Veteran's Day is just a few days away and we’re reflecting with gratitude on the service and sacrifices made by our military veterans and their families.
Access to healthcare for veterans and service members continues to be an issue in the United States. They deserve the best care and support, but they don’t always get it.
That’s why supporting veterans is one of FMCA’s core values. We don’t often talk about this work, but it’s been part of our company mission since the beginning. Today, we're putting the spotlight on veterans. They deserve it, and more!
FMCA supports veterans in two key ways:
Partnership with Warrior Wellness Solutions
“When I learned of Warrior Wellness Solutions’ mission to bring Functional Medicine coaching to our nation’s wounded veterans and their families, I had to get involved.” - FMCA founder Dr. Sandra Scheinbaum
Over the past few years, FMCA has built a thriving partnership with Warrior Wellness Solutions (WWS). This inspiring nonprofit organization provides personalized services like Functional Medicine Health Coaching, mindfulness, stress management, and wellness education to wounded, ill, and injured warriors, their families, and caregivers.
WWS’s work is SO important! They tailor their programs to veterans and service members who incurred a physical or mental injury, illnesses, or wound co-incident to their military service.
Through this partnership, we’ve been able to offer scholarships to WWS’s founders, Elija Sacra (USMC Veteran) and Clarissa Kussin, who are now Functional Medicine Certified Health Coaches through FMCA. Some of the veterans WWS serves have decided to pursue a career in health coaching themselves, and we’ve been honored to grant those students tuition scholarships. FMCA has also led a fundraising effort for WWS and provided donations as well.
“Veterans frequently feel isolated when leaving military life and transitioning into the civilian world,” says IFM’s Bianca Garilli, ND, USMC Veteran. “A health coach who combines their Functional Medicine expertise with their military experience is uniquely qualified to create effective, healing partnerships with veterans based on camaraderie and mutual trust.” We’re so grateful for the opportunity to support the meaningful and valuable work of this organization.
Military Tuition Discount
In addition to being great candidates for receiving coaching, veterans themselves can also make amazing coaches. So FMCA has a standing offer for all the veterans out there:
Veterans, do YOU want to become a Functional Medicine Certified Health Coach?
Contact FMCA to learn more about special Military tuition discounts.
So far, we’ve welcomed 11 veterans into the program through military tuition, and we hope that number continues to grow as more veterans tap into their gift for Functional Medicine Health Coaching.
What makes veterans such natural coaches? Bianca Garilli says that much of the training and experiences they’ve had set them up for success. "Making the decision to join the military requires a strong sense of commitment. Throughout a service members’ years in the military, they will undergo rigorous training and personal development that will further cultivate a highly organized, self-driven, passionate, service-oriented individual with the ability to both lead and follow, and work well alone and in teams. Combining this unique skill set into a career as a functional medicine health coach makes all the sense in the world" Bianca says.
We wholeheartedly agree. By lowering the barriers to becoming a health coach, we hope to empower veterans to tap into their strength and experience to help others transform their health.
Thank You, Veterans
This Veterans Day, join us in acknowledging all the brave people who have served this country (and as many of our community are not from the US, we invite you to reflect on those who have fought for causes you care about). Servicemembers and veterans make sacrifices most of us could never dream of, and they deserve all the gratitude and support we can give. FMCA is honored to do our part in serving them!
To learn more about FMCA's Functional Medicine Health Coach training program, click here.
