A new program called Hero Health Hire is the health care industry’s commitment to make jobs available to some of the 10,000 wounded warriors who transition each month from the military into the workforce. The 2011 Hero Health Hire Employment Summit, held 22 June, brought together senior government officials and military leaders, federal and local legislators, and health care industry representatives who discussed recruiting practices for veterans and wounded warriors, challenges for those transitioning into the civilian workforce, support that wounded vets and employers need for their efforts, and the next steps for instituting hiring and retention processes. The unemployment rate for younger Iraq and Afghanistan veterans is at about 30 percent, so the Defense Department (DoD) is working closely with the Departments of Labor (DoL), Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and Veterans Affairs (VA) to create better programs to provide jobs for these our veterans. To read this article in its entirety, please go to: http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=64423
Troy’s posting is gratifying to read. It shows that the government and the healthcare industry are stepping up to develop programs and provide jobs for wounded veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. I can attest to the importance of this in one’s career as I benefited from the GI Bill providing the means to obtain an advanced life sciences degree some 40 years ago as a returning Viet Nam veteran. That program provided the education necessary for a long career in the health care industry. Today I work for Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics as a clinical scientitst and provide career mentoring to an Iraq Veteran through a Siemens sponsored program. I hope that the Healthcare industry in general answers this call to provide training and jobs to the most deserving of our Irag and Afaghanistan veterans; those who were wounded serving their country.