TriWest Sponsors Conference Supporting Military Children

PHOENIX (July 10, 2007) — To help and support military children, TriWest Healthcare Alliance, serving military families in Kansas and Missouri and 19 other western states, is a sponsor of the Military Child Education Coalition’s 9th annual conference.

The three-day conference begins Wednesday, July 11, in Kansas City, Mo., at the Westin Crown Center.

TriWest is providing $15,000 to help the Coalition reach a variety of educators, military and corporate leaders, and members of military families so they may better understand the stresses and issues that military children live with daily.

"We’re proud to sponsor this significant event because military children, including those who have parents in the National Guard and Reserve, are coping with challenges that many civilians don’t understand, especially in times of deployment," said TriWest President and CEO David J. McIntyre, Jr.

"Helping school counselors, teachers and administrators — who are often first responders — become aware of these issues and the ways they can help is an important step toward the overall success and emotional well-being of these deserving kids," McIntyre said.

TriWest will have a booth at the conference to distribute the company’s just released complimentary DVD, "Help From Home," which allows Service members and their families to learn about combat stress and its treatment from the privacy of their own homes.

The three-day conference is entitled, "Touching the Hearts of Children," and there will be a special emphasis on the "art" of being a military child. The conference includes a film festival to educate the public about the experiences of military family life as seen through the eyes of children.

More than 650 people attended the Coalition’s conference last year.