Jan. 11, 2011 Health plan to remain free for troops, officials emphasize Though Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates seeks modest premium increases for working-age military retirees who use the TRICARE Prime health plan, the benefit will remain free to service members, defense officials emphasized Jan. 7.Secretary Gates unveiled sweeping, cost-cutting initiatives Jan. 6,
Jan. 11, 2011 Health plan officials work to improve efficiency, care As Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates presses for a modest increase in health plan premiums for working-age military retirees to help offset rising health care costs, the head of the TRICARE Management Activity reported progress already made in improving efficiencies as well as the quality of health
Jan. 11, 2011 Doctors Use Acupuncture as Newest Battlefield Tool D. Nichols, a retired Navy flight officer and cryptologist, limped into the Air Force Acupuncture Center at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland early yesterday morning, leaning heavily on a cane.A couple of hours later, moving easily without the cane and with the ends of tiny gold needles glittering in
Jan. 11, 2011 Hospital installs new internal imaging cameras The 81st Medical Group has purchased and installed two new nuclear medicine imaging cameras.Valued at nearly $2.1 million, the cameras place Keesler among the leaders in nuclear medicine imaging technology and provide improved diagnostic testing capability for nearly 45,000 authorized
Jan. 11, 2011 Radiologists see from the inside out When doctors need to look inside a patient, they call on a team of radiological professionals to reveal the answers that lie beneath.The eight-person 35th Surgical Operations Squadron diagnostic imaging team, commonly known as radiology, at Misawa Air Base performs an average of 500 image-gathering
Jan. 11, 2011 U.S. Air Force awarded U.S. patent for earpiece system developed by the 711 HPW The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has awarded a patent to the U.S. Air Force for its award-winning Attenuating Custom Communications Earpiece System (ACCES®).The Air Force Research Laboratory, 711th Human Performance Wing, Human Effectiveness Directorate, Warfighter Interface Division,
Jan. 11, 2011 New program connects wounded warriors with loved ones The 455th Contingency Aeromedical Staging Facility staff teamed up with Airmen from the 455th Expeditionary Communication Squadron to offer wounded warriors a way to communicate with loved ones as they make their journey home.The 455th ECS completed the installation of a wireless morale network Dec.
Jan. 11, 2011 EMDG Airmen integral to medal ceremony Working as gently as they could, Airmen of the 332nd Expeditionary Medical Group intensive care and in-patient care unit, helped ready two injured Soldiers for a Purple Heart ceremony Jan. 4. Airmen at the Air Force Theater Hospital who provide emergency care to stabilize and prepare servicemembers
Jan. 10, 2011 Air Guard officials prepare for new medical mission Air National Guard members will begin flying a newly assigned critical care air transport team mission from Ramstein Air Base, Germany, Jan. 10, the air surgeon said in an interview here Jan. 4.The CCATTs, which consist of a physician specializing in critical care, pulmonology, anesthesiology or
Jan. 6, 2011 Resiliency is key to surviving challenges Resiliency. Interesting word. Although I'm familiar with the meaning, I can't recall having ever actually used the word in conversation. Resiliency can be defined as the ability to grow and thrive in the face of challenges and to bounce back from adversity. A less formal expression of the concept
Jan. 6, 2011 First cadre of deployment transition facilitators headed home Ten minutes into his first mission as a convoy commander, everything had gone as wrong as it possibly could for Tech. Sgt. Lorenzo Zapata."The truck was engulfed in flames, you couldn't even recognize it," he said. "And the blood trail from the truck to the median looked like an animal (had been)
Jan. 6, 2011 DOD officials urge service members to stop using tobacco Each year, more than a million people successfully quit using tobacco, and Defense Department officials want more service members included in that number in 2011."In the tradition of New Year's, we are asking our active-duty and retired service members and their families to make a resolution to quit
Jan. 6, 2011 Intrepid Center provides new level of warfighter care When it officially opened its doors in June, the National Intrepid Center of Excellence at the National Naval Medical Center here set out to provide a new level of care for warfighters suffering traumatic brain injuries and psychological disorders.Six months later, as it continues to build staff to
Dec. 20, 2010 Airmen turn aeromedical staging facility into 'home-like atmosphere' Your plane lands after multiple flights and long hours. The door of the C-17 Globemaster III opens, and the cold air hits your face. It's the middle of winter in Southern Illinois, and several men and women in uniforms escort you to a bus that will take you to your room. When the bus comes to a
Dec. 17, 2010 Operation Proper Exit: giving wounded warriors peace of mind Under the prop wash of two helicopters and an entourage of security and support staff, six wounded warriors were given a chance Dec. 9 to retrace their last moments leaving Iraq...on a stretcher.The six wounded warriors - four Soldiers, one Marine and one Airman - engaged in Operation Proper Exit, a
Dec. 17, 2010 First cadre of DTC facilitators headed home Ten minutes into his first mission as a convoy commander, everything had gone as wrong as it possibly could for Tech. Sgt. Lorenzo Zapata."The truck was engulfed in flames, you couldn't even recognize it," he recalled. "And the blood trail from the truck to the median looked like an animal
Dec. 17, 2010 Kyrgyz Presidential medical team receives trauma training from U.S. Americans called it an honor to provide trauma training to the country's presidential health care professionals assigned to the Kyrgyzstan National Security Team.The four training days of triage and trauma in November culminated with a lecture from a mental health provider. "We all know that in the
Dec. 17, 2010 Former Air Force surgeon general notes medical advances When Lt. Gen. (Ret.) P.K. Carlton, former surgeon general to the Air Force, had the opportunity to drop by the 75th Medical Group on Nov. 24 and talk with the clinic staff about the status of Air Force medicine, he noted the 10th anniversary of the International Health Specialist program.Also on his
Dec. 17, 2010 TRICARE beneficiaries have many options to prepare for flu season TRICARE officials urge their 9.6 million beneficiaries to take preventive steps to stop the spread of the flu. Seasonal influenza is a contagious respiratory virus that many beneficiaries may already have been exposed to throughout the year. The 2010 through 2011 flu vaccine will protect against
Dec. 17, 2010 Purple Heart recipient lauded by Air Force chief of staff Master Sgt. Kenneth Gestring, 81st Surgical Operations Squadron, was honored by Brig. Gen. (Dr.) Kory Cornum, 81st Medical Group commander, with a letter from the Air Force chief of staff.The letter was presented following the group's monthly promotion ceremony Nov. 30. Sergeant Gestring, who was