April 14, 2009 Advanced field hospital put to test in Puerto Rico The earthquake and tsunami that struck here left a streaming mass of civilians requiring medical attention, and Arizona Air National Guard members flew here to render assistance. Or, at least, that's the scenario. In exercise Vigilant Guard, Airmen from the 161st Medical Group of the Arizona
April 14, 2009 Keesler medical genetics lab earns two-year accreditation The Air Force Medical Genetics Laboratory at Keesler Medical Center has been awarded two-year accreditation by the Commission on Laboratory Accreditation of the College of American Pathologists. The genetics flight commander, Capt. Mona Nelson, was congratulated for the "excellence of the services
April 14, 2009 WHMC Air Force graphic illustrator wins DoD award Master Sgt William Vance was named Military Graphic Illustrator of the Year March 10 for the second year in a row, an accomplishment that has never happened before. The award will be presented May 29 at the Defense Information School at Fort Meade, Maryland. The Visual Information Awards Program is
April 14, 2009 Yokota lab earns prestigious accreditation You're in good hands when it comes to the service provided by the 374th Medical Group clinical laboratory, and they have the paper to prove it. The College of American Pathologists awarded an accreditation, based on a recent on-site inspection, to the medical group laboratory. The lab, noted for
April 14, 2009 Wilford Hall Nurse wins USA Power Lifting Competition A nurse consultant for the Critical Care Air Transport Team at Wilford Hall Medical Center won the USA Power Lifting Military Nationals competition in Killeen, Texas, on March 14. After only three years in competitive power lifting, Andre Gholson has won the USAPL Texas State Championship for the
April 1, 2009 Airmen reflect on 6th anniversary of Operation Iraqi Freedom Airmen in the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing here took a moment to reflect on previous deployments here and the progress that's been made since 2003 to mark the six-year anniversary of Operation Iraqi Freedom March 19. Some take note of the physical changes in the base, the hardened facilities and the
April 1, 2009 Gen. Petraeus praises medics, corpsmen The commander of U.S. Central Command praised the Military medics and corpsmen whose courage on the battlefield protects the lives of fellow servicemembers March 11 here. Army Gen. David H. Petraeus told the 400-person audience at the 3rd Annual Armed Services YMCA Gala here that he was an
April 1, 2009 Virtual reality treatment speeds recovery from PTSD The Air Force has recently introduced new virtual reality-based software to help Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom veterans combat post traumatic stress disorder. The software, introduced to eight bases in the Air Force, is designed to create a safe environment for redeployers
April 1, 2009 Keesler's emergency room first in Air Force to use electronic medical records system Keesler Medical Center has introduced a unique system in its emergency department. The staff began using electronic medical records -- T-System -- Jan. 15 to become the only emergency department in the Air Force with the capability. According to Capt. Scott McKee, an emergency room clinical nurse
April 1, 2009 Wilford Hall commander wins national medical award Col. (Dr.) William Beninati, 59th Medical Operations Group commander, is the recipient of the 2008 American Hospital Association Federal Health Care Executive Award for Excellence. The award was created by the American Hospital Association's Constituency Section for Federal Hospitals. It recognizes
April 1, 2009 Air Force medic helps ailing African villagers Grab your bags! Your medical skills are needed in a third-world country to provide humanitarian relief. This is an all too familiar call to the military medical professional. Yet, somehow this call to Staff Sgt. Andrea Mosca was different. The call was not from her military unit, but from the church
April 1, 2009 Wilford Hall opens cancer resource center A cancer resource center, dedicated to patient care and education, is opening March 31 in the basement of Wilford Hall Medical Center. The center, located in Room BL18 near the hospital's emergency department, offers more than 130 pamphlets with information on topics ranging from specific types of
April 1, 2009 AFMS history: Day-to-day care Care of deployed American warriors of all the Services is the most noticeable contribution of the Air Force Medical Service. But the day-to-day work of the AFMS is concentrated in base-level medical facilities, where most of the patients are Air Force family members and retirees. One of the oldest
April 1, 2009 Teamwork: DOD clinicians and logisticians support medical standardization Close teamwork between clinicians and logisticians in the Tri-Service Regional Standardization Program provides the framework for the many successes within the program. This program focuses on standardizing medical and surgical products within a specific geographic DOD region. "Our first priority is
April 1, 2009 10th MDSS donates fuzzy comfort to trauma victims The 10th Medical Support Squadron is aiding crime victims with fuzzy, cute and comforting new friends. During "Operation Bear Hug" the squadron donated 134 teddy bears to the Colorado Springs Police Department during the March 4 commander's call in the 10th Medical Group dining room. The unit also
April 1, 2009 Training gives medics confidence prior to deployments It's utter chaos. A child injured by a roadside bomb is wheeled into surgery. A woman with facial burns is rushed in on a stretcher. A small boy with a severe leg injury hobbles into the room. Who do you treat first? Who can help? What medical supplies are on hand? These are the questions deployed
April 1, 2009 DGMC uses innovative methods to improve patient safety Health care providers at the largest Air Force medical center on the West Coast are using state-of-the-art, interactive human patient simulators as just one of many safety initiatives to improve medical care, the medical center's commander said March 10. The use of human patient simulators is just
March 16, 2009 Former political refugee becomes Air Force doctor The doctor is IN! Senior Airman Mauricio De Castro Pretelt has achieved his long-sought goal of becoming a physician in the U.S., and more specifically, the U.S. Air Force. Currently a laboratory technician with the 81st Diagnostics and Therapeutics Squadron, the native of Colombia and recent U.S.
March 16, 2009 Afghanistan's first mental health clinic for servicemembers opens at Bagram Servicemembers in Afghanistan now have a place to turn to for help with the toughest aspects of their deployment when they need it most. The Bagram Freedom Restoration Center is the first mental health clinic in Afghanistan. The center's main goal is to give servicemembers skills they can use to
March 16, 2009 Wilford Hall doctors perform lifesaving procedure on newborn A medical team at Wilford Hall Medical Center here recently performed a lifesaving procedure on a newborn infant that is unique to Air Force medicine. Alexander Gardner, son of Natascha Gardner and Army Staff Sgt. Christopher Gardner of the 23rd Armored Calvary Regiment at Fort Hood, Texas, was born