On November 2nd, Americans for the Arts sponsored a congressional briefing in advance of Veterans Day and the coinciding congressional district work period to share some of the latest  partnership and program work supporting Veterans and their families.

 

The Congressional Arts Caucus and its co-chairs Reps. Louise Slaughter (D-NY) and Leonard Lance (R-NJ) served as coordinating hosts.

Staff learned some of the research and work of the National Initiative for Arts & Health in the Military and resources to find local organizations that are providing creative arts therapies to Veterans and their families in their districts. Expert panelists including Laura P. Krejci, associate director, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Patient Centered Care and Cultural Transformation shared examples of some of the projects and partnership work that the VA is undertaking. Also presenting was Ashley Atkins, Ph.D., manager, corporate contributions and community relations for Johnson & Johnson; Brigadier General Nolen V. Bivens, US Army, ret.; and Marete A. Wester, senior director of arts policy at Americans for the Arts.

Read more in this in-depth blog post.