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Innovation Hub
A national resource connecting veterans, first responders, and their families with vetted organizations and evidence-based programs. We surface what works and make it accessible.
Field-tested insights from the 2026 San Diego Summit
On September 17, 2026, the NAVFRW San Diego Wellness Summit brought veterans, first responders, agencies, and health experts into one room. The speakers shared guides, funding sources, and benefit programs that people can act on right away, so we gathered them here. You do not have to have been in the room to use them.
Three resources are live today. A health guide built with firefighters. A session on cancer research and prevention. A keynote resource guide that maps federal programs, grants, and nonprofits. We will add more as we find tools worth sharing.
Everything in the Hub comes from a trusted source and has been vetted by NAVFRW before it goes up. NAVFRW advisors from clinical care, public safety, and the veteran community review each listing against published criteria for safety, evidence, accessibility, privacy, and cultural fit.
Protecting firefighters' health
Firefighter health guide · Toolkit
Created by Kaiser Permanente with California Professional Firefighters (CPF) and firefighters themselves. The guide is open to all firefighters, regardless of their health plan.
What's inside
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with a reference list of changes worth a doctor's attention, including a cough that will not clear and fatigue that rest does not fix.
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explaining what to expect, what to bring and how to describe your job to a doctor who may not know firefighting.
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to help you spot patterns before you sit down in the exam room.
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you can hand straight to your doctor.
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with practical steps and a California quit-support program, Kick It California.
of firefighters say it is hard to know which cancer prevention advice to follow.
2024 study cited at the Summit
63%
Firefighter cancer research and prevention: from awareness to actionable strategies
Cancer research and prevention · Summit session
Presented by Mike Lopez, Secretary-Treasurer of California Professional Firefighters, and Misha McKinney, MHA, RN, OCN,
Vice President of Clinical Programs at
Kaiser Permanente.
The session opened with a question for the room: what are the two leading causes of death among firefighters? The answer is heart attack or cardiac events, and cancer. The California Firefighters Memorial makes the second one personal, because a growing number of the names on it belong to firefighters lost to cancer.
The takeaway is that prevention covers more than screening. It also means reducing exposures, recognizing warning signs, keeping up with regular preventive care and building healthy everyday habits. Exercise, more fruits and vegetables, less alcohol, no tobacco and proper protective equipment on the job all play a role in lowering risk.
The session also introduced two studies run by CPF and Kaiser Permanente for firefighters who are Kaiser Permanente members. The California Firefighter Health Study is a research registry that looks at cancer risk and the health effects of firefighting. Enrollment is complete and analysis is underway. The Telomere Study looks at how firefighting affects cellular aging.
Listen · CPF Fire Wire podcast
CPF President Emeritus Brian K. Rice sits down with Misha McKinney and Dr. Danielle Mellace to talk about the health challenges firefighters face, why primary care and early detection matter, and how lifestyle medicine can lower cancer risk.
Arlington 2025 Recap
Watch the 2025 Summit Highlight Reel
Our Inaugural Summit Brought Together 179 Leaders
On June 3, 2025, NAVFRW and the Arlington County Police Department hosted the first-ever Veteran and First Responder Wellness Summit in Arlington, Virginia. Senior officials from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Homeland Security, federal law enforcement, state and local agencies, and healthcare organizations came together for a day of collaboration focused on suicide prevention, trauma-informed care, and cross-agency partnerships.
