June 12, 2009 Streamlined disability evaluation system introduced at Elmendorf Wounded, ill and injured Airmen entering into the Disability Evaluation System here are now enrolled in a new pilot evaluation process. This new joint Department of Defense-Veterans Affairs effort is designed to streamline and expedite disability recovery and processing to create improved treatment,
June 12, 2009 AF dermatologist uses laser to treat wounded warrior scars Maj. (Dr.) Chad Hivnor, chief of pediatric dermatology at Wilford Hall Medical Center at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas, is using a new fractional laser to treat battle scars on troops injured in operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. "The laser softens the texture of the scars," said
June 12, 2009 Blood center is lifeline for servicemembers Every year, thousands of units of blood and plasma are donated and sent into the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility to save the lives of servicemembers and civilians who sustain life threatening injuries. Thanks to the hard work of the four members of the 379th Expeditionary Medical Group
June 12, 2009 Manas hosts symposium for medical partners A gathering of medical minds met here recently for a coalition medical symposium sponsored by the 376th Expeditionary Medical Group. Guests attending the symposium included personnel from the Spanish coalition medical staff, U.S. Embassy medical unit, Peace Corps medical staff and the Bishkek
June 12, 2009 Combat Stress: A combat essential for today's warfighter Have you ever gone through a challenging or painful situation and later felt stronger from the experience? In other words, the stress of the situation pushed you to react and adapt. You overcame fears or other emotions so, when put in similar situations, you could handle them more effectively or
June 12, 2009 Suicide prevention: A leadership challenge for all Every time a life is lost in Pacific Air Forces I am alerted. All are tragic in different ways, but among the most troubling is when it involves a suicide. During the course of my 35 years on active duty, I've learned that we cannot prevent every suicide attempt. More importantly, I've learned that
June 12, 2009 Telling your story is important When I was deployed to Iraq my mother said, "We have Air Force people in Iraq? What does the Air Force do there?" My mother is probably like a lot of other people out there. She's educated, watches the usual news networks every day and reads the newspapers. How can they not know about the most
June 12, 2009 CAFTT Airmen improve public health program, DFAC for Iraqi Air Force With the opening of a new Iraqi dining facility, featuring menu selections like kebabs, samoon-a flat bread-and baklava, the ability to prepare food safely is paramount. The Iraqi air force opened a new DFAC, with its greatly expanded food service capability, and served its first meal May 5, thanks
June 1, 2009 Wilford Hall team transports critically ill infants across the Pacific A team from Wilford Hall Medical Center rushed to Okinawa, Japan, May 24 to save the lives of two critically ill babies. The infants - one nine months old and the other twenty days old - were moved from Kadena Air Base, Japan, to San Antonio, Texas, May 26 aboard a C-17 Globemaster III. Both are
May 26, 2009 Senate confirms Maj. Gen. (Dr.) Green to be the AF's 20th surgeon general The Senate has confirmed Maj. Gen. (Dr.) Charles Bruce Green to become the Air Force's 20th surgeon general. General Green is currently the Air Force's deputy surgeon general, a position he has held since August 2006. He will replace Lt. Gen. (Dr.) James G. Roudebush, who is retiring. General Green
May 26, 2009 AFMC senior leader reflects on suicide close to home With a phone call on the night of Jan. 29, the "You Matter" suicide campaign at Robins suddenly became more personal to Maj. Gen. Polly Peyer. The commander of Warner Robins Air Logistics Center suspected something was wrong when the phone rang at 9 p.m. because most people who would be calling her
May 26, 2009 Apheresis broadens impact of blood donations Rose Weatherly plays a major role in providing life-saving blood products to patients at Keesler Medical Center and, literally, around the world. Ms. Weatherly, a registered nurse, is the apheresis supervisor with the 81st Diagnostics and Therapeutics Squadron's pathology and clinical laboratory
May 26, 2009 Enlisted graduate of foreign medical school commissioned, picked for residency training For newly-promoted Capt. (Dr.) Mauricio De Castro, April 24 was the culmination of a long-sought goal. He became an Air Force officer and, perhaps more significant, he will soon begin the internal medicine residency program at Keesler Medical Center. Col. Stephanie McCann, 81st Diagnostics and
May 26, 2009 Lifesaver 2009 exercise offers preparation for disaster Keesler joined with area, state and federal agencies to conduct a successful Lifesaver 2009 exercise, May 5-7. With an estimated 2,000 participants, this year's major Federal Coordinating Center and National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) exercise was the largest Lifesaver event since May 2005.
May 26, 2009 Maxwell nurse has three reasons to celebrate Mother’s Day Maj. Lynn A. Ammon, family nurse practitioner at the 42nd Medical Group, had three reasons to celebrate on Mother's Day. With the special occasion, it was also part of National Nurse's Week and she was now back with her family after a recent, six-month deployment to Afghanistan. As a mother of two,
May 26, 2009 Arabic translator’s career coming full circle Ali Aziz Resan's career as an Arabic translator for the U.S. government is coming full circle. In 2004 Mr. Resan was living in Nasiriyah, Iraq, a city near Tallil Air Base, when he was hired as an Arabic translator for the U.S. Air Force hospital there. He was the first known Iraqi national to serve
May 26, 2009 Strike team stays prepared, responds to real-world incident During the morning rush hour recently, Team Charleston members heard reports on local radio stations about a UPS Inc. distribution center being evacuated and the area being cordoned off because of a suspicious substance. It was around 7 a.m. when an employee in the Summerville center reported a
May 26, 2009 Air Force, Army internal medicine residents win at national competition Internal medicine residents from the San Antonio Uniformed Services Health Education Consortium Internal Medicine Residency recently competed in the American College of Physicians 2009 Internal Medicine competition, held April 23-25 in Philadelphia.The residents won awards in every category. "It's
May 26, 2009 Stereotactic radiosurgery gives new hope for brain tumor sufferers. Pamela Bishop rested comfortably in a hospital bed at Wright-Patterson Medical Center. She had arrived from home early that morning to be fitted with a frame that surrounded her head. It was not uncomfortable, but she remarked that the installation, while not painful, had nevertheless given her a
May 26, 2009 PRT Panjshir medics improve medical sanitation As soon as the Panjshir Provincial Reconstruction Team arrived in the Panjshir Valley in November 2008, they noticed a need for a more sanitary way of disposing of contaminated needles. "We saw that they were using cardboard boxes and buckets for [sharps] disposal. We also observed needles laying