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
Dec. 28, 2007 Patient safety checks at Air Force hospital scores top DoD Award The 59th Medical Wing leads the Department of Defense in patient safety for significantly reducing the chances for inpatient suicides among high risk people. The 59th Mental Health Squadron's winning initiative, "Nurse/Mental Health Technician Change of Shift Safety Checks," led by Capt. Jose
Dec. 7, 2007 Officials offer programs for domestic violence awareness While stress is not the sole cause, it can be a major contributor to domestic violence among Air Force members and their families, according to Air Force family advocacy experts. In 2006, there were 3,914 reports of domestic abuse involving Airmen as either the victim or offender. Of those, 50
Nov. 6, 2007 Online resource can help deal with life's challenges A new online educational resource offers Tricare beneficiaries a secure, safe environment to seek information, educational materials and self-assessment tools on behavioral health, addiction and recovery, life events and daily living skills. "AchieveSolutions" can be accessed through the behavioral
Aug. 24, 2007 Letter to Airmen focuses on stress and prevention -- In the latest Letter to Airmen, the secretary of the Air Force focuses on how Air Force people can stem the rising number of suicides in the Air Force by taking care of each other. "In stressful times such as these, with so many Airmen deployed and with so many others pushed to the breaking
Aug. 24, 2007 LRMC receives Level II trauma center verification The American College of Surgeons has verified Landstuhl Regional Medical Center as a Level II Trauma Center, making it the only medical facility outside the United States to hold that distinction and only one of three Level II trauma centers in the Department of Defense. The July 16 verification
July 27, 2007 Guide helps leaders manage people in distress Air Force officials introduced 12 monthly initiatives in April to help Air Force members effectively manage stress, and July's initiative is "The Leader's Guide to Managing Personnel in Distress." The guide was created to help supervisors, first sergeants and commanders recognize distress-related
April 29, 2007 'Portraits in Courage' features AF medic Lt. Col. Dr. Charles McDannald's 20 years of experience as a medical professional were tested while deployed as part of a Special Operations Surgical Team to Ramadi, Iraq, in the Al Anbar Province. The five-person surgical team deployed with special operators where the flow of patients was unending,