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Initial letter from the new Air Force Surgeon General

  • Published
  • By Lt. Gen. (Dr.) Charles B. Green
  • Air Force Surgeon General
Today, I take the helm as Surgeon General for the USAF. As the 20th AF Surgeon General, I take great pride in our history and current success in operations around the world. We are rebuilding our hospitals, strengthening our graduate medical education and officer/enlisted training, and setting clear research requirements to ensure we are ready for any challenge the nation asks us to resolve. We do this as an integral part of a Joint team; specifically, we play a vital role in the greatest Air Force in history. 

Each of you are indeed the "Most Important Medic" as it is you who makes critical decisions for Airmen, their families and each patient you encounter...your smile brings hope, your courtesy builds trust, your expertise saves lives! We, collectively as a system of health care, have improved the world's greatest Air Force. Our EMEDS and Air Evacuation execution put less people at risk while achieving the highest survival and lowest disease, non-battle injury rates in history. This was done with dedication by talented medics who saw the problem and solved it. Every day you too have the ability to make someone's life better--do it! 

We are trained, ready, and proud to say "Send Me" into harm's way...this is the professional mantra of those in uniform. We provide care for America's warriors and share their ethos. Get to know these heroes and their families--teach them and learn from them. We are using the Family Health Initiative to build a "medical home" for enrolled patients. At implementation sites, continuity for patients seeing their assigned health teams is now greater than 90 percent. This continuity of care allows us to further enhance the health of the Air Force family. I am attaching an article on the "Aliki Initiative" at Johns Hopkins for your reading pleasure. It emphasizes the necessity for all of us to understand that health care must be patient centric. We must know our patients and ensure schedules provide time for care teams to spend with patients. We must focus on the patients to help them achieve new levels of health. 

During my tenure as your Surgeon General, we will continue to enhance hospitals, health care, education, training, and research to build a better future. We will do all these things in a patient-centered health system that respects and promotes diversity to enhance health for all patients. You continue to be the most important medic and have the privilege of serving America's heroes--please offer them your very best, every day! I'm honored to do the same for you. 

Thank you.