By: Pamayla E. Darbyshire, DHA, MSN/CNS
February represents: R.E.D., associated with military service members, family members supporting those serving, and veterans who have served defending our freedoms. As a retired Air Force Nurse Corps veteran, knowing that we have community support is important for overall morale and well-being, especially if we are deployed to various places around the world. The second event is National Wear Red Day, associated with the American Heart Association. If you know of, or have, a family member with heart issues, knowing the importance of the American Heart Association and its outreach validates the support you receive for your loved ones.
What is R.E.D. Friday?
The military loves its acronyms, and red helps people remember.
RED is an acronym for "Remember Everyone Deployed."
RED (Remember Everyone Deployed) Friday originated around 2005. The initiative was created to show solidarity for troops stationed abroad and to raise morale. It encourages wearing red every Friday to symbolize courage, sacrifice, and valor, ensuring service members are not forgotten.
Red Shirt Friday (RSF) is an observation made to honor troops who have deployed and
to show support to the military community serving overseas in combat or support zones. RSF is a way for American citizens to show their support and appreciation for the sacrifices that our troops are making and our veterans have made.
Even though this action began in the early 2000s when many service members were deployed overseas, there are still service members away from their families, serving all over the world to keep our country safe. Wearing red today is just as important as it was when the movement started.
Case management for Remember Everyone Deployed (R.E.D.) focuses on supporting military personnel and their families through voluntary efforts, care packages, and, for veterans, formal VA programs like Transition and Care Management. Initiatives like Troopster and Operation Gratitude deliver care packages to boost morale, while organizations like Remember Everyone Deployed Inc. support service members and veterans in transitioning back to civilian life.
Key support services and organizations include:
- Family Support: Armed Services YMCA (ASYMCA) provides childcare, emotional support, and emergency assistance to help military families manage the stresses of deployment.
- Veteran Care Management: The VA's Care Coordination and Integrated Case Management (CCICM) assists veterans with complex needs by assigning a lead coordinator to navigate health services.
- Morale and Outreach: Programs such as Operation Gratitude and Troopster facilitate the sending of care packages, directly addressing the "Remember Everyone Deployed" mission to support morale.
- Community Support: "RED Fridays" encourage wearing red to show solidarity, support, and remember deployed troops.
For veterans, specialized support includes addressing readjustment challenges, and for families, ensuring access to resources while their service member is away.
National Wear Red Day®
https://www.goredforwomen.org/en/get-involved/give/wear-red-and-give
Go Red for Women is a movement by the American Heart Association (AHA) to highlight heart health and prevention. The entire month of February is American Heart Month, with National Wear Red Day falling on the first Friday, a day to support women (6 Feb 2026). Cardiovascular disease takes a woman's life approximately every 80 seconds and is the leading cause of death. The purpose of National Wear Red Day® is to raise awareness for women's heart health, share stories, and promote healthy lifestyles. The Go Red movement aims to close the awareness gap and inspire women to take charge of their heart health.
Case Management and Actionable Steps
Case management for this initiative involves proactive, structured efforts to educate individuals and communities about heart health, often led by health organizations, workplaces, and volunteers.
1. Risk Assessment and Education
- Know Your Numbers: Encourage screenings for blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar.
- Identify Symptoms: Educate that women often experience different symptoms than men, such as fatigue, nausea, and shoulder aches, rather than just chest pain.
- Preventive Action: Focus on the fact that nearly 80% of cardiac events are preventable through lifestyle modifications.
2. Workplace and Community Engagement
- Wear Red Day: Encourage wearing red on the first Friday of February to show solidarity.
- "Go Red" Activities: Organize lunch-and-learns, walking meetings, or healthy cooking demonstrations.
- Fundraising: Set up personal or company pages to donate to the American Heart Association for research.
- Social Media Campaigns: Use hashtags like #GoRedforWomen, #WearRedDay, and #WearRedAndGive to spread awareness.
3. Clinical and Personal Support
- Cardiac Rehabilitation: Utilize local health system programs for managing existing cardiac conditions.
- Hands-Only CPR Training: Promote, especially since over 70% of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests happen at home.
- Research Participation: Encourage women to join Research Goes Red to improve the representation of women in cardiovascular research.
Key Goals for National Wear Red Day
Empower Action: Encourage women to take charge of their heart health through better nutrition, physical activity, and smoking cessation.
Raise Awareness: Highlight that 1 in 3 women die from cardiovascular disease.
Advocate for Equity: Address the gap in research, where women have historically been underrepresented.
Bio: Pamayla E. Darbyshire earned her Doctorate in Health Administration from the University of Phoenix, AZ. She has a master's degree in nursing with a clinical nurse specialist focus on education and over 45 years of nursing experience. Dr. Darbyshire is a long-time member of Sigma Theta Tau International Honour Society of Nursing. In addition, Dr. Darbyshire is a member of the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) National Research Committee, engaged in grant approvals, Expo Poster Abstract reviews, AORN guideline updates, and has co-authored for The AORN Journal, Phoenix Scholar, The Qualitative Report and other peer-reviewed journals. She is a Case Management Society of America (CSMA) member. Dr. Darbyshire's commitment to the academic community is evident in her role as a mentor for College of Doctoral Studies students (UoPx), and the ANA mentor/mentee committee. Her research interests include case management, chronic disease, neurodiversity, and the application of artificial intelligence in higher education. She has presented at numerous virtual conferences with an international audience.