Tampa, FL (Nov. 10, 2014) – U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis will discuss efforts by the federal government and U.S. Congress to provide treatment services for veterans on Monday, Nov. 17, at a national conference hosted by University of South Florida College of Nursing. The 3rd Annual JOINING FORCES TO RESTORE LIVES conference, which focuses on nursing education, practice and research in veterans’ health, will be held at the USF Health Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation (CAMLS) in downtown Tampa.
Rep. Bilirakis will also discuss his proposed Creating Options for Veterans’ Expedited Recovery (COVER) Act, legislation that would examine the Department of Veterans Affairs current therapy model and how it might incorporate complementary alternative therapies.
Following the talk by Rep. Bilirakis, the college will hold a special presentation on treatment approaches to alleviate post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in military service members and veterans, including Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART). This therapy is a promising, brief treatment for PTSD currently being studied at the USF College of Nursing.
The presentation will be led by Colonel A. P. Finnegan, PhD, RN, FRCN, L/QARANC, professor of nursing and head of the academic department of military nursing at Royal Centre for Defense Medicine; Kevin Kip, PhD, FAHA, distinguished professor and executive director for research center at USF Nursing; and Diego Hernandez, PsyD, licensed clinical psychologist and assistant professor at USF Nursing.
“The USF College of Nursing is thrilled to join forces with other nursing leaders and experts around the country to help meet the needs of veterans, service members and their families,” said Dianne Morrison-Beedy, PhD, RN, WHNP-BC, FNAP, FAANP, FAAN, senior associate vice president of USF Health and dean of the College of Nursing.
This conference is part of USF Nursing’s commitment to support the Joining Forces campaign, a comprehensive national initiative to mobilize all sectors of society to support and honor America’s service members and their families. Attendees will include global nursing executives, scientists, faculty, researchers, educators, advanced practice nurses and registered nurses interested in supporting veterans’ health education and research.
For more information on the event visit the USF College of Nursing website: Jfrlconference.health.usf.edu.
-USF Health-
USF Health’s mission is to envision and implement the future of health. It is the partnership of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, the College of Nursing, the College of Public Health, the College of Pharmacy, the School of Biomedical Sciences and the School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences; and the USF Physician’s Group. The University of South Florida is a global research university ranked 50th in the nation by the National Science Foundation for both federal and total research expenditures among all U.S. universities. For more information, visit www.health.usf.edu.
Media contact:
Vjollca “V” Hysenlika, College of Nursing Communications
(813)974-2017, or vhysenli@health.usf.edu
