The MHNGS portal [www.mhngs.com] will undergo scheduled maintenance and be unavailable between Friday, June 7th at 8pm PDT and Saturday, June 8th at midnight PDT.
This maintenance will impact your ability to enter activity forms and access other administrative functions through the portal. To prepare for this scheduled downtime, please ensure your activity forms, timekeeping, expenses and so forth are complete for the week prior to 8pm PDT on Friday, June 7th.
On Monday, May 27, Centene
will join communities across the country in recognizing Memorial Day, a federal
holiday honoring the brave individuals who made the ultimate sacrifice while
serving in the U.S. military. Centene is proud of the exceptional services
Military & Family Life Counselors (MFLCs) provide each day at installations
throughout the world, supporting those who serve and their families and those
left behind by loved ones who have made the ultimate sacrifice.
This past weekend at Fort
Bragg, MFLCs had the opportunity to support the Boots Memorial
Display. This is an important and special event to Fort Bragg and the SOS
program. Two of our MFLCs served on Sunday in hot temperatures during the
middle of the day, though the experience and privilege to serve was worth the
sweat and discomfort. Below is a snapshot from their experience.
From Joanne: I just
wanted to let you know what an honor and a privilege it was to provide support
at this event. I was there from noon until 4pm and it was great to listen to
some of the stories of the survivors who lost loved ones. I could tell that the
soldiers and family members truly appreciated an MFLC presence during the
event. I had the honor of listening to one soldier share memories of a team
member he lost last year, and with the death of the team member being so recent
he could not believe how many more boots there were after him already (the
boots were arranged in chronological order by date).
I’ll be honest and say it
was a bit emotional for me as well, not only to hear those stories but because
I personally knew 6 of the soldiers that the boots represent. So a bit of a
tear-jerker, but I would provide support for and attend this event again
in a heartbeat. It was HOT out, but so worth it!
From Monica: I just wanted
you all to know that it was such an honor and humbling privilege to support the
SOS today. I met a mother who was there and showed me the picture of her son,
whose 19th birthday is today, I am going to be honest I was holding down the
knot in my throat as I couldn’t help but think of my own son who is serving
now. I remained strong and just asked her to tell me a little more about him,
she did……. we smiled and she thanked me. I also spoke with a mother and
daughter who were there for their son/brother. This mother actually said she
used to volunteer at SOS just last year, she showed me his picture and we spoke
about her son.
It was super-hot today but
compared to what these families and friends have gone through, I would do it
again no matter the temperature.
As Centene’s MFLC
counselors, you all embody the company’s commitment to our active duty military
and their families through the exceptional Military & Family Life
Counseling services you provide on installations throughout the world.
Thank you all for your daily
service and support to our service members and their families.
Click on the following link for access to Month of the Military Child resources including printable posters, stickers and tons of ways to celebrate the military child: https://www.militarychild.org/MOMC_Toolkit
Rachael Vaphides, School MFLC for Naval Base San Diego in
California worked with the children at her school to create this beautiful
representation of military children. The children traced their hands and then
used stickers to represent deployments, currently deployed parents and the number
of different schools they have attended. They decided how it would be displayed
(by grade level) and counted all the stickers to give us an accurate portrayal
of how these children’s lives have been impacted by deployment.
Wednesday, April 24 & Thursday, April 25, 2019, the Department of Defense Spouse Education and Career Opportunities team is hosting the 2019 Virtual Military Spouse Symposium. This two-day virtual event will feature eight interactive sessions designed exclusively for military spouses. For more information on this important resource for military spouses, please click here.
Dr. Yalda T. Uhls, Senior Advisor for Common Sense Media and author of Media Moms & Digital Dads: A Fact Not Fear Approach to Parenting in the Digital Age answers parent’s questions and offers insight and practical advice about establishing screen time boundaries.
As we enter the holiday season, the services and support you provide through the MFLC Program for our nation’s military men and women becomes even more important. Thank you for all you do to support today’s military service members and their families.
Best wishes for a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday,
MHNGS MFLC Management Team
Featuring conversations with Bob Bertsch, Web Technology Specialist, North Dakota State University and Elizabeth Wright, Program Manager, U.S. Military Exceptional Family Member Program, this episode explores what researchers know about professional support networks and offers key strategies to help professionals thrive.
Each month host Alicia Cassels introduces individuals who excel in challenging professional fields and interviews experts in medical, social and management sciences to explore what keeps professionals engaged and thriving at work.
CEU Information & Certificates of Completion
.5 CEU is available for this podcast through the University of Texas School of Social Work. These educational hours may be submitted by professionals to meet continuing education requirements for renewal of Social Work, Professional Counselor, and Family Therapist licenses. The University of Texas at Austin School of Social Work is an approved CEU provider in all but the following 11 states: Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, New York, North Dakota, Ohio and Oklahoma.
Participants are encouraged to check with their states’ latest licensing rules to confirm reciprocity and CEU rules.
As the nation prepares to pay tribute on Labor Day to the American worker, we can’t help but reflect on the great dedication and service provided through MHNGS’ MFLC counselors throughout the world and the difference that support makes in the lives of our nation’s service members and the military family.
Please take a moment during your Labor Day weekend to reflect on your important work and the positive impact you make through the MFLC Program.
Wishing you a restful and restorative break,
Pam Swanson & Betsy McBride
Senior Program Directors, MFLC Program
SPA Service Delivery Toolkit
