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  • Every Airman Plays a Role in Suicide Prevention

    The Air Force is determined to prevent suicide, but you don’t need to be a specialist or doctor to do that. Sometimes all it takes is starting a conversation. Everyone has a role to play. That’s a key part of the Department of Defense’s #BeThere Campaign, which encourages making a difference through

  • Complex connection between social media, suicide, prevention

    As social media continues to grow in popularity, mental health specialists across the country are taking a closer look at the relationship this fusion of technology and social interaction has with suicide and other destructive behaviors.Dr. Heather Thanepohn, Air Force Reserve Command’s Director of

  • PTSD Awareness leads to positive treatment

    Post-traumatic Stress Disorder can be debilitating in some patients, but thanks to advancements in research and the continued training of mental health providers, treatments are getting better all the time.Maj. Joel Foster, Chief of Air Force Deployment Mental Health, said treating PTSD has improved

  • AF medical leader discusses suicide prevention program improvements

    Maj. Gen. Dorothy Hogg, the Air Force Deputy Surgeon General, met with the House Armed Services Committee’s Military Personnel Subcommittee June 15 to provide an update on the Air Force’s  suicide prevention program. “Air Force suicide prevention starts with leadership at every level,” Hogg said

  • AF Men’s Health Month promotes better health, better care

    According to the National Institutes of Health, compared to women, men are more likely to smoke, drink, make unhealthy choices and delay regular checkups and medical care. While mental health issues are more common in women, men are much less likely to seek care.Many of the major health risks faced

  • SAPRO director: Everyone has part in preventing sexual assault

    From the most junior service member to the highest ranking official, everyone in the Defense Department has a role in eliminating sexual assault, the director of the DOD Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office said in a recent DOD news interview. April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and

  • Sexual assault expert Anne Munch visits Academy

    A leading expert on sexual assault visited the Air Force Academy in March to meet senior cadets, faculty and staff to discuss perceptions and societal attitudes regarding the crime.  Anne Munch, an attorney and victim-advocate, routinely visits the Academy. She’s a co-creator of the U.S. military’s

  • Sleep is serious: Catch your Zzzs

    “BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.” The alarm is blaring. Time to get up. Do you hit “snooze”? … What’s in a “Zzz”?On average, we spend 33 percent of our lives … asleep. When assessing your overall health, have you considered your sleep habits?Sleep hygiene, as researchers call it, involves a variety of different

  • Exercising to prevent suicide

    More than 100 service members participated in the Cross Fit Undisclosed Suicide Awareness Workout event at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, Feb. 6.The event was organized to bring more attention to suicide prevention. In the first quarter of 2015, 57 active-duty military members committed suicide. That’s

  • Bringing light to domestic violence

    A black eye always has a story. The men and women displaying evident bruises here, Oct. 15, weren't abused or injured, but their goal was to make sure people thought they were.   Misawa Air Base's family advocacy team aimed to strike a sense of realism to the 2015 Domestic Violence Awareness Month

  • Suicide Prevention Month: How one person can make a difference

    Thoughts of suicide are not necessarily something people explicitly announce to the world, which means loved ones often have no idea that their friend or family member is contemplating it. But there are signs and risk factors, and while somebody might think they can’t make a difference by

  • Lajes Field Airman, fellow travelers stop attack on French train

    A 65th Air Base Group Airman, along with two other friends traveling on personal leave, took immediate action to stop an attack and subdue an armed gunman on board a train in Northern France, Aug. 21, 2015.Airman First Class Spencer Stone, 65th Air Base Group, Lajes Air Base, Azores, saw an

  • 455th EAES provides critical bridge between battlefields, higher-level care

    After an Aug. 7 attack on a U.S. military installation in Kabul left Service members injured, getting them from the battlefield to higher-level care in Germany was a task assigned to the 455th Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron.While the injured Service members were stabilized and prepped

  • Reserve medics train for prestigious combat badge

    Only about 17 percent of military medical personnel today successfully earn the Expert Field Medical Badge. And every year, a two-week intensive testing event at Joint Base Lewis-McChord  aims to expand the pool of medical professionals who wear the coveted badge.   This year, eight Airmen from the

  • Physical therapy team assist in rehabilitation of injured Airmen

    At times the fast paced military lifestyle can take a toll on Airmen, and can lead to injuries affecting their ability to accomplish the mission.Airmen assigned to the 36th Medical Operations Squadron Physical Therapy Clinic offer their assistance by helping patients recover from chronic or acute

  • How to Make Your Own Ice Packs and Heat Packs

    A weekend of physical activity—whether on the playing field or at drill—can leave your body strained, bruised and swollen. The quickest road to recovery from light injuries usually includes ice, heat or a combination of the two.When store-bought ice packs and heat packs are not available, head to

  • Altus Airmen create special day for Hollis boy

    Not every five year old gets the opportunity to ride in the front seat of a U.S. Air Force fire truck or sit in the flight deck of a multi-million dollar aircraft, but Jaxon Dugger isn't an average kid.Jaxon was given the chance to participate in the Pilot for a Day program at Altus Air Force Base,

  • Altus Airmen create special day for Hollis boy

     Not every five year old gets the opportunity to ride in the front seat of a U.S. Air Force fire truck or sit in the flight deck of a multi-million dollar aircraft, but Jaxon Dugger isn't an average kid.Jaxon was given the chance to participate in the Pilot for a Day program at Altus Air Force Base,