TriWest Creates First-of-its-Kind Partnership

to Offer Military Leaders Grief Support Program

PHOENIX(Sept. 4, 2007) —TriWest Healthcare Alliance is offering an innovative program to help military leaders respond to families who have lost a loved one in service to our country. Responding to the needs of National Guard and Reserve unit commanders, TriWest is partnering with noted author and nationally certified counselor, Joanne Steen, a widow of a naval aviator killed in the line of duty.

Through a first-of-its-kind partnership, TriWest and Steen will offer "Grief Solutions" to military leaders in communities hit hardest by casualties, to provide them with a deeper understanding of how to support and assist survivors, as they are the first to respond once families within their units have been notified of a loss.

"This initiative is part of our deep and ongoing commitment to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country," said TriWest President and CEO David J. McIntyre, Jr. "We have a longstanding commitment to the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS); this helps us to expand the scope of our support of these families, who will continue to suffer from their losses long after the war is over."

Programs will be offered to active duty, National Guard and Reserve units throughout the 21-state TRICARE West Region administered by TriWest Healthcare Alliance.

"It has been more than 30 years since Vietnam and we have a whole generation of Americans who are learning in real time how to respond to military loss," said Steen, co-author of Military Widow: A Survival Guide. "These programs will arm leaders with the tools necessary to assist those who have lost the family members dearest to them."

Steen has assisted hundreds of spouses, parents and children of fallen Service members, as well as providing military leaders with practical skills to cope with the complexities of military death.

This partnership is one of many behavioral health initiatives developed by TriWest to support the ongoing needs of U.S. service members and their families. More information is available on TriWest’s Behavioral Health Portal, at www.triwest.com.