Caring for loved ones: Exceptional Family Member Program Published Sept. 11, 2013 By Airman 1st Class Lauren Pitts Minot Air Force Base Public Affairs MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. -- There are hundreds of families in the Air Force with special needs, but many service members are unaware of the services offered through the Exceptional Family Member Program. The 5th Medical Group has teamed up with the Airman and Family Readiness Center to raise awareness and ensure the success of Minot Air Force Base's EFMP. The program is designed to identify a family member with any kind of special need--medical, physical, or educational--and assists in ensuring proper base assignments that are able to meet individual needs and treatment, said Maj. Sarah Vick, 5th MDG chief of medical staff. "If a family member, whether a child, spouse, or dependent, has to see a medical specialist unavailable in our Minot community at any time, for any reason, that person may qualify for enrollment in the program," explained Vick, "regardless of whether the family member requires daily, monthly, or even yearly visits to the specialist. The goal of the EFMP is to address military families' special needs and ensure they receive necessary care, either on base or in the surrounding community, added Vick "If a child needs treatment that we can offer on base or in Minot, then that's fine," explained Cathryn C. D'Arcy, 5th Medical Operations Squadron EFMP coordinator. "But if a child requires something such as a pediatric cardiologist, we would have to send them elsewhere, because we don't have that here." There are also chronic conditions that require enrollment of a member, regardless of the severity of illness, such as cancer and juvenile diabetes, said D'Arcy. Asthma and mental health cases are also potential qualifiers for enrollment. Although the program is available at every Air Force base, stateside and overseas, most Airmen and their families are uneducated about the program or completely unaware of its existence, said Nancy Bowers, 5th Force Support Squadron A&FRC, and EFMP coordinator. The Airman and Family Readiness Center here offers families support in seeking enrollment, but it mainly seeks to educate Active Duty members on the services of the EFMP. "A lot of times, families are reluctant to come forward for fear that enrolling will be detrimental to them or their Air Force career," said Bowers. "The benefits family support can offer the individual, and their families are the means to advocate for their loved one." Since the Air Force implemented designated special needs coordinators, there has been a greater push for EFMP awareness, as well as another avenue for education and support for special needs families. "We don't want the Air Force to send someone anywhere their loved one cannot get the necessary care they need," said D'Arcy. "That's why we're here." For more information about the Exceptional Family Member Program, or if anyone has any questions, contact the special needs coordinator, Cathryn D'Arcy, at 723-5364, the Airman & Family Readiness Center, or visit www.naccrra.org/MilitaryPrograms/air-force/EFMP