Military Children, Families, and Communities: Supporting Those Who Serve

Abstract

* Abbreviations: AAP — : American Academy of Pediatrics DoD — : Departent of Defense SOUS — : Section on Uniformed Services WWII — : World War II More than 2 million children in the United States live in military families and 90 000 infants are born to these families each year. Bright Futures: Guidelines for Health Supervision of Infants, Children, and Adolescents , third edition,1 a publication of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), outlines an approach to comprehensive care for the individual child in the context of his or her family, as well as the community. Understanding the unique concerns of military families, such as the stress of parental wartime separation, and the specific resources available to these families, can help prepare all pediatric providers to meet the needs of this population regardless of where a medical home is established. Although military pediatricians are subject matter experts on military children and family needs, military pediatricians are not the sole providers of care for military children. Up to 50% of children in military families obtain their primary care outside of a military medical facility.2 Some service members’ families leave military installations and return “home” during deployment and obtain local pediatric care. National Guard and Reserve members often use established local resources, rather than switch to active-duty services during their “activation.” The Department of Defense (DoD) direct health care system is not large enough to care for all military children. Therefore, all pediatricians should be familiar with the population of American children who live in military families. A review of the historical perspective and the current demographics of the US military family is helpful when framing the challenges faced by military children and those who care for them. Military and civilian pediatricians are better prepared to articulate the concerns of military children and support their needs if they understand the child within the context of his or her family and community. For most of its history, the … Address correspondence to Beth Ellen Davis MD MPH, Department of Pediatrics, Madigan Army Medical Center, Tacoma WA 98431. E-mail: bedavis{at}uw.edu