  • Key illnesses and injuries associated with military service and military deployments
  • Effect of military service and deployments on family members
  • How to provide competent and compassionate care for current and former female service members”
Saint Alphonsus will also focus on making military members and veterans feel welcomed and recognized by adding military-community-specific questions to all of their intake forms.
The five military service branch flags will be displayed in the lobbies of all Saint Alphonsus Health System Hospitals to serve as a reminder of the sacrifice and commitment members and their families make. All military service members or veterans who wish to be recognized will be given a small flag on their patient bracelets through their stay at Saint Alphonsus Hospital. The new program will also focus on Community Outreach and Advocacy.
 
The mental health of our military and their families is just as important as physical health and it’s so great to see that Saint Alphonsus is stepping up with this new program to honor that. Mountain Home Airforce Base is only 40 miles Southeast of Boise and it's hard not to see a man or woman in uniform cross your path on a daily basis. Please share this message to any one of our brave men and women in uniform.
 
For more information on their new Military and Veterans Health Program, you can visit Saintalphonsus.org

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