Rita Brock-Perini was born in Phoenix and attended St. Mary’s High School in the 1950s. The daughter of a Marine Corps veteran, and one of 10 children, she grew up volunteering with her family at the American Legion. “Because there were 10 of us, we were always folding napkins and cleaning tables. Anything to keep us busy and out of the way,” she said. In those days, the Legion did a lot of hands-on work in the community. Brock-Perini’s mom let her work in the clinic where babies received well-checkups from volunteer physicians. “I used to weigh the babies. I always thought that was so exciting,” she said. Those early experiences sparked an interest in both the military and nursing that has extended throughout her life. Brock-Perini went on to serve in Vietnam as a captain in the U.S. Air Force Nurse Corps. After leaving the military in 1971, she graduated from nursing school at ASU with the help of the GI Bill and went on to work for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Karen Werner | Editor Vice president of the Veterans Medical Leadership Council RITA BROCK-PERINI Rita Brock-Perini served as an Air Force captain in Vietnam. She is shown ( above left ) in uniform and ( above ) today, at 80 years old. 12 FRONTDOORS MEDIA | NOVEMBER 2018 OFFICE DOORS {valley changemakers}

as a federal inspector of healthcare facilities. After a 46-year career in military and civilian nursing, she retired in 2003 and was inducted into the Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame in 2013. But her service to country was far from over. Instead, she took on a new role as vice president and board member of the Veterans Medical Leadership Council (VMLC) and continues to touch the lives of servicemembers to this day. Founded in 1999, the VMLC works to ensure quality medical and mental healthcare for the 300,000 veterans living in Maricopa County. Examples of this include the VMLC providing assistance to a veteran whose leg was amputated so he and his wife could move to a ground-floor apartment. Or the VMLC providing funds for dental work so a struggling veteran could eat without pain. Or the organization paying rent for a terminally ill veteran to remain in his home with hospice until he died. Brock-Perini helps to manage the VMLC’s Returning Warrior program, a project that hits close to her heart. “When the troops started coming back from Afghanistan, some of them were in terrible financial straits. Their checks were lagging and they were losing their homes,” she said. “We created a vehicle so we can offer immediate financial assistance, like a two-day turnaround, for any veteran.” Established in 2005, the Returning Warriors program was originally intended to help Afghanistan and Iraq veterans get back on their feet after returning home. But with so many Vietnam veterans experiencing homelessness and chronic illness, the program was expanded to offer assistance to troops and veterans of all services and eras. Some need help with rent or to make up a missed mortgage payment. Others need emergency assistance when their air-conditioning goes out, or to fix their car so they can get to work or medical appointments. “Our goal is to keep the family whole, so they have a roof over their heads, can put food on the table and can get to their medical or mental health appointments,” Brock-Perini said. Last year, the VMLC provided $225,000 to help more than 700 veterans and their families in this way. The program is remarkably free of red tape. Social workers from the Veterans Health Administration screen the veterans’ needs and send the VMLC a fax so that checks can be sent within a couple of days to the landlord, mechanic or whoever is providing the needed service. “As a nurse, I asked that we honor the veteran’s confidentiality status. So we do not know who they are,” Brock-Perini said. “The social worker uses a number and that’s how they are identified.” Even without seeing the individual results, A proud veteran, Brock-Perini calls for all servicemembers to be recognized. “Women have been serving in the military since World War I. As we respect the service of a male in the military or as a veteran, women should also be respected,” she said. NOVEMBER 2018 | FRONTDOORS MEDIA 13