Bluegrass Care Navigators Receives Grant Award from Disabled Veterans National Foundation

July 24, 2024

Bluegrass Care Navigators (BCN) is honored to announce it has received a grant from the Disabled Veterans National Foundation (DVNF) for $18,000 which will allow us to focus our Integrative Medicine therapies on serving more of our veteran patients across our service lines.   

“Thank you, DVNF, for your generous support,” Liz Fowler, President and CEO of BCN, said. “This grant empowers us to continue serving our veteran patients with integrative medicine therapies like art, music, and massage sessions. Your kindness ensures that all veterans, regardless of financial means, receive the holistic care they deserve." 


Joseph VanFonda (USMC Sgt.Maj. Ret.), CEO of the Disabled Veterans National Foundation, said, “At DVNF, we are committed to ensuring that veterans receive the comprehensive care they need and deserve. Supporting BCN's integrative medicine therapies is a vital step in addressing the complex physical and psychological challenges that many veterans face. We are proud to partner with BCN to enhance the quality of life for our nation’s heroes.” 


BCN offers comprehensive healthcare services with a special focus on veteran patients. We provide personalized medical care, including hospice and palliative care, grief counseling services, and specialized treatments tailored to the unique needs of veterans. Our dedicated team of healthcare professionals and volunteers are trained to address the physical and psychological challenges faced by veterans, such as PTSD and chronic pain. We also offer a Vet-to-Vet Companionship program through which we match veteran patients with volunteers who served in the same wars or time periods, seeking to provide social and emotional connections that only another veteran could provide to the patient. 


As veterans approach the end of life, those still grappling with unresolved military traumas may exhibit anxiety, agitation, nightmares, and behaviors that reflect their vigilant military service. Such challenges may include drug or substance abuse and interpersonal difficulties, necessitating guidance in navigating estranged relationships and fostering compassion and trust. Our BCN integrative medicine clinicians understand and recognize the need to continue using discipline-specific interventions and resources related to art, music, and massage therapy to address veterans' complex needs as they develop individualized care plans. Support from this DVNF grant will provide the resources necessary to ensure our veteran patients continue to receive the highest quality of care and support they deserve. 


About the Disabled Veterans National Foundation 

Disabled Veterans National Foundation exists to provide critically needed support to disabled and at-risk veterans who leave the military wounded—physically or psychologically—after defending our safety and our freedom. 

DVNF achieves this mission by: 


  • Offering direct financial support to veteran organizations that address the unique needs of veterans, and whose missions align with that of DVNF. 
  • Providing supplemental assistance to homeless and low-income veterans through the Health & Comfort program and various empowerment resources. 
  • Providing an online resource database that allows veterans to navigate the complex process of seeking benefits they are entitled to due to their military service and additional resources they need. 
  • Serving as a thought leader on critical policy issues within the veteran community and educating the public accordingly. 


About Bluegrass Care Navigators 

Established in 1978, Bluegrass Care Navigators is a nationally recognized, leading nonprofit provider of expert care for the frail and elderly in 32 counties across northern, central, and eastern Kentucky. Our compassionate team of over 700 employees and 300 volunteers supports more than 16,000 patients annually with transitional care, home health, PACE (the Program for All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly), palliative care, integrative medicine, hospice care, and grief counseling services. For more information on Bluegrass Care Navigators’ services, visit www.bgcarenav.org or call 855.492.0812. 


Media Contacts: 
Disabled Veterans National Foundation:
Meredith Fick, Communications Team, communications@dvnf.org 

Bluegrass Care Navigators: Aimee Hiller, Marketing Director, ahiller@bgcarenav.org 


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1. Reflect and remember Relive experiences in your thoughts. Allow the details and the emotions that come with them to be fully expressed. Explore memories as they come up. Trust that your system is bringing up these thoughts as part of your healing process. The repetition of painful memories helps flush out the strong emotions attached to them. 2. Share stories Talking about your loss provides a great deal of release. You may need to tell the same stories over and over as part of your healing. Support groups provide a place where you have the opportunity to be heard and can continue to talk about your grief in a supportive environment. 3. Write it down Keeping a journal is not for everyone, but it can be a powerful tool for healing. Writing about feelings and events can help you to identify emotions. Words help constructively channel these emotions and show a record of your progress. 4. Don’t be afraid to cry Tears can relieve a lot of pressure and tension. Learn to trust your body’s need to cry or not. Individuals grieve differently. Tears are not a sign of weakness and do not mean that your emotions are out of control. 5. Make space for your loss People commonly fall out of their routines after the loss of a loved one. Because of this, they may feel they have too much unstructured time in which to grieve. It is OK to take time to sit with a loss. Other days, you may feel the need to be as busy as possible. Make time to create quite moments to work through your feelings. Respecting your needs for healing and creating opportunities to grieve is important. 6. Take care of yourself Do your best to nourish your body and rest. Get outside and enjoy the fresh air. Exercise can release a surprising amount of tension, anger and frustration. It is important to make self-care a priority. Our grief care services are for anyone in the community who has experienced the loss of a loved one. Discover how our team can help you and your family by contacting us through our website or calling 855.492.0812 .
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Everyone deals with grief, which can be painful at times. Most grieving people will experience some of the feelings outlined below. Ask yourself the following questions to help determine if you might benefit from grief services. Has your patience level changed? Are you always irritable? Are you always annoyed? Are you always intolerant? Are you always angry? Do you feel numbness or isolation? Are you experiencing an ongoing sense of numbness? Are you experiencing an ongoing sense of being isolated from yourself or from others? Do you feel alone with your grief? Do you usually feel that you have no one to talk to about what has happened? Are you anxious or fearful about death? Since your loved one died, are you highly anxious most of the time about your own death or the death of someone you love? Are these feelings beginning to interfere with your relationships, your ability to concentrate or your ability to live as you would like to live? Are you consumed by thoughts of your loved one or their death? Do you feel that you are always and continually preoccupied with memories or thoughts of your loved one? Do you feel that you are always and continually preoccupied with the death itself? Do you feel that you are always and continually preoccupied with certain aspects of the death even after several months? Do you feel restlessness or the need to stay busy? Do you usually feel restless or in “high gear?” Do you feel the need to be constantly busy beyond what is normal for you? Do you fear intimacy or closeness with others? Are you afraid of becoming close to new people in fear of losing them? Do you think being close with others will cause pain? Are your behaviors becoming harmful? Are you drinking more than you used to? Are you using more prescription or non-prescription drugs? Are you engaging in sexual activity that is unsafe or unwise? Are you driving in an unsafe or reckless manner? Are you considering serious thoughts of suicide? Do you feel overwhelmed with responsibility for surviving family and close friends? Are you feeling heavily burdened or like you are taking on too much? Are you angry or feel like the situation is suffocating? Are you resentful because you feel as though no one is there for you? Are you continually limiting your reactions and emotions? Are you experiencing only a few of the reactions or emotions that usually come with grief? Are you unable to express your thoughts or feelings about your loved one and their death through words and actions? Are you only remembering certain aspects of your loved one or your relationship together? Do you feel like you are going crazy? Are you wondering if what you are experiencing is normal? Do you feel stuck or unable to move on? A helping hand and a listening ear can be valuable while grieving. If any of these feelings continue for a prolonged period of time, or become extremely intense, you may benefit from additional help from a grief care professional. Our grief care services are for anyone in the community who has experienced the loss of a loved one. Discover how our team can help you and your family by contacting us through our website or calling 855.492.0812 .
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