Following the success of Americans for the Arts’ National Initiative for Arts & Health in the Military summit in February 2015, an invitation was extended to our President and CEO, Bob Lynch, to write a guest column for a spring issue of the NACo County News. NACo’s Veterans Affairs Committee features the guest column online: Arts Help Veterans Heal.

Citing recent research that show the arts playing a role in in helping the military sustain and promote troop force and family readiness, Lynch believes it is our duty as a society to step up and do our part to face the challenges that our veterans, service members, and their families face as realities. Life-changing injuries, both physical and mental, affect the soldier, military children, families, and caregivers. One in five returning service members suffers from PTSD, TBI, or depression and the awful truth is that the number of service members who commit suicide outnumbers those killed in actual combat.

The arts as innovative and integrative options to traditional healthcare are undergoing acceptance through partnerships between arts organizations, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and veteran service organizations.  Evidence-based research shows that individuals engaging in expressive arts therapies sleep better, have lessened depression and anxiety, and improved impulse control and concentration. These qualities will make it possible for our service members to make successful transitions and, ultimately, reintegration into the community and workforce.

To learn more about this topic, visit the National Initiative for Arts & Health in the Military for all things arts and military.