May 31, 2008 AFMC Surgeon General proud of personnel, provision of care The Air Force offers one of the best medical services in the world, Brig. Gen. (Dr.) Richard A. Hersack said during his May 15 visit to Hanscom AFB, Mass. General Hersack, who became the Air Force Materiel Command surgeon general last fall, said he couldn't be more proud of the medical workers in
May 31, 2008 Military medical advancements benefit civilian health care Psychological health issues and traumatic brain injuries are primary areas of study in military medicine, said a senior Department of Defense medical official here recently. "What we are learning in studies will lead to some major breakthroughs in the world of medicine," said Dr. Michael E.
May 31, 2008 Multinational exercise in Croatia wraps up Croatia hosted the closing ceremony for the 2008 Medical Training Exercise in Central and Eastern Europe, or MEDCEUR, here May 14. MEDCEUR is a Joint Chiefs of Staff regional, multilateral exercise sponsored by U.S. European Command. The exercise provides an opportunity for medical people to share
May 31, 2008 Portable electronic power initiative energizes possibilities An Air Mobility Battlelab initiative could "energize" new possibilities for aeromedical evacuations in the future. Termed the Portable Electronic Power Supply for Aeromedical Evacuations, or PEPSAE, initiative, it addresses a problem of heavy and cumbersome avionic frequency converters used to power
May 31, 2008 Traumatic Stress Response: Psychological first aid Just as combat medics provide first aid to physical wounds, the Scott Air Force Base Traumatic Stress Response team provides the same care to mental wounds. The 375th Medical Group features a service that can help individual Airmen and units cope with traumatic events, whatever they may be. "This is
May 31, 2008 Surgical society honors Wilford Hall doctors Several 59th Medical Wing surgeons were honored during the Society of Air Force Clinical Surgeons' 54th scientific symposium in Cincinnati, Ohio, April 12-17. The SAFCS was formally chartered in 1958 at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. Membership is comprised of active duty military doctors of
May 31, 2008 AFSO 21: 95th MDG streamlines referral management process The 95th Medical Group streamlined Edwards' Referral Management Center's process during a rapid improvement event here April 14 to 17. This was part of the 95th MDG's effort to capitalize on the Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century initiative. Through Air Force Smart Operations for the
April 30, 2008 Temporary hospital finds permanent place in history Airmen from the 332nd Expeditionary Medical Group and the 332nd Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron here worked together to preserve a piece of Balad Air Base, Logistics Support Area Anaconda and Operation Iraqi Freedom history. The emergency room from the old Balad AB Air Force Theater Hospital,
April 30, 2008 The contributions of America's Airmen Secretary of the Air Force Michael W. Wynne and Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. T. Michael Moseley have issued the following letter highlighting the contributions of America's Airmen: Airmen, This past Monday, the Secretary of Defense delivered an address at Maxwell AFB to the students of our
April 30, 2008 DOD, VA leaders chart way forward for wounded care Officials in the Defense Department and the Department of Veterans Affairs are diligently working together to solve problems for America's wounded warriors, Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England told the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee April 24. The two departments are working to "improve
April 30, 2008 Medics deliver superior care, Air Force leaders testify Two Air Force medical leaders told the Senate Subcommittee of Defense April 16 in Washington that the Air Force's state of medical readiness is aligned with the service's top priorities. "Unmistakably, it is the daily delivery of health care that allows us to maintain critical skills that guarantee
April 30, 2008 Trauma doctors gather to hone skills Editor's note: The identity of the Iraqi physician quoted in this article has not been released for security purposes. Approximately 20 deployed military doctors, U.S. civilian doctors and Iraqi doctors gathered at the Air Force Theater Hospital here March 24-25 to share information about operations
April 30, 2008 Deployed emergency managers gather to hone skills They looked liked they were extras in a low-budget, sci-fi movie walking in slick green chemical suits with what looked like scuba-diving air tanks strapped to their backs. A massive dust storm added to the ambiance of the scene by casting a strange orange hue to the already odd-looking clan walking
April 30, 2008 AF officials select 37 Airmen for physician assistant training The Air Force officials selected 37 Airmen to attend the Tri-Service (Phase I) Physician Assistant training at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. The April 2008 Physician Assistant Board met at the Air Force Personnel Center in San Antonio to consider 61 applicants. In addition to those selected to attend
April 30, 2008 Doctors break ground with new voice recognition medical capabilities in Iraq The average professional types 50 to 70 words per minute. Lt. Col. (Dr.) John Mansfield, a urologist at the Air Force Theater Hospital here, claims he falls within that range. "Not bad, but I can talk at about 120 words per minute," Doctor Mansfield said, wearing a headset that he carries with him
April 30, 2008 State of medical care, training healthy again Brig. Gen. (Dr.) Doug Robb led wide-ranging improvements to patient care since assuming command of the 81st Medical Group and Keesler Medical Center in July 2007. The medical center continued its monumental recovery from the effects of Hurricane Katrina, increasing numbers and varieties of services.
April 30, 2008 Air Force ophthalmology team saves government big bucks Two 59th Medical Wing team members are recipients of the Air Education and Training Command's 2007 Air Force Exceptional Innovator Award. Ms. Pamela A. Singleton and Lt. Col. Richard G. Lane's implementation of a new drug project has saved the U.S. government $990 per unit dose of a drug used to
April 30, 2008 Officials remain proactive in tackling trainee illnesses Lackland Air Force Base officials remain proactive in its efforts to control the occurrence of upper respiratory illness amongst its Basic Military Training population. For the past two years, Lackland AFB has had one of the lowest respiratory illness rates of all Department of Defense military
April 30, 2008 Mobile CASF training course now available worldwide Sheppard Air Force Base medical training took another step toward the future with the certification of the Contingency Aeromedical Staging Facility Mobile Training Course taught here. "Certification means we can go anywhere now and teach the course," said Maj. Tammy St. Armand, an instructor
April 30, 2008 Breakthrough comes in preventing Dengue fever Dengue fever and the potentially fatal form of the disease, dengue hemorrhagic fever, are rated by the Department of Defense as number 3 of the top 40 disease threats to deployed military forces. According to a report from the Pan American Health Organization, an international public health agency,