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• Brig. Gen. Jason Rueschhoff, Commander, 56th Fighter Wing, Luke Air Force Base
• Col. John Ives, Garrison Commander, Fort Huachuca

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View the General Session from April 18, 2024, Day 2 of the 2024 Statewide Symposium in Support of Service Members, Veterans & Their Families hosted by Thomas Winkel, Director of the Arizona Coalition for Military Families. Hear from:

  • Tonya Hamilton, Cabinet Executive Officer/Tribal Liaison, Governor’s Office of Youth, Faith and Family at 4:40

  • Katie Hobbs, Governor of the State of Arizona at 8:52

  • Lt. Col. Dana Allmond, Cabinet Executive Officer, Executive Deputy Director, Arizona Department of Veterans’ Services at 13:30

  • Sheila Casey, Special Assistant to the President, Executive Director, Joining Forces at 34:00

  • Dr. Jill Biden, First Lady of the United States at 41:41

  • Nicola Winkel, MPA, Project Director, Arizona Coalition for Military Families at 46:35

  • Fireside Chat with Brig. Gen. Jason Rueschhoff, Commander, 56th Fighter Wing, Luke Air Force Base and Col. John Ives, Garrison Commander, Fort Huachuca at 50:50

This Symposium is the only statewide conference that brings together the military, government, and community to focus on strengthening services and support for Arizona’s 500,000+ service members, veterans, and their families. Enjoy this excerpt from a packed two-day conference that provided multiple tracks for attendees to engage, discuss and collaborate through breakout sessions, keynote speakers, exhibitors, and networking opportunities focused on providing knowledge, skills, and tools to serve and support the military and veteran community. For more information on attending, speaking, sponsoring, or hosting an exhibit at a future event, please email symposium@arizonacoalition.org, call 866-4AZ-VETS (866-429-8387), or visit www.ArizonaCoalition.org/Symposium.

Arizona Veteran Supportive Employers: Careers + Support

Arizona Veteran Supportive Employers will discuss their efforts to provide careers and resources to transitioning service members, veterans, and their families. This interactive session will provide the steps to strengthen your organization’s engagement and support of veterans in the workplace and illustrate how the Arizona Roadmap to Veteran Employment can support your success.

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Adapting Health Strategies for Veterans with Injuries & Disabilities

Exercise and proper nutrition can be an additional challenge for veterans with physical injuries, brain trauma and/or PTSD. Finding the right nutrition and the proper exercise to suit individual physical needs may require working with specialists. Get hands-on experience with specialized equipment and learn about therapies, fitness and nutrition plans for veterans with special considerations.

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Caregiver Support

There are 1,560 caregivers enrolled in the Phoenix VA Caregiver Support Program and many more across the state that are caring for a loved one. Caregiver support is essential for the wellbeing of the veteran and the caregiver. Learn how spouses and children are empowered to support their veteran and themselves and strategies to provide the family with tools to survive and thrive.

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Innovations in Multi-Disciplinary Mental Health Care

The Tucson VA mental health team has developed an exciting and comprehensive model of care. This session will discuss the research supporting the Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program (BHIP) collaborative care model and how this program was conceptualized. An interdisciplinary team of nurses, psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers and peer specialists wrap around a veteran to address their mental health needs using evidence based practices focused on recovery.

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Crafting and Conducting Veteran Research: From Question to Discovery

Arizona State University (ASU) is a key partner in Be Connected and many efforts focused on the military and veteran population. Researchers will discuss their process, progress and expected outcomes on three subjects: better understanding the trajectories of well-being throughout a stressful period of a veteran’s life, veteran performance compared to athletes, and storytelling in the Latin veteran community.

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Case Studies on Military Decision Making

The moral and ethical decisions of military leaders have long-term consequences for the leaders, those they are responsible for and the impact of those decisions. Participants will study, discuss and debate perspectives on difficult decisions made and their short and long-term outcomes.

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Approaches and Tools to Support Mil/Vet/ Spouse Employment

Explore the world of military spouse and veteran hiring. Presenters will share tools for navigating the complexities of hiring and retaining military talent, as well as announce the launch of a new HR certification course that ACMF has partnered with ASU to develop. This session will also showcase support services to assist veterans and military spouses with their job search.

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Maintaining Health Post Military Service

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle post-military service can become challenging as a veteran’s lifestyle, environment, schedule and career changes. Cost-effective nutrition and exercise are important for long-term physical and mental wellness. This session will explore strategies for a focus on nutrition and exercise and how they can be incorporated for veterans of all ages.

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Resources to Support Military Children with Special Needs

Learn about the educational resources, support and services available to special needs children of service members and veterans. Therapeutic opportunities can help children thrive in their military environment. Engage in a therapeutic art activity focused on socialization, life skills and resilience, and participate in a demonstration of modification of physical activities for children.

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Navigating Evidence-Based Treatment Options for Trauma

This session will explore how to navigate the different evidence-based treatment options for trauma and PTSD. The session will include a discussion of treatment options and how clients and clinicians can select the appropriate treatment pathway. To illustrate one treatment option, the presenting clinicians will share a case-study example of PTSD with a demonstration of the Cognitive Processing Therapy protocol.

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Bridging the Gap Between VA Research and Service Delivery

VA researchers generate knowledge and insights that can inform service delivery. There is often a gap between the research world and the services delivered. Gain insights into VA research being done across the nation and in our three local Arizona VA Health Care Systems. Hear about the Million Veteran Program and learn how the VA and ASU partner in research to have a bigger impact.

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Arizona’s Rural Veteran Supportive Partners

Geography can make a difference in the experience of a service member transitioning out of the military and in the lives of veterans. Making the move back to civilian life in a rural environment can mean limited access to veteran service groups, healthcare and other resources. Arizona’s rural partners will highlight how they best serve rural veterans from across Arizona.

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Collaborative Success: Industry Partnerships & Apprenticeships

This session will showcase apprenticeship and training programs. Hear about the experiences of career seekers and employers and the benefits of engaging with these programs. Employers will discuss their success with the programs and strategies and support for implementation.

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The Importance of Sleep and Recovery

What can provide energy, heal the mind, increase metabolism, lower health risks and improve cognitive function? Sleep! Whole health experts will share research done on restorative sleep and the benefits of deep relaxation. A doctor will define the effects of sleep on productivity and focus and the different rest needs veterans face when it comes to traumatic brain injury and other bodily injuries. We think you will be excited to go to sleep tonight.

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The Impact of Deployments on Spouses & Military Children

This session will focus on the impact of deployments on family. Deployments may affect military spouses and children in different ways. Learn how developmental gaps can sometimes result from the impact of deployments and the programs that are available for families to support their mental health and wellness.

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From Vicarious Trauma to Resilience

Vicarious trauma is common for those working in the helping profession. Depending upon our work environment and job duties, mental health providers may be at risk for direct and/or indirect exposure to trauma, and compassion fatigue. This session will focus on overcoming adversity, preventing burnout and using self-care to become resilient, and to feel more positive about your contribution to the work, and to the greater good of society.

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From Research to Policy to Impact

As we collectively strive to solve challenging problems that affect our military, veteran and family population, it is vitally important to understand how research can translate to policy and programs in the community. Using a case study of veteran transportation, learn how research can guide policymakers and advocates alike to make evidence-based policies. Hear examples of research that have gone on to create impactful programs in Arizona.

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Military Immersion Training

Action movies are fun. Live action in person is even better! The coalition cadre will lead civilian participants through military immersion training. Participants will simulate military experiences with replica weapons and gear to engage participants in realistic scenarios.

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