Health & fitness resources for the military community
Scroll down to learn more about the following resources:
Addiction treatment
Cancer
Chiropractor
Dental
Fitness (includes free gym memberships)
Health and wellness solutions
Health information resources
Hospice
Medical
Terminal illness
Yoga & alternative therapies
Addiction treatment
All Treatment
AllTreament.com was created to provide a better user experience for finding substance abuse treatment based on treatment models, payment, insurance taken, length of treatment and your location. You may also find addiction treatment centers by the state that you would like to go to. You will also have the ability to locate rehabs that will accept your your insurance plans; private, state and governmental.
Cancer
Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry
The Veterans Affairs Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry helps service members and veterans report exposures to airborne hazards such as burn pits, oil well fires and other forms of pollution and document their health problems.
Asbestos.com
According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, there are currently 25 million living individuals who have served in the United States' armed forces. Hundreds of thousands, if not millions of these living veterans were exposed to toxic asbestos-containing materials during military service. According to a revealing statistic, more than 30 percent of Americans beset with a terrible disease called mesothelioma were exposed to asbestos during military service. What is mesothelioma? It is a rapacious cancer that attacks the internal lining of the lungs, abdomen, and heart.
Widely used by every military branch, asbestos was highly regarded for its heat resistance and fireproofing capabilities. In fact, asbestos was so valued that the military even mandated widespread usage before eventually phasing out the material in the 1970s.
Most military divisions utilized the caustic substance mainly for insulation purposes, but more than 300 products containing asbestos were used by the military, primarily by the Navy from the 1930s through the 1970s. Every ship and shipyard built by the Navy before the mid-70s was fitted with numerous asbestos-containing materials.
Asbestos.com offers information on mesothelioma & veterans, as well as a complete list of occupations, ships, and shipyards that could have put our Veterans at risk for developing a mesothelioma disease. Additionally their Veterans Assistance Department offers extensive experience in filing VA claims and can help any veteran coping with mesothelioma receive benefits from the VA system.
Mesothelioma Fund
Over $30 billion dollars is available through mesothelioma and asbestos trust funds. Filing for compensation from a trust fund can be a complicated process, but we can help.
Mesothelioma Guide
Throughout the 1920’s to the late 1970’s asbestos contaminated materials (ACMs) were used aboard many military vehicles and vessels. Asbestos was used in insulation, ceiling and floor tiles, pipe coverings, and in brakes and gaskets. All these materials were found on navy ships, aircrafts, and in military barracks.
Hundreds of thousands of military men and women were exposed to asbestos because of these materials. Asbestos causes different debilitating diseases, like asbestosis and mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is a cancer in which asbestos fibers become lodged into the lining of the lungs, heart, and abdomen. Tumors begin to grow because of these fibers. 3,500 people are diagnosed with mesothelioma per year, and one third of those are veterans. The average life expectancy for patients with mesothelioma is 6-18 months. There is currently no cure.
Mesothelioma Guide is a website that offers easy to understand information about mesothelioma diagnosis, treatment options, and prognosis. We offer free mesothelioma information guides that include valuable ways to improve a patient’s prognosis. We also offer a unique doctor match program that matches patients with an experienced mesothelioma specialist. We advocate for asbestos and mesothelioma awareness with free wristbands.
Mesothelioma Help
MesotheliomaHelp, America’s Mesothelioma resource, is one of the web’s primary resources for information on malignant mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases. Our team of writers, supporters and sponsors of this site are dedicated to bringing the latest, most comprehensive mesothelioma information to patients, families and caregivers.
Our goal is to provide the appropriate information to families battling mesothelioma to empower them to participate in making the decisions about their care, and to offer some measure of hope and support.
Mesothelioma.net
We provide mesothelioma patients with free resources, support, education,
and referrals to experienced mesothelioma doctors.
We are a current sponsor of the American Cancer Society, MD Anderson
Cancer Center, Make a Wish Foundation and the National Patient Travel
Center.
The Patriot Project - Military chiropractic care
The Patriot Project provides chiropractic care to active duty military, their families, service connected veterans and all gold star dependents free of charge. We have doctors in all fifty states.
Dental
A Soldier's Smile
The A Soldier's Smile events are philanthropic cosmetic and restorative dentistry procedures given to U.S. soldiers in need of professional dental care. Our troops deserve a reason to smile and participating dentists from the Academy of Comprehensive Esthetics (ACE) will be providing the necessary cosmetic and restorative dental care to select troops to reach this goal and to show our nations appreciation for their time spent serving our great country. The soldiers will be receiving treatments at individual ACE cosmetic dental practices across the nation and the coverage will be fueled by local and national media outlets to promote awareness.
TriCare Dental Program
Dental coverage is separate from TRICARE's medical coverage. Your dental coverage is based on who you are...
Fitness
Cane Loyalty - Hero Cane Program (Powhatan, VA)
The Hero Cane Program is designed to teach veterans a variety of stretches and exercises with their cane to increase strength, improve balance, and develop the mind. These exercises will help defend against the natural effects of aging like slips, trips and falls and improve the veteran’s overall outlook. It may even help with issues associated with PTSD.
We mainly hold classes in the Powhatan, Virginia area. Special classes are available for wounded warriors, Purple Heart veterans, disabled veterans, disabled police and first responders.
If you have a group that is interested in hosting a class – please contact us.
Catch a Lift
The mission of Catch a Lift is to help wounded post 9-11 service members start and maintain their healing process, both mentally and physically, through physical fitness by providing them with gifted gym memberships or home gym equipment, anywhere in the United States.
FitOps Foundation
FitOps is a non-profit organization powered by PERFORMIX® that trains and certifies veterans as elite personal trainers. The on-site program concludes with the certification of fitness industry professionals — who are experts in exercise and in leadership, designated as Certified Veteran Fitness Operatives (CVFO).
Home Bases's Warrior Health and Fitness Program
Home Base’s Warrior Health and Fitness Program was developed to address these issues. Warrior Health and Fitness, which currently operates in Boston, MA and in Southwest Florida leads up to 60 service members and veterans per session through a FREE 6-month program designed to improve their physical health and well-being through:
- Supervised physical training in a comfortable setting
- Education about healthy eating, living, sleep hygiene and the benefits of physical health
- Techniques to help alleviate stress and manage anxiety
- Enable participants to form a new band of “brothers and sisters” through a shared experience designed around positive competition
- It’s open to both men and women who are Veterans or active duty service members, in all branches the military, the National Guard and the Reserves. All able-bodied Veterans, including amputees, are eligible to participate and discharge status is not a factor.
The Warrior Health & Fitness Program combines the expertise and excellence of the Boston Red Sox, Massachusetts General Hospital Sports Medicine Department, Home Base, and leading collegiate exercise science programs at Northeastern University and Florida Gulf Coast University.
Make a Vet Sweat (Texas)
Make a Vet Sweat provides funding for new gym memberships exclusively for the U.S. veteran community. Initially, we sponsor a veteran for a period of 90 days. However, if the veteran and/or their spouse can demonstrate a minimum attendance of three times a week during the first 90 days, we are willing to extend the sponsorship for up to a year. We encourage different types of group fitness exercise, ie., CrossFit, Martial Arts, Kickboxing, Yoga, Zumba, Indoor Rock Climbing, etc.
Patriot Pilates (Lockport, IL)
Patriot Pilates is the first Pilates studio in the country to offer free sessions to veterans.
Veteran classes are held on Tuesdays/Thursdays at 10 am. Pilates is an amazing outlet for all veterans. Benefits include increased flexibility on worn joints, relief from PTSD through channeling energy, increased physical strength, and a healthier lifestyle.
Pilates for Patriots (Fairfield, CT)
I am a Fairfield Pilates instructor looking to give back to the brave men and women of the United States military. As the daughter of a Vietnam veteran, I have always admired the work and sacrifice of those who serve and have served. I wish to share with veterans my knowledge of the body and its powerful connection to our minds. It is my hope this will enhance their physical and emotional well – being.
The original use of the Pilates method was to rehabilitate wounded veterans of World War 1. Joseph Pilates developed a system of mat exercises to help people with an assortment of ailments, including asthma and arthritis. This method quickly gained attention; due to the progress he was making. Joseph then enhanced the method with the use of specialized equipment. While in an internment camp, rehabilitating soldiers, Joseph took apart beds to build versions of this equipment.
The Pilates Method helps people get inside their body and build strength, increase range of motion, improve balance, and restore flexibility. It is a safe way to strengthen and stabilize bones and joints. Pilates necessitates a strong mind – body connection in order to perform the method properly. It requires one to explore quieting the mind and being in their own body.
Please join me, Janelle Biggs (owner of Bells Pilates) at:
4:15 pm Tuesdays – Free Pilates mat class for veterans
Warrior Wellness (Holiday, FL)
Veterans Alternative, Inc. was established in 2014 to provide alternative therapies to Combat Veterans and their Spouses. Today, Veterans Alternative continues this mission through the Accelerated Wellness Program, which uses Accelerated Resolution Therapy and other alternative therapies to create a more healthy, connected and resilient veteran population.
YMCA Military Outreach Initiative (free memberships)
Deployment can be a stressful and uncertain time for our nation’s servicemen and women and their families. In partnership with the Armed Services YMCA and the Department of Defense, the Y is proud to offer memberships and respite child care services to eligible military families and personnel to give them extra support during this difficult period. It’s our way of giving back to those who dedicate themselves to serving our country.
Health4Heroes
Serving in high-risk operating environments can have lasting effects on the health and well-being of our nation’s military and first responders. To combat these effects, Health4Heroes provides a healthy & supportive community, affordable access to beneficial resources, and educational opportunities to increase knowledge around health & wellness topics.
Wellness 4 Warriors
The mission of Wellness 4 Warriors is to provide wellness strategies to as many United States veterans as possible to help them regain and sustain abundant life.
Our vision is to assist every veteran who comes to us and contribute to reducing disabilities and suicides.
Our values for our veterans wellness is to fill the wholistic treatment gap in the VA system to offer a healthy environment and lifestyle our veterans so richly deserve.
Wellness 4 Warriors approaches healing from the standpoint of natural options. We realize medications are needed sometimes, however; our veterans should have the opportunity to also choose other resources that are non-dependent. Our veterans and their families sacrifice so much for our freedom and they deserve our best to help them live a better quality of life.
Wellness 4 Warriors partners with several companies that donate a portion back to the organization when you purchase their products. Those donations are then used to purchase products for veterans. Make sure you mention Wellness 4 Warriors to our partners when you order either by email or a phone call.
Health information resources
HunterSeven Foundation
Research - The HunterSeven Foundation research is multi-factorial and is focused on researching the impact of military-related exposures on health and overall wellness of the service member. The objective of the research is to discover the root-cause of dysfunction and understand the trends that influence this dysfunction.
Education - HunterSeven Foundation believes knowledge is power. Our education program is designed to share important medically proven data and research with the veteran and healthcare communities, to increase awareness of military exposures and the impact on veteran health. Understanding your exposures is the first step to wellness.
Immediate Needs - HunterSeven Foundation, through strategic partnerships and foundation resources, assists individuals that have been made ill as a result of military exposures by providing access to care and medical resources needed for improved health.
My HealtheVet
My HealtheVet is the VA's Personal Health Record. It was designed for veterans, active duty Servicemembers, their dependents and caregivers. My HealtheVet helps you partner with your health care team. It provides you opportunities and tools to make informed decisions.
Hospice
Lakeside Hospice (Metairie, LA)
Lakeside Hospice is seeking volunteers! Our volunteers are a valued part of the hospice team and they make a difference in the lives of our patients and their loved ones every day. We have many patients on service who are military veterans and could use companionship as they are nearing the end of life.
Opportunities include visiting with patients, assisting them with light housekeeping/lawn care, or hosting community events at nursing homes in the Greater New Orleans area. Volunteers will need to fill out an application, pass a background check, and have an annual TB test. Contact Carissa Herhuth for more information at 504-456-6011 or [email protected]. We look forward to hearing from you!
Veterans Last Patrol (Spartanburg, SC)
Last Patrol connects veteran volunteers to veterans in hospice. We cooperate with medical providers of hospice care to connect volunteers to the patients so that their last patrol isn’t alone. It’s hard to overestimate the importance of friendship during end-of-life care. Last Patrol brings new friendships when friendship matters most.
When America’s veterans go into hospice care they often lose contact with family, friends, and with the military community. Some are alone. Some sit quietly in nursing homes. Many families are loving and attentive to their hospice patient, but appreciate getting the support, connection, and information that a friend from the military community can provide. Last Patrol helps provide that support.
We Honor Veterans
We Honor Veterans, a program of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) in collaboration with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), invites hospices, state hospice organizations, Hospice-Veteran Partnerships and VA facilities to join a pioneering program focused on respectful inquiry, compassionate listening and grateful acknowledgment. By recognizing the unique needs of America’s veterans and their families, community providers, in partnership with VA staff, will learn how to accompany and guide them through their life stories toward a more peaceful ending.
We Honor Veterans provides educational tools and resources in advancing these goals:
- Promote veteran-centric educational activities
- Increase organizational capacity to serve Veterans
- Support development of strategic partnerships
- Increase access and improve quality
TriCare
TRICARE is the health care program serving Uniformed Service members, retirees and their families worldwide.
TriCare Nurse Advice Line
TRICARE's Nurse Advice Line is available to all TRICARE beneficiaries in the United States, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, by calling 1-800-TRICARE (1-800-874-2273) and selecting option 1.
The Nurse Advice Line is staffed by registered nurses who answer urgent health care questions. They give beneficiaries professional health care advice to help determine if self-care is the best option or if you or your family member should see a health care provider. The Nurse Advice Line is not intended for emergencies and is not a substitute for emergency treatment. If you think you may have a medical emergency, immediately call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.
Terminal illness
Dreams for Veterans
Dreams for Veterans serves our nation’s military communities by giving back to terminally ill veterans and their families through the fulfillment of a final dream.
Final dreams range from basic need items (like a working appliance or mobility scooter) to bedside reunions, final vacations with family, “meet and greets” with personal heroes or reconnecting with aspects of former military service.
A dream not only serves the recipient, but also brings comfort and peace to caregivers, loved ones, hospice professionals, veterans affairs and service officers, and all those they serve in communities across the nation.
We serve veterans in all 50 states and partner with America’s hospice professionals and veterans organizations to meet the unique needs of our nation’s veterans.
Veteran Homestead
Veteran Homestead provides medical, psychological, and spiritual care to veterans that are diagnosed with a terminal illness, are elderly and/or disabled or otherwise in need. We provide these services without regard to race, religion or sexual orientation. All of our programs are drug and alcohol free and every effort is made to help those seeking abstinence.
Comeback Yoga (Denver, CO)
The purpose of Comeback Yoga is to assist veterans in returning to healthy life function by providing vets and their support network with free access to appropriately designed yoga classes at the VA hospital, VA Outpatient Clinics, VFW. Post #1, and free veteran only classes at selected yoga studios in Denver, Colorado
Creative Arts for Vets (Indiana University Bloomington)
Creative Arts for Vets (CAV) aims to support veterans, service members, and military-connected populations of all ages and abilities through the arts and arts-based approaches that promote connectedness and improve mental health and wellbeing. Evidence-based research shows that arts-based wellness, equine assisted activities, yoga, and tai chi can improve mindfulness, and reduce negative feelings associated with stress, anxiety, depression, and trauma. Creative Arts for Vets collaborates with veterans, service members, military-connected populations, community organizations, and the Indiana Department of Veteran Affairs to develop unique experiences that fit the needs and interests present in specific communities. All of our events are free, and we travel anywhere in the state of Indiana and beyond. With our events, veterans and service members are always encouraged to bring a plus one—a spouse, a friend, or an adult family member.
Exalted Warrior Foundation
The Exalted Warrior Foundation facilitates an adaptive yoga instruction program that is designed for wounded warriors in the active military, veteran hospital facilities, and veterans within communities around the country.
Give Back Yoga Foundation
Healing for Veterans: The Role of Yoga Therapy for PTSD - Over two million American service members were deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. Today, one in three is coping with PTSD, traumatic brain injury or another stress-related disorder. Some could lose their silent battle: nationwide, veterans account for one out of five suicides. And countless other veterans are coping with stress and chronic pain from non-combat injuries.
Give Back Yoga is committed to supporting these warriors and their families through Mindful Yoga Therapy, a program designed to help vets find a calm and steady body and mind through the practice of yoga, meditation, breath work, yoga nidra and meditation. Each practice is a tool that veterans can use to cope with post-traumatic stress, and together they form a comprehensive system — a “toolbox” — that can help warriors transition into a life of strength and resilience.
G.I. Yoga (Operation Support Our Troops - America) (Wheaton, IL)
G. I. Yoga which offers yoga classes free to veterans and their family members.
Yoga is a powerful agent of change, and not simply a form of exercise. Within a safe community of fellow veterans and their family members, you will learn practices to release stress, sleep better, ease aches and pains, lower blood pressure, increase strength, flexibility, balance and focus, and develop tools to help manage the symptoms of PTS and TBI. This is your chance to discover the benefits of yoga: vigor and vitality, balance, peace, and a sense of well-being. No prior experience is needed. *Mats, blocks, straps and blankets provided. Just show up!
My Warrior's Place - CODE Fitness (Ruskin, FL)
The yoga program at My Warrior’s Place includes trauma-sensitive yoga as developed by Warriors At Ease and iRest® yoga nidra, which is a form of meditative self-inquiry from the teachings of yoga. iRest® has been proven through military research to induce deep relaxation throughout the body and mind, eliminate stress, overcome insomnia, solve personal and interpersonal problems, resolve trauma, neutralize and overcome anxiety, fear, anger, and depression.
The Big Red Barn Retreat (Blythewood, SC)
The Big Red Barn Retreat is a 501(c)(3) and strives to create a peaceful, nurturing, therapeutic haven in a natural setting to provide a feeling of peace, tranquility and a sense of connection and stability for those in need. We service those suffering from PTSD and other combat related stress issues. We currently offer equine assisted psychotherapy and therapeutic yoga. For more information, visit our website at www.thebigredbarnretreat.org
Therapeutic Yoga - The Big Red Barn Retreat is honored to partner with Begin With Yoga and Wellness to offer therapeutic yoga for those suffering from combat related stress issues, traumatic brain injuries, and physical injuries or aliments. Private classes for those suffering from combat related stress issues can be scheduled by contacting Ginger Doughty at (803) 315-0390. Open yoga classes are also available on Mondays at 6PM and Thursdays at 4:30PM.
United We Om
We're proud to share our yoga and meditation videos for FREE for everyone to use and share! We've offered a huge range of practice from Chair Yoga to Yoga for Veterans, and many of the videos are in Spanish.
Veterans Yoga Project
Veterans Yoga Project is an educational and advocacy organization dedicated to improving the health and well being of military veterans. Working in partnership with veterans, active-duty military personnel, student veterans organizations, and other non-profit organizations, Veterans Yoga Project supports recovery and promotes resilience among veterans, their families, and their communities.
Warrior Wellness (Holiday, FL)
Warrior Wellness offers calming and stress-relieving yoga classes designed to stretch and strengthen the body gradually. Emphasis is placed on building awareness of the breath and the body. The class moves at a slower pace, with attention to alignment and detail, building in adaptations for injuries when needed. This aids in teaching mindfulness and self-care.
The yoga classes at Warrior Wellness are a less intense, more simplistic form of yoga and offer modifications to the standard Hatha yoga poses. The pace is very relaxed, and is a good alternative for those who are trying to get active again, recovering from an illness or injury, or those who are simply looking for a calming practice. An adaptive yoga practice is open to the veteran community on Tuesdays from 12:00PM- 1:15PM by a Registered Yoga Teacher.
Yoga for Vets - Four free yoga classes
This website is for war or conflict veterans that served, or are currently serving, in the United States military. We list studios, gyms, teachers, and veterans' hospitals that offer at least four free classes to combat veterans. Yoga For Vets simply wants to allow veterans to see the benefits of yoga through four free classes. Take free classes! See what yoga can do for you!
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