Nov. 13, 2009 Mental health pros meet to consider treatments for veterans Improving mental health care for servicemembers and veterans requires a coordinated effort beyond health care providers and the military community, the Pentagon's top mental health expert said here. Opening the second Warrior Resilience Conference Nov. 3, Army Brig. Gen. (Dr.) Loree K. Sutton,
Nov. 3, 2009 Experts to answer H1N1 questions online Military Health System experts will host a Web-based town hall-style meeting Nov. 10 from 3 to 4 p.m. EST to respond to questions about H1N1 influenza. Military members, their families, health-care providers and Defense Department civilians may submit questions starting Nov. 2, using the comments
Nov. 3, 2009 Nurse commissioning program seeks enlisted applicants Officials at the Air Force Personnel Center here will conduct the annual Nurse Enlisted Commissioning Program board May 11-13 to select candidates for fall 2010 start dates. The program offers active-duty enlisted personnel the opportunity to earn a bachelor's degree in a high-need academic major.
Nov. 2, 2009 DOD officials: Military will have enough H1N1 vaccine As shipments of some 3.7 million doses of H1N1 vaccine ordered by the Defense Department continue to arrive from the manufacturer, more than enough will be available for all military personnel and their beneficiaries, military medical experts said here Oct. 30. Navy Cmdr. Danny Shiau, in the
Nov. 2, 2009 Tricare announces H1N1 immunization policy Immunizations against the H1N1 virus will soon be available, and people are eager to take precautions. Tricare Prime, Standard and Extra beneficiaries can get their shots from network and non-network providers without paying a deductible or making a co-payment. A temporary waiver allows retired
Nov. 2, 2009 Former Keesler enlisted medics earn nursing degrees, commisions Staff Sgt. Anna Crane returned to Keesler Medical Center Sept. 16 after an absence of almost two years to share a very special occasion with the people she used to work with here. She left the medical center's Family Birthing Center in December 2007 to attend the University of South Alabama School
Nov. 2, 2009 Medical center modernization project begins at Keesler A $32.32-million infrastructure repair and energy management project began Sept. 10 to modernize Keesler Medical Center's facility systems. The project is scheduled to be completed in February 2011. According to Capt. Matt Clugston, Air Force Medical Support Agency's project health facilities
Nov. 2, 2009 Kandahar Airmen fly missions of mercy They are the "Angels of the Battlefield," medics dedicated to transporting wounded U.S. and coalition servicemembers, as well as locals to the medical care they need. "It's our job to take care of these wounded warriors," said Maj. Dawn Rice, a flight nurse and medical director assigned to the 451st
Nov. 2, 2009 Wilford Hall patient receives first cord blood transplant in DoD A patient at Wilford Hall Medical Center received the first unrelated cord blood transplant in a Department of Defense hospital Oct. 16. Cord blood comes from the umbilical cord of a newborn baby after delivery. This blood is rich in blood stem cells which are very flexible and can grow into any
Nov. 2, 2009 59th Medical Wing historian makes history The 59th Medical Wing historian, Mrs. Judith Taylor, recently returned from a four-month deployment as wing historian for the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing, Joint Base Balad, Iraq. Although deployments to war zones are often routine for military members, they are not as common for Department of
Nov. 2, 2009 Shinseki cites collaboration in mental health care Psychological war wounds are nothing new to servicemembers, but the support of the nation to care for their injuries, until recent years, was somewhat uncharted territory. The departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs are committed to advancing that care because it's the right thing to do as a
Nov. 2, 2009 Ophthalmology academy honors military doctors Representatives of the American Academy of Ophthalmology presented military ophthalmologists with a Distinguished Service Award in San Francisco Oct. 25 for their ongoing service and contributions to vision care. "It is my distinct honor to accept this award on behalf of all ophthalmologists who
Nov. 2, 2009 Obama signs veterans health care legislation President Barack Obama signed new legislation Oct. 22 that creates predictable funding for veterans' health care. The Veterans Healthcare Reform and Transparency Act fundamentally changes how Department of Veterans Affairs receives health care funding. The reform calls for appropriations a year in
Nov. 2, 2009 Defense Department officials take aim at drug abuse "Drug Free is the Key" for the Defense Department's Red Ribbon Week this year as it works to raise public awareness and mobilize communities to combat tobacco, alcohol and drug use among military personnel, civilians and families. The observation of Red Ribbon Week began Oct. 23 and ended Oct. 31.
Nov. 2, 2009 Aeromedical staging facility staff to reach major milestone in warrior care Members of the 86th Contingency Aeromedical Staging Facility here will soon be reaching a new milestone since opening its doors and receiving its first patient six years ago. members provide critical care to wounded warriors, and were scheduled to complete its 100,000th patient movement sometime in
Nov. 2, 2009 New PT rules will not take away from unit fitness Everyone in the Air Force is required to maintain fitness. In fact, in January 2010 the new physical fitness testing criteria will take effect, requiring Airmen to meet minimum requirements in each category or fail the test. Now, Air Force officials are restructuring the requirement for commanders
Nov. 2, 2009 Airmen wrap up relief efforts in Pacific Airmen providing humanitarian assistance following the recent natural disasters in the Pacific have wrapped up their efforts and are returning home, Pacific Air Forces officials here said Oct. 19. The missions began Sept. 30 when Hawaii Air National Guard crews flew two C-17 Globemaster IIIs loaded
Nov. 2, 2009 Airman renders combat first aid to Soldiers An Air Force medic applied combat first aid to Soldiers when their vehicle was attacked by an improvised explosive device in Kapisa Province, recently. Senior Airman Ashley Jackson, a medic deployed from Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, with Kapisa Provincial Reconstruction Team was riding in a
Oct. 13, 2009 Airmen deploy to Indonesia to help quake victims Airmen assigned to Pacific Air Forces left here and Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, Oct. 5 on two C-17 Globemaster IIIs for Padang, Indonesia, to provide medical care to those affected by the recent 7.6-magnitude earthquake. The humanitarian assistance rapid response team (HARRT) combines medical and
Oct. 13, 2009 'Amazing': After weeks of treatment, AFTH releases 14-year-old mortar attack survivor The all-call came over the Air Force Theater Hospital loudspeakers at 11:45 a.m. on Sept. 17, 2009. It wasn't an emergency, but it prompted dozens of staff members to stop what they were doing and make their way to the long exit hallway. Smiling and chatting, they began lining up on the walls. Over