Blue Star Families’ Post

May is Military Appreciation Month, a time to honor and recognize the contributions and sacrifices of the men and women who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces. Every day, American service members and their families make the selfless decision to help defend our freedoms and safety around the globe. Military life often involves huge sacrifices – whether it’s relocating far from family and friends or service members’ spouses giving up their own careers to keep their family unit together. There are countless ways to show your appreciation and give back to our veterans, active military personnel and their families. One of the simplest ways of showing appreciation is to say, “thank you.” You might also consider giving a military spouse a hand in their day-to-day lives. If you know a deployed military family, why not drop off a meal, offer to babysit or take their dog for a walk? And if you’re a business owner, giving back can be as easy as providing a military discount. These small gestures can go a long way in supporting service members and their families. As a veteran myself, I understand the importance of support and camaraderie within the military community and I encourage you to join me in showing appreciation in whatever way you can, both this month and always. #MilitaryAppreciationMonth #MilitaryAppreciation #Veterans #SupportOurVeterans

It's Veterans Day! It's a tribute to military veterans who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces. Not to be confused with Memorial Day, which honors those who died while in service, Veterans Day honors all military veterans, including those still with us. ❤️💙🤍 Facts about Veterans Day: 📜 • 19.5M: The approximate number of veterans in the United States. • 9M: The number of veterans over the age of 65. • 5.06M: The number of veterans receiving disability compensation. • 2M: The number of female veterans of those receiving disability compensation. • 500k: The number of World War II veterans still living in the United States. • 1.56 million: The number of veterans in California is the country's highest number. • 1.46 million: The number of veterans in Texas, the second-highest number in the country. • 11%: The percentage of veterans who experience homelessness. #VeteransDay #ThankYou #Honor #LakeMillsOffice #LakeMills #ZempelInsurance

Nice article about the Warrior PATHH Program from one of our partner organizations.

I've never been a Navy Seal. (if you know me in person, you just laughed & for good reason. "Looking" athletic & Being athletic are 2 VERY different things. Just ask any of my PE teachers👎🏻). I've never been in the Navy...or in the military. But I'm an observer of human behavior. (side note: this may explain my fascination w/ utter rubbish reality TV. Everything from "90 Day Fiance" to "Alone." My brain always wants to figure out, "Why are you the way that you are??" 🤔) On a Professional level, I appreciate the determination, perseverance, & general attitude that comes with military service. They may not all have the same motivation for choosing to serve their country, but there is something motivating them. For many, it also comes w/ a higher level of integrity, a higher sense of Team > Self. It can be seen before they ever say a word, even long after they've retired or discharged into the civilian world. It doesn't require being in uniform b/c they've embodied a purpose. Why did I say Professional and not Personal? Well, frankly, b/c it's how I approach my career. I'm here to serve patients that I'll likely never meet & they'll never know I exist, even though I've just read the majority of their medical history. I may be in a coding & compliance sector of healthcare & have 0 interaction w/ the human on the other side of this medical record, but my actions can be determine if the patient has a great visit (as defined by the patient) w/ their physician. Carelessness on my end results in frustration for a provider, but if I can prepare - in quick, succinct fashion - new/updated info that has relevant impact to patient care & treatment plan, then I've anticipated & met a need. Now the patient has more time looking their Doctor in the eyes instead of the physician searching thru EHR/EMR files for the latest labs *or any other applicable scenario.* I'm no Seal. I never will be. But there is an interesting parallel to military service & healthcare careers - serving perfect strangers, & the job, when done correctly, is largely unnoticed. And it's not about recognition. If you've ever thanked a military member, they'll be polite about it, but to them, they are just doing a job. I chose coding & CDI b/c my introverted self loves that while I'm very similar to a nurse, there are no needles, no bodily fluids, & I'm not re-introducing myself 27 times a day. (to those of you who are patient-facing, God bless your patience & compassion for the work you do!) As for why I don't apply the same discipline to my Personal life...well, I'm a Class A procrastinator, & if there were a support group for it, I'd think about joining...tomorrow...maybe. Or...maybe I'll stop procrastinating, & read #UnSEALed as I have Mark Greene just staring at me from the cover where I laid the book by my work station. I suppose if anything can kick my butt into not procrastinating, it may be an unblinking Navy Seal just...watching me waste time. 👀 😂

Purchasing this challenge coin is a direct way to support our mission to find homeless veterans. As our Founder said, "when you hear about 'the cracks in the system', they mean the distance between where that veteran is on the street and the system they have given up on, or has given up on them." Our team fills those cracks and our entire outreach mission, though we help everybody that we find, is geared towards finding our veterans. Your support helps us continue our efforts. Show that you took the challenge and helped our homeless veterans! https://lnkd.in/erghzYV #vets #veterans #marines #usmc #army #navy #airforce #coastguard #military #brotherhood #suicideprevention #codeofvets #veterans #supportourveterans #veteransupport #usveterans #veteranshelpingveterans #veteransuicideawareness #veteransusa #veteransadministration #veteransforveterans #nobodyshouldfreezetodeathinamerica

Let me preface this by saying this in no way involves the current company I work for! 🇺🇸💼 As a veteran and military spouse, it's disheartening to see that companies claiming to support the military community often turn out to be the biggest offenders, belittling service members instead of helping them grow. It's concerning that these companies fail to recognize the valuable skills and experiences of veterans and military spouses. Let's advocate for genuine support and respect for our community within all organizations. #SupportVeterans #MilitarySpouses #LeadershipDevelopment #RespectOurTroops #EthicalEmployers

Please watch! The messages in this video are amazing because you don't have to serve to learn these messages and you don't have to serve to implement the lessons compiled in the video into your career and the corporate world. No matter where we are it's so important to learn the ends and outs of leadership and to apply what you know to grow your team. Remembering that everyone around you needs to be encouraged and no one should be left behind. Good leaders lead from the front but great leaders constantly check on those in the rear.

We are honored to be recognized as a Military Times: Best for Vets Employer for the fourth consecutive year! As we approach Veterans day, we honor all those who have served and extend our gratitude to all those we have the privilege of serving through our work in healthcare. To learn more about our work with the Veteran community and this year's Military Times: Best for Vets Employer awardees, check out our latest update on The Link. #veteransday #bestforvets #healthcareadministration