Feb. 4, 2009 AFPC officials begin health records transfer mission to VA Air Force Personnel Center officials here will begin to transfer health treatment records of retired and separated active, Guard and Reserve Airmen to the Department of Veterans Affairs Feb. 1. AFPC will become the central transfer gateway to improve the flow of Air Force health treatment records
Jan. 8, 2009 Program addresses wounded, ill servicemembers' needs More than 1,900 wounded servicemembers have benefited from their enrollment in a specialized health program to meet their unique needs during their rehabilitative process. "As we began seeing more wounded servicemembers returning to our region, we identified some unique needs that they faced as they
Jan. 7, 2009 Medics, maintainers test skills at alternative careers How many steps does it take to prepare an F-16 Fighting Falcon to launch for a combat sortie? How stomach-turning is it to sit in on a surgery? Staff Sgt. Ubong Okokon and Master Sgt. Mark Crew are dedicated to answering these questions and more for Airmen serving in the Air Force Theater Hospital
Jan. 7, 2009 Huge SAMMC construction project breaks ground Military leaders, construction officials and wounded warriors joined up Dec. 8 to break ground on a historic start of construction on the San Antonio Military Medical Center, a $724 million construction and renovation project at Brooke Army Medical Center and Wilford Hall Medical Center. The
Jan. 7, 2009 Keesler Medical Center to begin empanelling patients into its Family Health Clinic Keesler Medical Center will soon begin empanelling patients into its Family Health Clinic. The Air Force Surgeon General and his staff have developed a Family Health Initiative that promotes patient-provider continuity with a strong focus on preventive care. A primary tenant of this plan is that
Jan. 7, 2009 Mental Health team deploys with Army to Iraq A three-person mental health team from Keesler recently returned from more than six months in Iraq providing mental health support to Army personnel. The team from the 81st Medical Operations Squadron mental health flight included family advocacy officer Capt. Bob Greiman and mental health
Jan. 7, 2009 WHMC medical residents dominate ACP competition Wilford Hall Medical Center internal medicine residents walked away with top awards during the annual Army/Air Force American College of Physicians meeting. The event was held at the Hyatt Regency, Bethesda, Md., Nov. 20-23. Several years ago, the Army and Air Force began conducting a joint ACP
Jan. 7, 2009 Iraqi medics complete aeromedical evacuation course Instructors from the United States Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine, San Antonio, Texas, graduated 14 Iraqi air force medics from an Aeromedical Evacuation Basics Course here Dec. 4. The graduation ceremony was the culmination of 12 days of training that ended with a patient movement exercise
Jan. 7, 2009 300 and counting -- rescue unit saves lives in Afghanistan Air Force reservists with the 920th Rescue Wing here have saved more than 300 U.S. troops since deploying to Afghanistan in February 2008. The Air Force Reserve Command unit is flying HH-60 helicopter missions in support the U.S. Army medical evacuation operation. Airmen from the wing and its sister
Jan. 7, 2009 PACAF centralizes fit testing Airmen across PACAF will soon see a change in their fitness testing procedures as the command moves to centralize all fit testing under base health and wellness centers by March of 2009. After receiving feedback from across the command, Gen. Howie Chandler, Pacific Air Forces commander, directed the
Jan. 7, 2009 The mark of "Excellent": DGMC tops inspection score, receives accreditation To the roar and raucous cheers of a standing audience, the medical staff at David Grant USAF Medical Center received an overall "Excellent" rating and full accreditation status for another three years. A no-advance notice review and survey was conducted by the Air Force Inspection Agency and the
Jan. 7, 2009 EUCOM program aims to reduce caregiver fatigue Recognizing the risk of burnout among caregivers providing warrior and family support, U.S. European Command plans to kick off a program this spring that incorporates principles introduced by bestselling author and lecturer Dr. Stephen Covey. EUCOM is putting together a compassion-fatigue program
Jan. 7, 2009 Lackland medical center labs receive 2-year accreditation The labs at San Antonio Military Medical Center-South recently received a two-year accreditation from the AABB, an organization recognized by the industry for monitoring and advancing transfusion and cellular therapies worldwide. The accreditation involved an intensive on-site assessment by AABB
Jan. 7, 2009 Maj. Gen. Rank retires -- Imagine that you are leading an aeromedical evacuation crew and need to get several pilots out of harm's way and to the hospital. The pilots had unknowingly hit landmines that had been covered by sand. They are badly hurt. Your problem: there aren't any C-141s scheduled for a routine mission for
Dec. 3, 2008 Iraqi doctors study American aeromedical evacuation program Two doctors from Iraq's Ministry of Defense visited the Air Force Theater Hospital and Contingency Aeromedical Staging Facility here Nov. 5-8 to study U.S. Air Force aeromedical evacuation procedures. The visit will help the doctors, Maj. (Dr.) Abdul-Razaq and Capt. (Dr.) Mohammed, establish an
Dec. 3, 2008 Remains of B-52 aircrew laid to rest at Arlington The remains of six B-52 Stratofortress aircrew members killed when their aircraft crashed off the northwest coast of Guam July 21 were laid to rest in a ceremony held Nov. 14 at Arlington National Cemetery. Dozens of family members, friends and Airmen gathered at the graveside to bury Col.
Dec. 3, 2008 Handbook consolidates warrior care information Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said a new handbook is another step in improving the care and support wounded, ill or injured troops and their families deserve. The handbook compiles the myriad information they need in one succinct, easy-to-read publication. In his foreword to the Compensation and
Dec. 3, 2008 AF doctor's persistence leads to diagnosis of rare disease A young patient at San Antonio Military Medical Center-South, or Wilford Hall Medical Center, was diagnosed with a rare disease that mainly affects African-American females. Lakeshia Blueitt, 17-year-old daughter of retired Master Sgt. Curtis Blueitt, started experiencing major changes in her body
Dec. 3, 2008 Airmen help build Afghan military medical capability A small group of Airmen helped transform a once empty building into a fully functional hospital at Camp Hero in Kandahar Province that is now staffed by Afghan national army personnel and capable of caring for ANA soldiers, Afghan national police members, and their families. The Kandahar Regional