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Family Liaison Officers learn from Walter Reed Army Medical Center

For ten Military Family Resource Centre (MFRC) Family Liaison Officers, a recent trip to the Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC) in Washington provided an excellent opportunity to learn more about the casualty support services provided for families in the United States, and to discuss how they could apply some of the same principles here at home.

Family Liaison Officers (FLOs) are social work professionals hired by local MFRCs to provide information, resources and counselling for the families of ill, injured and deceased personnel at Integrated Personnel Support Centres (IPSCs) across the country. Since FLOs have been in place for less than two years, the professional development trip to WRAMC provided a well-timed opportunity to bring the social workers together to discuss their work, and how they could apply the lessons learned – both from their American neighbours and from each other – in their own communities.

The FLOs visited WRAMC 27-29 September 2010. Their visit included tours of the health care facilities and family residences, and briefings from a wide variety of health care and social support professionals.

“I was very impressed by how integrated all of the services are at Walter Reed,” says Karen Cox, Toronto FLO. “The military, health care and social workers all work as a team. It’s a very holistic approach.”

Though the Canadian and American systems of care are different, families face similar challenges as they transition to new roles at work and at home. The FLOs relished the opportunity to learn about the diverse services provided at the world-class facility, and share information about best practices in supporting the families of ill, injured and deceased personnel.

“The American model is quite different from ours because it is so centralized: families come to Washington to be with the soldier throughout the rehabilitation, and they can end up staying there for months,” says Lisa Kennedy, Gagetown FLO. “They develop quite a sense of community, and there’s no stigma. The social support is built-in to the community atmosphere, and there was a peaceful and positive energy there for families.”

“What really stood out for me was the very high level of peer support, and family peer support that they have available,” noted Heather Matheson Gillis, Halifax FLO. “It confirmed for me the importance of having those networks and programs in place in our CF communities, so that families have access to support, whether through OSISS, the MFRC, counselling with the FLO, or other resources in the community.”

After three busy days of professional development, the FLOs have returned full of ideas for activities to run, workshops to consider, and new relationships to build in their communities.

“Our thanks go out to Sherry Whitaker from the WRAMC Department of Social Work who organized this trip, and all the staff at WRMAC,” says Ms. Kennedy. “It was an exceptional learning opportunity.” 

Photo:
Back (L to R): COL Peter T. McHugh, Garrison Commander; COL Eric Dessain, Regional Behavioral Health Consultant; Family Liaison Officers - Kelli McMillan, Helena Davis, Mike Merritt,Nicole Bedard, Karen Cox, Heather Matheson-Gillis, Allan Horwood, Lisa Kennedy and Josh Levine.
Front (L to R): Sherry Whitaker, Dept of Social Work; Linda Rasnake, Family Readiness Support Assistant, Dept of Social Work; Marlene Wilson, intern; and LTC Larry Guenther, Executive Officer Warrior Transtion Brigade.