May 26, 2009 AFMC senior leader reflects on suicide close to home With a phone call on the night of Jan. 29, the "You Matter" suicide campaign at Robins suddenly became more personal to Maj. Gen. Polly Peyer. The commander of Warner Robins Air Logistics Center suspected something was wrong when the phone rang at 9 p.m. because most people who would be calling her
May 26, 2009 Maxwell nurse has three reasons to celebrate Mother’s Day Maj. Lynn A. Ammon, family nurse practitioner at the 42nd Medical Group, had three reasons to celebrate on Mother's Day. With the special occasion, it was also part of National Nurse's Week and she was now back with her family after a recent, six-month deployment to Afghanistan. As a mother of two,
May 15, 2009 Public health maintains high standards, healthy force Airmen in the 379th Expeditionary Medical Group constantly monitor the health of all individuals and check to see if illnesses of base personnel are isolated incidents or part of a trend at this air base in Southwest Asia. "Our main role is the prevention and control of communicable diseases," said
April 29, 2009 Screening program prompts fast swine flu identification The Defense Department's worldwide influenza monitoring program and decisive action by the medical staff at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas, are being credited with helping to identify two cases of swine flu early to help prevent a potential spread. Two 16-year-old boys, both military family members
April 29, 2009 Safety specialist wins AETC award Mr. Michael Griffith, occupational safety specialist at Wilford Hall Medical Center, recently won the Air Education and Training Command "Well Done Award." The award recognizes an individual who makes a significant contribution that affects the overall mishap prevention activities of flight, ground,
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
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
Dec. 3, 2008 Elmendorf medics treat TBI victims The 3rd Medical Group currently houses a traumatic brain injury center where Elmendorf medical professionals have seen and treated more than 1,500 patients than the average practitioner sees at Elmendorf AFB. TBI - as it is more commonly known - has become known as one of the most significant public
Oct. 29, 2008 'Landing Gear' aims to help at-risk Airmen Air Force Medical Service officials are releasing a prevention education program that provides focused education specifically targeted at Airmen at risk for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, and other deployment-related mental health problems. Entitled Landing Gear, the training fulfills
Aug. 29, 2008 Tricare beneficiaries can 'stay alert' by e-mail Officials with the Tricare Management Activity are now providing benefit news electronically. From the latest beneficiary newsletters and changes in coverage, to pharmacy updates and news releases, all 9.2 million Tricare beneficiaries now have an easy way to stay informed by e-mail. A new
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
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 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 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,
March 31, 2008 SARC helps deployed servicemembers respond to crisis Air Force Sexual Assault Response Coordinators will be stressing education and awareness about sexual assault throughout the month of April, which is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Those deployed, with a three-drink-a-night limit on alcohol and General Order 1 applying to their interactions with
Feb. 27, 2008 Airmen treat Iraqi children injured in mortar attack Air Force Theater Hospital Airmen here helped save the lives of seven Iraqi children who were playing soccer when they were wounded in an attack by insurgents Feb. 19 in Al Jumia, Iraq. The seven wounded children were transported to the base and were treated for various injuries. Two were treated
Feb. 27, 2008 Center gears up for mental health, traumatic brain injuries Army Col. (Dr.) Loree Sutton is a woman on a mission. The military psychiatrist has, for the last month, ricocheted across the Capital Beltway landscape and beyond, setting up a Defense Department office that will, for the first time, bring together the best of the best relating to psychological
Jan. 30, 2008 Reintegration begins now for Airmen returning home Long before bags are packed, replacements are in place and final out-processing is complete, redeployment preparations begin for Airmen. Redeployment preparations here help with reintegration at home station, said Chaplain (Capt.) Cliff Jones. "Our focus is continuity of care," he said. "We want to
Jan. 30, 2008 Sensors may lead to faster treatment for traumatic brain injuries While it still may be years away, military medical officials hope to one day place a sensor on every troop that would measure a blast's impact and alert a combat medic to the possibility of a brain injury. The latest fielding of helmets fitted with blast sensors to troops deploying to combat could