During Nurses Week, Nurse Advice Line emphasizes value to moms in the military Published May 9, 2016 By Military Health System Communications Office Defense Health Headquarters Falls Church, Va. -- National Nurses Week runs May 6-12 and includes the Mother’s Day holiday. During this time, the Military Health System recognizes an important service for moms, as well as all TRICARE beneficiaries: the Nurse Advice Line. It was supposed to be a happy family reunion and a chance for the grandparents to meet the new baby. But the baby was unusually fussy, even for a two week old. The grandfather decided this was more than newborn restlessness and reached out for help. “The retired Navy captain decided to call the Nurse Advice Line,” said Regina Julian, the primary manager for the line, a service for all Military Health System beneficiaries that lets patients talk directly with a nurse who evaluates their conditions and gives advice ranging from self-care to an immediate emergency room visit, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. “Within two hours of the call, the baby was in surgery with a life-threatening bowel obstruction. We don’t expect new moms or any of our beneficiaries to know if their child needs that level of care. That’s why our nurses are available to talk new parents through these situations.” Julian said the emergency surgery saved the baby’s life. She added the advice line gives new moms, and in this case, new grandpas, expert medical advice based on industry-standard protocols developed by leading physicians to help determine what’s best for the patient, even if it means that care starts in an emergency room,. “It is about getting you to the right level of care with the right provider at the right time. That’s what quality and safety are all about.” About 8 percent of calls to the Nurse Advice Line are pregnancy or OB-GYN related, making it a good resource for young mothers in the Military Health System. Kathryn Scheidt is the deputy program manager for the Line in the continental United States and a registered nurse herself, as well as a retired 30-year Army nurse corps veteran. She said new moms in the military are able to reach out for help, especially important since they might be separated from their own moms or maybe an aunt who might normally help in health care situations. “New moms want to know if something happening with their baby is normal,” said Scheidt. “They want to know if the problem is something they need to seek care from a provider to remedy. The Nurse Advice Line reassures them they are doing the right thing in either taking care of an issue themselves or getting care from a provider. That’s a difficult call for new moms on their own, because it takes experience to know what to do.” Scheidt also emphasized the importance of the Nurse Advice Line for moms who might be separated from their partners because of deployments and military schedules. She related how there’s a young mother of four who calls all the time, looking for that valuable advice, even if it’s for self-care. That repeat business is a real testament to the value of the service. “Parents call wanting to do the best for their child, so we want to do the best for them,” said Scheidt. “No concern is too large or too small for our nurses.” Nurse Advice Line officials emphasize those on the receiving end of the phone use evidence-based, best medical practices to evaluate patients and determine the best method of care. All patients must be present when the call is made to make sure the exact symptoms are being conveyed to the nurse on the other end. In addition, all calls are monitored and reviewed to make sure the advice given is consistent with those best medical practices. Julian said it’s not just moms of young children who call. Sometimes, it’s the mom of an adult son or daughter in the military, and they’re looking for help because that child has conveyed feelings of loneliness or even suicidal impulses. In such cases, the Nurse Advice Line can step in and help that mom help her adult military child. The Nurse Advice Line is available at no cost to TRICARE beneficiaries in the Continental United States, Alaska and Hawaii 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Call 1-800-TRICARE and choose option 1.