Dec. 17, 2009 Retired first sergeant leaves special legacy When Senior Master Sgt. Clayton French was honored at his Nov. 20 retirement ceremony, most of the guests in attendance learned the 81st Medical Operations Squadron first sergeant would leave a significant legacy to the service to which he devoted more than 28 years of his life: Sergeant French had
Dec. 17, 2009 USAFSAM: The Air Force's medical educators Flight surgeons, aerospace physiologists, public health and bioenvironmental officers, flight nurses and enlisted specialists - every year, the Air Force and its partners need thousands of skilled medical professionals to fill critical positions.Where does the Air Force find enough people with the
Dec. 17, 2009 Medical logistics: Lives in the balance Surgical and survival records are being broken by doctors and nurses at the Craig Joint Theater Hospital here daily - but without critical supplies, medications and equipment, the skilled surgeons and caring nurses can't continue to do their job of saving lives.That's where the masterful work of the
Dec. 17, 2009 USAF Nurse Transition Program celebrates first anniversary with University Hospital Cincinnati Fourteen Air Force nurses participated in the fifth graduation ceremony for the Nurse Transition Program Friday, Dec. 4 at University Hospital in Cincinnati. The ceremony marked the completion of the first year of the program.University Hospital Cincinnati and the U.S. Air Force established the
Dec. 17, 2009 Iron-distance triathlon tests colonel's mettle "I never thought of it as being crazy," said Lt. Col. James Barber, commander of the 42nd Medical Support Squadron, of his recent completion of his first iron-distance triathlon, a combination of running, swimming and biking for 140.6 miles of endurance-challenging sport.Colonel Barber took up the
Dec. 17, 2009 Air Force colonel beats cancer, soars high Col. Michael Stapleton, 49th Fighter Wing Operations Group commander at Holloman AFB, N.M., has come a long way since being diagnosed with cancer in 2006."I was diagnosed with cancer when I was the 43rd Fighter Squadron commander at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida," said Colonel Stapleton. "I had
Dec. 17, 2009 New device provides quick emergency evacuation Wilford Hall Medical Center has purchased special devices for each inpatient bed, designed to reduce risk of injury to patients and staff and to expedite evacuations during emergency situations.The new emergency evacuation devices, or sleds, cocoon the patient and mattress together, allowing medical
Dec. 17, 2009 Military ophthalmologists receive Distinguished Service Award Military ophthalmologists from all branches of service were recently presented a Distinguished Service Award in appreciation for their ongoing service and vision care contributions.The award was presented by the American Academy of Ophthalmology and recognized all military ophthalmologists, past and
Dec. 17, 2009 Support improves for families with special needs Officials are working to boost the resources and support the Defense Department's Exceptional Family Member Program provides to military families with special needs. "Most people are aware of EFMP as a mandatory enrollment program, but we're working to raise awareness of the family support we can
Dec. 17, 2009 59th Medical Wing receives Air Force Outstanding Unit Award The 59th Medical Wing was recently awarded the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award for the period of July 1, 2008 to June 30, 2009."Even though the 59th Medical Wing has now won this award several years in a row, no one should think for a moment that these are automatic," said Maj. Gen. (Dr.) Tom
Dec. 4, 2009 Health care gains recognition as bridge to stability A theory gaining momentum among counterinsurgency and military medical experts is that the health of a nation's people affects the health of a nation. While no formal study has confirmed a causal connection, evidence culled from U.S. commanders as well as American allies and adversaries, suggests a
Dec. 4, 2009 Wounded warrior program continues assisting Airmen and their families Air Force leaders remain committed to the service's top investments: Airmen and their families. In support of a Defense Department initiative to return wounded warriors to productive military service or civilian life, Air Force officials here have revised several personnel policies. These policies
Dec. 4, 2009 New physical fitness standards effective July 1, biannual testing begins Jan. 1 Maintaining peak combat readiness begins and ends with healthy, motivated and well-trained Airmen.On Nov. 19, the Air Force's deputy chief of staff for manpower and personnel announced the new Air Force fitness standards will officially begin July 1, 2010.Lt. Gen. Richard Y. Newton III said the
Dec. 4, 2009 Vietnam military health, logistics reps visit Hickam Six delegates from the Vietnam military's health and general logistics fields met with U.S. Air Force officials here Nov. 10 during a 13th Air Force-hosted visit. The visit was designed to familiarize the Vietnamese delegates with how the U.S. military conducts surveillance, screening and testing of
Dec. 4, 2009 Healthcare: Be a leader Airmen may already be familiar with growing national support for the Patient-Centered Medical Home health care model. The PCMH is defined as an approach to providing comprehensive primary care that facilitates partnerships between individual patients, their personal physicians and, when appropriate,
Dec. 4, 2009 DOD, VA officials announce disability evaluation system pilot expansion To expedite the delivery of benefits to many injured servicemembers who receive disability compensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs, VA officials have announced the expansion of a program with the Department of Defense to streamline the application process for people retiring or exiting
Dec. 4, 2009 'Defender's Edge': A new approach to combat stress A new customized mental health program is helping security forces Airmen here manage combat stress.The "Defenders Edge" is tailored to those security forces Airmen who conduct missions on or outside the wire. This program is intended to improve Airmen's mental resiliency to combat-related stressors.
Dec. 4, 2009 President extends Thanksgiving wishes to Airman serving in Afghanistan An Air Force medic here received a personal telephone call from President Barack Obama on Thanksgiving Day.Senior Airman Ashley Jackson, a member of Provincial Reconstruction Team Kapisa, was chosen as one of 10 military members who spoke to the president while deployed abroad.Airman Jackson,
Dec. 4, 2009 'First-strike ration' aims for better nutrition Several military organizations are working together to provide servicemembers with healthy, good-tasting, sustainable and nutritionally sound combat rations. "We're charged with a fairly awesome task, and that is to fuel the Defense Department's most flexible and adaptable weapons platform, and
Nov. 13, 2009 Military medical team sets new standard of care in wartime Before a crowd of thousands, Maj. Gen. (Dr.) Tom Travis, who leads the largest medical training facility in the Air Force, paid tribute to the military medical corps on Veterans Day during a pre-parade ceremony in Dallas, Texas. The theme of the 12th annual Dallas Veterans Day Parade was "Saluting