Symposium connects care providers with military needs

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Rebecca R. Imwalle
  • 28th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
ELLSWORTH AIR FORCE BASE, S.D. --  Fifteen of Ellsworth's own teamed up with members of the South Dakota National Guard to conduct a symposium at Camp Rapid, in Rapid City, S.D., Sept. 12 and 13.

The symposium was designed to provide medical professionals from the local area with an opportunity to interact with veterans and adapt their clinical skills to better meet the needs of servicemembers and their families.

Col. Kevin Kennedy, 28th Bomb Wing commander, South Dakota Lt. Gov. Matt Michels, U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Tim Reisch, SDNG adjutant general, and retired SDNG Command Sgt. Maj. Larry Zimmerman, now Secretary of Veteran's Affairs for South Dakota, opened the event with remarks lauding those participating.

"Our goal with the symposium was to create a network so any office can point a customer - be it a servicemember, a veteran or a family member - to the resources they need," said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Brian Jacobson, SDNG's Service Member and Family Support director.

Dennis Wier, 28th BW community support coordinator, said the symposium served as an opportunity for attendees to learn more about the unique challenges that servicemembers face.

"Ellsworth was a major partner during the symposium," Wier said. "Some of our participants were speakers or presenters during group discussions, while others oversaw demonstrations for those attending."

The South Dakota Coalition for Military Families seeks to build connections and create partnerships across South Dakota to care for and support servicemembers, veterans and military families. The symposium was sponsored by the Northeastern South Dakota Area Health Education Center and in cooperation between the SDNG Service Member and Family Support Center and the Ellsworth Airman and Family Readiness Center.

Rachel Haigh-Blume, event coordinator and NSDAHEC, detailed the primary goal of her organization as ensuring providers know what to expect when dealing with veterans.

"We want to increase the asking of the question, 'Have you served?,' by our providers, especially those who are geographically separated from military bases," said Haigh-Blume. "We need to recognize those individuals so we can better understand their situations and better help them."

Haigh-Blume also spoke to the goal of the coalition at the national level in reaching providers.

"Our goal is to educate 10,000 providers this year in topics such as post-traumatic stress, military culture, traumatic brain injury and asking 'the question,'" said Haigh-Blume.

Wier added that the event was part of a greater effort between Ellsworth and the SDNG to create awareness among community professionals regarding the military lifestyle.

"We received a lot of positive feedback," Wier said. "They were asking for another one next year in Rapid City and Sioux Falls. Now, our goal is to take all the feedback we've received and tailor next year's event to better meet the needs of our servicemembers."

(Editor's note: Information in this article was originally released by the SDNG Public Affairs Office.)