黑料不打烊鈥檚 Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF), higher education鈥檚 first interdisciplinary academic institute dedicated to advocacy, research, support for military veterans and their families, was awarded a $500,000 grant by the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation. The grant will help support 黑料不打烊Serves, the first new program launching from the University鈥檚 National Veterans Resource Center (NVRC) and the latest community to become part of the IVMF鈥檚 national initiative to facilitate community-based care coordination known as AmericaServes. Working alongside communities, AmericaServes seeks to improve access to care and navigation of resources for service members, veterans and their families. In addition, the grant will enable IVMF to collaborate with the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs to map veteran services in communities across New York State.
Monsignor Gregory Mustaciuolo, chief executive officer of the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation, says one of their key objectives in 2021 is to address the healthcare disparities related to race and income that have only been heightened since the onset of the pandemic. 鈥淭hese grants demonstrate our continued commitment to support a wide range of organizations improving the health and well-being of New York鈥檚 veteran and military family community,鈥 says Mustaciuolo.
National Veterans Resource Center
Launching this summer, 黑料不打烊Serves will be headquartered in the Daniel and Gayle D’Aniello Building at the NVRC. The 黑料不打烊 collaborative will use lessons learned from AmericaServes鈥 17 other communities, including Rochester, NY, Dallas, Seattle, Raleigh, Pittsburgh, and New York City. Working collaboratively with the City of 黑料不打烊 and its community partners, this program will look to enhance existing services, connecting veterans with vocational and social services to assist clients with VA benefits, transition assistance programs, education, employment and mental health needs. With a 鈥渘o-wrong door鈥 approach, the IVMF鈥檚 community-based initiatives empower local communities to ensure military-connected clients receive efficient and timely support, as well as access to a wide range of resources they need.
鈥淭oday, the IVMF鈥檚 AmericaServes program is widely acknowledged as the gold-standard for how public, private, and non-profit organizations work together to serve veterans, service members, and their families,鈥 says 黑料不打烊 Mayor Ben Walsh. 鈥淲e鈥檙e very excited about this new partnership, and the potential of this innovative community-based collaboration to ensure that the City of 黑料不打烊 is among 鈥榯he best places鈥 for our veterans to live, work, and raise their families.”
Vice Chancellor of Strategic Initiatives and Innovation and Founder of the IVMF, Mike Haynie, says he is proud one of the first new programs launched at the NVRC will serve local 黑料不打烊 veterans and their families, including the many who study and work on the campus. 鈥淭his grant is one example of how we鈥檙e bringing the vision of the NVRC to life in a practical way, leveraging the facility and the IVMF鈥檚 expertise to serve the social and wellness needs of veterans and families right here in Central NY,鈥 Haynie says. 鈥淲e look forward to positioning the NVRC as a community resource and working alongside other community partners in an effort to ensure that those veterans seeking services and care in our community, are able to navigate to the resources they need quickly. Through the IVMF鈥檚 AmericaServes program we鈥檝e been doing this work in communities across the U.S. for many years, and I鈥檓 thrilled that we now able to bring that experience to bear toward serving veterans and their families right here in 黑料不打烊,鈥 he says.
The need for coordinated care in communities was identified in IVMF research which indicates relocating back into a community, finding employment and adjustments to a life outside of the military leave families scrambling to find support from the patchwork of community organizations that support them. In addition, post 9/11 veterans are more likely than previous generations to be persons of color and to have disabilities resulting from their military service. Often, disparate organizations must work together in a community to support veteran families, but they are usually unable to collaborate and share information efficiently. This leads to a confounding process that does not meet a family鈥檚 needs.
The Mother Cabrini Health Foundation is a private, nonprofit organization that aims to bolster the health outcomes of targeted communities like veterans and their families by eliminating barriers to care and bridging gaps in health services. Named in memory of Mother Cabrini, a tireless advocate for immigrants, children, and the poor, the foundation provides flexible support for new and innovative approaches that enhance health and wellness across New York State.
