CVS Health Awards $20,000 Grant to Rhode Island Vet Corps
GoLocalProv Health Team
CVS Health Awards $20,000 Grant to Rhode Island Vet Corps
The program will connect Rhode Island veterans and active servicemen and women transitioning to civilian life to services throughout the state, including mental and physical health, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) treatment, employment, and education services.
“The economic climate in Rhode Island has greatly affected veterans, and the RI Vet Corps initiative is vital to ensuring our veterans receive the support they need when returning from military service,” said Paul Salera, President/CEO at Westbay Community Action. “We are grateful to CVS Health for this grant which will help ensure veterans have the opportunity to receive services that will help them prepare for their futures.”
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The RI Vet Corps was initiated in response to a statewide veteran needs analysis which identified a gap in the number of veterans in Rhode Island and the number of veterans receiving services. Rhode Island’s economic climate has disproportionately affected veterans with unemployment rates significantly higher than the national unemployment rate for veterans.
Transition into civilian life
The peer-to-peer model will connect veterans to RI Vet Corps members called navigators. These navigators are veterans or family members of veterans who understand the challenges active military servicemen and women face through their own personal experiences and their training as navigators. By linking veterans to navigators, veterans will have the support and access to programs across Rhode Island that are essential to helping them transition back into civilian life successfully.
“We are proud to support military service members from local communities throughout Rhode Island and to help create the support channels they so critically need when returning from active duty,” said David Casey, Vice President, Workforce Strategies and Chief Diversity Officer for CVS Health. “We are committed to helping people on their path to better health, and through access to physical & mental health, education, employment, and job skills training services, we know the RI Vet Corps will have a significant impact on the state’s newest generation of veterans.”
In addition to supporting RI Vet Corps, CVS Health has also made a commitment to supporting military veterans by continuing the company’s long-standing tradition of hiring qualified veterans, current Guard and Reserve members and military spouses across all parts of the business.
CVS Health also participates in the White House program Joining Forces and has committed to hiring veterans and military spouses for twenty-five percent of new hires in logistics and distribution centers, and is one of nine Chairman’s Circle national sponsors of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Hiring Our Heroes initiative.