March 2, 2009 Chairman cites need for more 'dwell time' between deployments The nation's top military officer expressed concern here about servicemembers and their families "toughing it out" with frequent deployments and little time together between those deployments. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, talked about the stresses of war and a
March 2, 2009 Suicide prevention hotline saves veterans' lives Help is only a phone call away for military veterans considering suicide. Nearly 100,000 veterans, family members or friends of veterans have reached out for help by calling the Department of Veterans Affairs suicide prevention hotline at 1-800-273-TALK. The hotline was launched July 2007. The VA
Feb. 18, 2009 2008 Air Force Medical Service awards announced The Air Force surgeon general's medical force development directorate has announced the winners of the 2008 Air Force Medical Service award competition. The Air Force Recognition Ribbon is authorized for individual award winners only, according to Air Force Medical Service officials. They recommend
Feb. 18, 2009 Enlisted medic team cares for burned Afghan toddler In the remote mountains of the Deychopan district of Zabul, medical emergencies become more devastating. Air Force Staff Sgt. Warren Williamson and Army Spec. David Morris realized this first hand when the two enlisted medics led their first debridement on a baby girl. The small girl was carried to
Feb. 18, 2009 Medical Airmen do 'whatever it takes' for mission success "Trauma to ER, Trauma to ER," the overhead speaker calls. Within minutes the surgeon of the day, respiratory therapist, anesthesiologist, radiologist, and emergency room staff assembly are awaiting the arrival of the patient at the Air Force Theater Hospital here. Moments later the patient arrives
Feb. 18, 2009 Vandenberg med group completes four-day excercise The 30th Medical Group conducted a Medical Emergency Response Capability Assessment and Training exercise Jan. 29 at the base clinic and Cocheo Park here. The four-day exercise involved nearly the entire clinic staff and was conducted in three phases, including classroom and hands-on training. The
Feb. 18, 2009 Wilford Hall vocalist chosen for 2009 Tops in Blue team Thirty-one Airmen were recently chosen for the world-renowned Tops in Blue team for 2009. For 10 days, 80 Air Force singers, dancers, musicians and comedians competed for the Tops in Blue slots during January's Air Force Worldwide Talent Contest at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. Staff Sgt. Naomi
Feb. 18, 2009 Tricare officials launch beneficiary bulletin podcast As part of a continuing effort to keep beneficiaries informed, Tricare officials have added a news podcast to the Tricare Web site. The Tricare Beneficiary Bulletin brings listeners the latest news about their benefits every week in a quick, easy-to-digest format. The debut podcast contains updates
Feb. 18, 2009 Medical team hikes into mountains to care for children During a two-week exercise in early February, a team of 16 medical doctors, nurse practitioners, dietitians and medical students conducted pediatric nutrition evaluations for families without the means or access to regular medical care in the remote mountains near Marcala, Honduras. The team
Feb. 18, 2009 KC-135 crew airlifts wounded from Afghanistan A few Airmen from the 931st Air Refueling Group spent their Super Bowl weekend resting from a 12-day aeromedical evacuation mission in Afghanistan. Eight reservists from the 931st manned a specially equipped KC-135 Stratotanker that made four back-to-back trips to Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, to
Feb. 18, 2009 USAFE medics, firefighters train to teach The 435th Medical Group kicked off a two-week Emergency Medical Technician Instructor Course for firefighters and medics around U.S. Air Forces in Europe Feb. 2 here. The course put more than 20 firefighters and medics from eight different bases in the same training environment, making sure each
Feb. 18, 2009 New technology helps cardiac patient A cardiac patient from Kerrville Veteran's Administration Hospital is alive today thanks to new technology available at Wilford Hall Medical Center. The patient suffered a cardiac arrest and the VA hospital did not have the capability to provide the advanced care needed. So, the patient was
Feb. 18, 2009 Air Force allergist receives national award Maj. (Dr.) Christopher Calabria, officer in charge of the Wilford Hall Medical Center Immunizations Clinic, was selected to receive an American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Award. The award recognizes outstanding research published in the "Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology," or
Feb. 4, 2009 AF medic receives Purple Heart from chief of staff On Christmas Eve, Master Sgt. David Webber wasn't thinking about Santa or sugarplums. He wasn't wrapping presents for his two boys or his wife. He was in a guard tower. In Afghanistan. Helping scan for snipers. But that was before being hit with chunks of shrapnel that had him losing a pint of blood
Feb. 4, 2009 Administration sets agenda for veteran care President Barack Obama has promised to deliver the care and benefits the nation's military veterans deserve while transforming the Department of Veterans Affairs into a 21st century organization, according to an administration agenda posted on the White House Web site. "Keeping faith with those who
Feb. 4, 2009 Medical fellow receives valuable training in Iraq VR Optimally managing the unique head and neck injury patterns seen in Iraq and Afghanistan lead to a successful initiative out of Wilford Hall Medical Center -- sending the first surgical fellow to a war zone for a surgical rotation. In the past, medical and surgical residents and fellows were not
Feb. 4, 2009 Nurse commissioning program seeks enlisted applicants Air Force Personnel Center officials here will conduct the annual Nurse Enlisted Commissioning Program board May 4 through 8 to select candidates for fall 2009 and spring 2010 semester start dates. The program offers active-duty Airmen the opportunity to earn a bachelor's degree in a high-need
Feb. 4, 2009 Voice recognition system helps manage patient records It's faster, more accurate and highly maneuverable. What may sound like the latest weapons system is actually a new way of doing business for doctors at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center. With the introduction of Dragon Medical speech recognition software, the process of documenting patient medical
Feb. 4, 2009 DGMC@20: Sharing our future, remembering our past The opening line to the Beatles' magnum opus, "Sgt.Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" says it all: "It was 20 years ago today . . ." Dec. 19, 1988 marked the day the doors to the Air Force's newest hospital at Travis AFB opened to patients and staff, officially replacing an aging 39-year-old facility
Feb. 4, 2009 Agreement expands AF beneficiaries' access to bariatric surgery According to the Centers for Disease Control, two-thirds of all Americans are overweight or obese. Thanks to a resource sharing agreement between the Nix Health Care System and the 59th Medical Wing, Wilford Hall Medical Center doctors are providing increased services to bariatric patients. An