8 Feb 2016

JBSA-Lackland Blood Donor Center saves lives

The Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland Blood Donor Center may have wrapped up a productive National Blood Donor month, but donor recruiter Tracy Parmer says the struggle to meet the military’s need for blood, plasma and platelets is never over.“Success and failure for us is daily,” Parmer said in an interview on Jan. 27. “Today, we need twelve

3 Feb 2016

History Remembers Lt Abbie Sweetwine, “The Angel of Platform 6”

In recognition of African-American History Month the AFMS is featuring a matriarch of change and an Air Force Nurse, 2nd Lt. Abbie Sweetwine, who became a heroine and “The Angel of Platform 6”.On the morning of Oct. 8, 1952, the country of England suffered the worst train wreck in its history. Three trains collided in the Harrow and Wealdstone

2 Feb 2016

VIPER Clinic program aims to reduce AF physical training injuries

Musculoskeletal injuries in basic military training cost the Air Force about $35 million annually. A new 59th Medical Wing initiative aims to reduce these costs by preventing injuries before they occur.

28 Jan 2016

Healthy Heart for life: February’s Health Month

Living a healthy lifestyle is not always an easy step to take. However, a few simple changes in your daily routine can help improve overall health might prevent future heart problems.While doctors and nutritional experts may be able to help reduce heart problems, they cannot cure them.“The heart is responsible for circulating the blood throughout

26 Jan 2016

Yellow Ribbon rescue

Maj. Fred Pounds, flight commander of clinical management with the 911th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron here, went to Orlando to attend a Yellow Ribbon Reintegration seminar, expecting to unwind and adjust to life back home. Instead, he ended up averting a crisis and subsequently saving a stranger's life."Whether it happened at a Yellow Ribbon

26 Jan 2016

10 ways the AFMS is improving access to care

Over the last year, the Air Force Medical Service (AFMS) has been working to improve patient access to care. “We’ve always focused on and provided high quality and safe care,” explained Lt. Col. Donald Lofton, Director of Access to Care with the Air Force Surgeon General’s Medical Support Division. “Now access is getting a lot of

22 Jan 2016

Medical Materiel Airman orchestrates 27th SOMDG success

Like stage managers orchestrating a production, members of the 27th Special Operations Medical Support Squadron work behind the scenes at the 27th Special Operations Medical Group to facilitate excellent care during every phase of patient treatment.The Air Force recruiting website, airforce.com, puts it in layman’s terms: You can’t bandage a wound

21 Jan 2016

Airman gives the gift of life on Christmas

"I didn't think what happened that day would have happened so quickly," said Michael Hamilton a local restaurant cook and incident victim. "If she hadn't been here, there would have been more questioning, more chaos and less stability."It was this past Christmas and the restaurant was near empty. Hamilton fell to the ground during his shift. The

20 Jan 2016

Air Force Surgeon General visits Wright-Patterson

Lt. Gen. Mark Ediger, Air Force Surgeon General, visited Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Jan. 13-14. As part of his visit, Lt. Gen. Ediger toured the Wright-Patterson Medical Center, where he received various briefings on hospital services and capabilities. He also held an All Call for hospital personnel and recognized several of them for their

14 Jan 2016

The AFMS in the Persian Gulf War and the need for critical care

January 2016 marks the 25th anniversary of Desert Storm, it also marks a turning point in Air Force Medical Service’s Critical Care Transport Teams (CCATT). “We were not serving the Army as well as we could have in the Air Force,” explained Lt. Gen. (Dr.) Paul K. Carlton, a former Air Force Surgeon General who had been working on the concept of