Military, Veterans, and Supporters ERG raises awareness through R.E.D. Fridays, more

03/23/22 05:55:pm

Rogers employees are invited to show their support for active military members by wearing red on Fridays and using the new R.E.D. Fridays Teams background. This is an initiative made possible by the Military, Veterans, and Supporters (MVS) Employee Resource Group (ERG), the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion team, and Marketing.

“Though the origins of the ‘Wear R.E.D. Fridays’ movement may be debated, its intent is to ‘Remember Everyone Deployed,’” says Matthew Pflepsen, LMS administrator.

“Through a simple gesture of wearing something red or downloading the R.E.D. Fridays Teams background, you can spark conversation and show you stand with those who are currently serving our country.”

With the U.S. deploying thousands of troops to Europe in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the MVS ERG is also offering support to employees and patients with family members or friends directly affected by this war.

For instance, the MVS ERG offered a Brave Space conversation earlier this month led by Sue McKenzie Dicks, vice president of healthy culture, to help those with a personal connection to the events in Ukraine.

Additionally, the MVS ERG recently hosted a lunch and learn for employees in partnership with the Milwaukee Zablocki Medical Center. The topic was “Asking the question: The importance of military and veteran identity in mental healthcare.”

Representatives from the Veterans Administration Outpatient Clinic in Appleton and the Milwaukee Zablocki Medical Center presented on the importance of asking our patients about military-connectedness by providing education about military culture and relevant mental health challenges and resources.

“Working to understand military culture is an important component of the equity, diversity, and inclusion efforts of Rogers,” says RaeAnne HoFung, PhD, clinical supervisor in Brown Deer. “As is true of all identities, we start to understand how to best support a patient who has a military service history by first asking the question and opening space for the patient to share the importance of that identity to them."

"Knowing a person’s history of military service can aid us in understanding unique strengths and challenges related to service, as well as inform connection to community resources," she continues. "Like with other cultures, military culture has its own set of customs, traditions, values, and norms. To best serve our patients, we need to attend to how their identities, lived experiences, and context intersects with their mental health.”

A recording of the presentation is available to watch, and you may also download a list of humanitarian resources.

If you need support or know of a colleague who does, Rogers’ Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion leaders and MVS ERG leaders are here to help.