Oct. 30, 2013 Air Force medical facilities earn top honors from The Joint Commission Three Air Force Medical Service military treatment facilities (MTFs) earned top accreditation honors recently by The Joint Commission, the leading accreditor of health care organizations in America, for exemplary performance and were named among the nation's Top Performers on Key Quality
Oct. 1, 2013 TRICARE issues statement about government shutdown On October 1, 2013, the Defense Health Agency issued the following statement:"We know that those who rely on the Military Health System (MHS) are concerned about how the government shutdown might impact their health care.While we can't predict the exact consequences of a shutdown on every part of
Sept. 30, 2013 Affordable Care Act will impact federal civilian employees Starting in January, all individuals must maintain minimum health care coverage for themselves and all dependents claimed on their federal tax return, or must qualify for an exemption. Those who do not will be charged a penalty beginning with their 2014 federal tax return.Under, the Patient
Sept. 26, 2013 Air Force Medical Support Agency welcomes new commander and 17th Biomedical Sciences Corps chief
Sept. 26, 2013 Airmen respond to downed helicopter, save two It started as any other training day for the crew of Jayhoon 11; however, the events of Sept. 7 proved to be a test of tactics, training and teamwork."Start up and taxi were uneventful," said Tech. Sgt. Matty Garcia, a 444th Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadron Mi-17 evaluator aerial gunner. "Upon
Sept. 26, 2013 Lieutenant beats cancer, selected to pilot Raptors For one new Air Force pilot, "living the dream" is much more than a cheap throwaway line. To 1st Lt. Rob Hansen of the 80th Flying Training Wing, "living" means surviving stage 2 Hodgkin's lymphoma. "The dream" means graduating at the top of his undergraduate pilot training class and earning a slot
Sept. 25, 2013 It’s that Time: Get your Flu Vaccine Each year, flu season affects millions of men, women and children. Flu season usually begins in October, so now is a great time to protect yourself and your family from the flu by getting vaccinated. The flu shot is easy to get and inexpensive - often free - for TRICARE beneficiaries and this year
Sept. 24, 2013 Texas mass casualty exercise tests military, civilian first responders Joint Base San Antonio alongside San Antonio's rescuers and hospitals, joined forces to handle two simulated disasters during a San Antonio mass casualty exercise, Sept.19.The Air Force Reserve Command's 433rd Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, from JB San Antonio-Lackland, and the 53rd Weather
Sept. 24, 2013 Deployed Bagram medical team offers valuable skill set He's not your typical physician. Before Capt. Daniel Wagoner, 74th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron flight surgeon, took the plunge and tried his hand at the medical world, he was a former middle school art teacher, forensic autopsy technician and a touring musician."We take care of all DoD personnel
Sept. 23, 2013 Patient expresses gratitude for lifesaving care 30 years later An ambulance carrying a critically ill newborn sped across town to Wilford Hall Medical Center in San Antonio.Every second counted as the military doctors raced to save Jacquelyn Burke's life. A neonatal team hooked her up to a heart-lung bypass machine, dubbed ECMO. Jacquelyn's heart and lungs were
Sept. 16, 2013 Forward medical teams train, provide critical care Serving the largest community of deployed service members, the 379th Expeditionary Medical Group employs Mobile Field Surgical and Expeditionary Critical Care Teams to support operations throughout the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. Together, these teams effectively provide medical
Sept. 10, 2013 Airman helps deliver daughter, deploys same day (This feature is part of the "Through Airmen's Eyes" series on AF.mil. These stories focus on a single Airman, highlighting their Air Force story.)Airman 1st Class Timothy Pledger was scheduled to depart for his six-month deployment in the early hours of the morning Aug. 30, but an aircraft
Sept. 10, 2013 Air Force nurse corps chief and medical leader retires after 34 years In a ceremony filled with lifetime friends and colleagues, Maj. Gen. Kimberly A. Siniscalchi, 15th Assistant Air Force Surgeon General, Medical Force Development, and Chief of the Nurse Corps, retired Aug. 9 after 34 years of service.Retired Lt. Gen. (Dr.) Charles B. Green, the 20th Air Force
Aug. 15, 2013 Air Force Medical Service welcomes 16th Nurse Corps chief The Air Force Medical Service welcomed its 16th Nurse Corps chief as Maj. Gen. Dorothy A. Hogg was sworn in by Air Force Surgeon General Lt. Gen. (Dr.) Thomas W. Travis on Aug. 12 at Bolling Air Force Base, Md.General Hogg actually promoted from colonel after being selected while working as the Air
Aug. 5, 2013 Healing deployed wounded warriors The 379th Expeditionary Medical Group's Intra-Theater Care Program here was established in 2008 to ensure no service member is sent home from the U.S. Central Command's area of responsibility before having a chance to get back in the fight."We're here to ease the workload of our forward operating
July 22, 2013 Extraordinary medical breakthroughs; Air Force makes them possible Imagine a world with no cellphones, computers or electricity; no television to watch your favorite sitcom, and no cars to meet up with your friends or medicine to cure you when you're sick.Many aspects of our lives would cease to exist without science and technology; the lives of today's warfighters
July 15, 2013 Doctor and technician team revive Afghan youth's vision "Providing children vision gives them a better chance at life in Afghanistan, "said Maj. Marcus Neuffer, an ophthalmologist assigned to the Craig Joint Theater Hospital at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. Here if children cannot see to perform normal daily tasks, there is a possibility they will be
July 3, 2013 Aspiring nurse accepted in AF Commissioning program For Tech. Sgt. Pamela Jirsa, saving lives is a passion. The Air Force has given her the opportunity to perform this duty on a daily basis and attend nursing school while attempting an officer's commission. Jirsa, 355th Medical Operations Squadron noncommissioned officer in charge of the orthopedic
July 3, 2013 Through Airmen's Eyes: Pilot wins dogfight with cancer, returns to flying status More than a year ago, Col. David Drichta was a happy man. Then a lieutenant colonel, he served in a prestigious assignment as the commander of the 435th Fighter Training Squadron here, and looked forward to an even brighter future."I was on top of my game and top of the world," Drichta said. "I was