May 18, 2011 Medical group labs renew accreditation The 81st Medical Group's pathology and clinical laboratory, blood gas laboratory and genetics laboratory all have received two-year reaccreditations after undergoing recent inspections by the College of American Pathologists.Each lab was inspected by teams representing the CAP, which is widely
May 18, 2011 Mullen: America must help its war veterans Navy Adm. Mike Mullen spoke about service member and veteran issues to a crowd primed for a Lady Gaga show here last night.The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff found a nontraditional audience for his message about the military as part of a fundraiser for the Robin Hood Foundation at the Javits
May 18, 2011 Airman becomes 'Tiki Bomber' on roller rink She's an Airman 24/7, but at least three days a week she straps on roller skates and becomes a "Mississippi Rollergirl." Lindsey Waller, a nutrition care specialist with the 81st Diagnostics and Therapeutics Squadron Nutritional Medicine Flight, started skating with Mississippi's first women's flat
May 18, 2011 Comprehensive Airman Fitness: Daring to care Air Mobility Command officials recently called up hundreds of Guard, Reserve and active duty Airmen to support operations Odyssey Dawn and Unified Protector.We gave these Airmen between 4 and 36 hours notice to get on an aircraft and forward deploy. These amazing Airmen answered the call to protect
May 17, 2011 Military medical professionals team-up, provide care to 1,800 in remote Djibouti The town of Obock recently played host to an team of U.S. and local dental, optometry, and wellness professionals attached to Camp Lemonnier who combined their skills to provide treatment for Afar tribesmen residing in the Obock Prefecture. This team was part of the Combined Joint Task Force - Horn
May 17, 2011 Airmen begin Warrior Games at Olympic Training Complex Twenty-five Airmen joined nearly 200 other wounded warriors for the 2011 Warrior Games opening ceremony May 16 at the Olympic Training Complex here. The competition between all branches of service, including the Coast Guard, is in its second year and is open to service members who were injured while
May 17, 2011 EPA awards Aviano clinic second Energy Star Environmental Protection Agency officials recently awarded the 31st Medical Group a second Energy Star, making the Aviano Air Base clinic the "greenest" in the Air Force.To qualify for the Energy Star, a building must earn 75 or more points on the EPA's 100-point performance scale, indicating that
May 17, 2011 EPLOs supporting Mississippi River flood response effort The recent flooding along the Mississippi River has disrupted lives and commerce, and now the next threat is to several parishes in Louisiana. To help save lives and mitigate property damage, officials at the Air Forces Northern National Security Emergency Preparedness Directorate have deployed two
May 17, 2011 Marines begin reintegration through Air Force Deployment Transition Center More than 100 Marines arrived by air here April 27 for a brief stay at the Air Force Deployment Transition Center.On their way home from Helmand Province in Afghanistan, the Marines of the 1st Explosives Ordnance Disposal Company, from Camp Pendleton, Calif., are the first members from another
May 9, 2011 First-Ever Aortic Procedure Performed at LRMC The international and collaborative nature of medicine at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center resulted in a first-ever procedure that also prevented the need for open heart-bypass surgery on April 1.Dr. Paul B. Haser, a vascular surgeon from the University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey-Robert
May 9, 2011 The Million Veteran Program: VA's genomics game-changer launches nationwide An unprecedented Veterans Affairs research program that promises to advance the sophisticated science of genomics goes national May 5, according to the VA's top official. "It is my honor," said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki, "to join with so many fellow veterans in keeping VA at the
May 9, 2011 Registry yields life-saving treatment lessons A registry established six years ago to track casualty information from Iraq and Afghanistan is providing valuable data that's saving wounded warriors' lives, the commander of the theater hospital here said.Air Force Lt. Col. (Dr.) Guillermo Tellez, commander of the Staff Sgt. Heathe N. Craig Joint
May 9, 2011 'Real Warrior' finds path to physical, emotional healing Black-and-white photos of Vietnam-era veterans line the wall at a Veterans Affairs center. Some are smiling and others are gazing at a distant point, but in all, an unseen light catches the emotion in their eyes.The photographer, now retired Staff Sgt. Stacy Pearsall, a veteran of the more recent
May 5, 2011 Proposal would save $3.2 billion in health care costs The Defense Department's proposal to reform the TRICARE health plan and the military health system would save at least $3.2 billion between 2012 and 2016, the Pentagon's chief financial officer told Congress yesterday. In testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee's personnel subcommittee,
May 5, 2011 Air Guard assists critical-care evacuations Minutes after takeoff here, Col. (Dr.) Charles Chappuis jumped to his feet aboard a C-17 Globemaster III to check on Army Spc. Adam Castagna, one of three critical patients under his care being transported to the U.S. for advanced medical care.Dr. Chappuis is the surgeon for a three-person Air
April 28, 2011 TRICARE supports DEA's National Medication Take Back Day National Medication Take Back Day is being observed April 30 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at many police departments, universities, hospitals and military installations across America. This one-day event, sponsored by the Drug Enforcement Administration, provides a venue for people to safely dispose of
April 28, 2011 Children's reading program lauded in new 'Joining Forces' initiative An 81st Medical Group pediatrician was quoted in an April 12 "Reach Out and Read" program news release announcing First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden unveiling the "Joining Forces" initiative to support military families at the White House.According to the release, "Joining Forces aims to
April 28, 2011 Catching zzz's does the body good The 313th Air Expeditionary Wing is made up of Airmen who came from bases across the United States, often at a moment's notice.Airman 1st Class Patrick Garred, a crew chief with the 171st Air Refueling Wing, Pittsburgh, Pa., said the trip across multiple time zones wasn't too difficult for him since
April 28, 2011 Wounded warrior returns to serve Air Force Gunar Moschner knows all too well the pain and anxiety that follows a devastating combat-related injury, but he also knows help is available through the Air Force Wounded Warrior Program.Thanks to the program -- and his own perseverance - Mr. Moschner is once again serving with the Air Force.His
April 28, 2011 Service members support Arctic Care in rural Alaska The Alaska National Guard is joining forces with active-duty and Reserve units across the nation to provide support for Operation Arctic Care April 15 through 30.Led this year by deployment support officials from the Army Reserve's 807th Medical Command, Arctic Care is an annual two-week mission