SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii - The U.S. Army Hawaii Religious Support Office and Army Community Service’s Exceptional Family Member Program, or EFMP, recently partnered together to host a Special Needs Military Family Night, Nov. 17, here.
In this first-time event, the Religious Support Office and EFMP teams partnered up to provide an opportunity for special needs families to connect with each other and learn about available resources.
“Collaboration between the chaplaincy and the EFMP program is such a great platform for families—events like this are where we connect with families the most,” said Chaplain (Col.) Brad Lee, 311th Signal Command chaplain.
Also attending the event was special guest, McGruff the Crime Dog and members of the Schofield Barracks Military Police Department, who took time out their busy schedules to meet and take photos with families.
Event organizers hope to hold another family night in the spring.
The EFMP Program
The Army created the EFMP program in the early 1980s. EFMP is a multi-agency effort that provides a comprehensive, coordinated approach for medical, educational, housing and community support for families who have members with special needs. The program consists of healthcare providers, coordinators, assignments managers and educators who work with families to find the educational and healthcare support that best fits their needs.
Approximately 10% of Army families have members with special needs, including spouses, children, or dependent parents who require special medical or educational services.
EFMP is broken up into two areas -- Family Support, which is managed by Army Community Service, and Medical Support, which is managed by Army Medical Command.
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