AVF Mission Statement
Thursday, December 15th, 2011Acupuncture for Veterans and their Families (AVF) provides free health care for veterans, active duty, and their immediate family members through Chinese medicine and acupuncture in order to help alleviate stress and pain from combat experiences.
About AVF
The purpose of AVF is to provide well rounded complementary healthcare for the growing number of people who have served and are currently serving in the United States military, as well as their immediate family members. It is clear that the challenge of combat does not end when a soldier finally comes home, but continues to be a challenge every day. And, the effects can easily transfer to family members.
Chinese medicine and acupuncture has been used for the treatment of mind and body ailments for thousands of years. Currently, medical doctors, such as Col. Dr. Richard Niemtzow, have treated active duty soldiers successfully with acupuncture. He has proposed a model for “battlefield acupuncture” to treat stress and pain related to combat.
Those who have served our country often return home injured, and yet cannot afford to pay for Chinese medicine services that would help alleviate their condition. The goal of AVF is to continue to make this treatment freely available for individuals returning home from service.
Acupuncture is an ancient and established form of health care that has grown with the passage of time. With its history and the history of war, it has been used to treat soldiers throughout the centuries. AVF is here to continue to provide this health care option.
AVF was formed in November 2009 with 501(c) (3) status granted in July 2011.