FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Gregg Laskoski
Mobile: 352-345-5829
K9 PARTNERS FOR PATRIOTS JOINS AMERISOURCE-BERGEN EFFORT TO ERASE MENTAL HEALTH STIGMA
BROOKSVILLE, FL (Oct. 31, 2022) — When the AmerisourceBergen Foundation, an independent not-for-profit charitable giving organization, gathered to discuss health-related causes that enrich the global community, K9 Partners for Patriots was honored to be among more than 50 nonprofit partners attending the foundation’s fourth annual Grantee & Nonprofit Partner Conference. The two-day event held in Conshohocken, PA helped to facilitate collaboration, best-practice sharing and discussions about how to improve and impact the quality, equity and access to healthcare for global change.
Leaders from nonprofit partners such as the CDC Foundation spoke to the importance of tapping into the power of policy and partnerships to make an impact on communities; and the opportunity to build trust on a local-level by listening with intention and collaboration with fellow community-organizations and businesses.
Several nonprofit partners, including Not One More Vet, Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA), Nurse-Family Partnership and K9 Partners for Patriots, shared their common goal and challenge of breaking down the stigma of mental health.
Robert White, chief operating officer for K9 Partners for Patriots, told the gathering:
“Educating service members, veterans as well as the local community about the signs and symptoms of PTSD is key in eliminating the stigma of accessing mental health care. The perilous pattern of self-isolation too often leads to the premature end of life. Admitting that you have symptoms of PTSD does not mean that you are broken or weak. Not all scars are visible and seeking mental health care should be viewed the same as seeking care for physical problems.”
He added, “Mental healthcare needs more awareness from the general public as well as the V.A. which will hopefully lead to more funding and treatment solutions. Too many lives have been lost to PTSD and our goal is to eliminate this tragedy.”
Panelists noted the importance or working collectively and recounted the challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic had on the increase in mental health-related incidents and the urgency people must now have to eliminate the problem and ultimately giving people an opportunity at life.
About the AmerisourceBergen Foundation
The AmerisourceBergen Foundation is an independent not-for-profit charitable giving organization established by AmerisourceBergen Corporation to support health-related causes that enrich the global community. The Foundation aims to improve the health and well-being of its patient populations – both human and animal – by investing in its communities. Through strategic partnerships and community collaboration, the Foundation works to expand access to quality healthcare and provide resources to ensure prescription drug safety. For more information, visit www.amerisourcebergenfoundation.org.
K9 Partners for Patriots K9PartnersForPatriots.org is a nonprofit 501c3 organization based in Brooksville, FL. We exist to prevent veteran suicide, to provide hope and healing for those struggling with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Traumatic Brain Injury or Military Sexual Trauma. Together we provide a positive path forward through the experience of training and caring for their own service dog in a safe environment of camaraderie, friendship & family that brings veterans from self-doubt to self-confidence; from isolation to reconnection.
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