Welcome
Jim Fike, Col, USAF, MC, FS; Liaison to OASD-HA; USAF International Health Specialist Program (Courtesy of FHP&R)
As our world becomes increasingly globalized, so does our Military Health System. Our service members are deployed around the world and are affected by a broad spectrum of potential health challenges. In addition, the United States plays a prominent role in humanitarian response efforts, and in reconstruction activities that promote international stability.
To address the diversity of needs worldwide, the MHS works with other U.S. agencies, non-governmental, international, and partner nation organizations not only to provide assistance when needed, but also to provide global partners with the capability and capacity to provide for their own national security. Using tools like the Air Force International Health Specialist program, Army Civil Affairs medical teams and the Navy’s hospital ship missions, the MHS establishes, sustains and expands our own capabilities while working in global partnerships that ultimately enhance the security of our allies.
This year the Department of Defense’s International Health Division, part of the Office of Force Health Protection and Readiness, put into place a groundbreaking new policy emphasizing the importance of international medical missions conducted by the military. The new policy assigned responsibilities and instructions for the military’s medical support to international stability operations. Ultimately, this will enhance the DoD’s capabilities to respond quickly and efficiently when needed, and better prepare MHS personnel to play pivotal roles across the full spectrum of medical stability operations.
This month, as the MHS focuses its attention on global health engagement we recognize the important role medical aid and improving medical capacities globally plays in international stability. Global health engagement is a key element of developing and enhancing partnership capabilities to secure a safer future for us all.
Enjoy this issue of Vital Signs!
Jim Fike, Col, USAF, MC, FS
Liaison to OASD-HA
USAF International Health Specialist Program
During December, the Military Health System recognizes the year-round efforts that assist in the delivery of quality health care in cities, villages and remote regions that span the globe. The type of services MHS provides also covers a lot of territory, including; responding to the scene of disasters, providing direct health care in underdeveloped nations, mentoring host country military medical personnel, rebuilding critical health infrastructure and supporting research to fight disease.
Navy Surgeon General Vice Adm. Adam M. Robinson Jr. highlighted the medical role in the U.S. military's growing humanitarian assistance missions (U.S. Navy photo by Capt. Cappy Surette)
The U.S. Navy Surgeon General addressed the importance of controlling HIV/AIDS in global military and peacekeeping organizations to an international audience Dec. 6, during the 10th annual HIV/AIDS Planning and Policy Seminar held at the Crowne Plaza Dec. 3-10.
Vice Adm. Adam M. Robinson, Jr. discussed the healthcare challenges associated with the spread of HIV/AIDS and provided some recommendations to senior Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Health medical officers from more than 40 countries including sub-Saharan African nations, Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe and South America.
FHP&R’s International Health Division worked with the U.S. Agency for International Development recently to help deliver a joint disaster response course during the 116th Annual Meeting of the Society of the Federal Health Agencies.
As part of an ongoing outreach effort to better prepare Military Health System personnel to plan and carry out global medical humanitarian relief missions in a collaborative approach with their civilian counterparts, FHP&R's International Health Division worked with the U.S. Agency for International Development to help deliver a joint disaster response course during the 116th Annual Meeting of the Society of the Federal Health Agencies.
Army Spc. Rosemary Yanezgarcia utilizes DCAM's improved functionality to simultaneously process multiple receipts in the Brigade Medical Supply Office at Forward Operating Base Sharana, Afghanistan. (Photo Credit MC4)
Application upgrades currently underway to Army Medical Communications for Combat Casualty Care (MC4) electronic medical record (EMR) systems in Iraq and Afghanistan will provide better methods for capturing and reporting mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) data.
Other enhancements include easier medical supply management and better visibility of patients in transit. The MC4 program will field the upgrades first in Southwest Asia and then in the other 12 countries where MC4 systems remain operational.
This month we profile the United States Air Force International Health Specialist program and show how military medical assets not only save lives, but also leave a lasting impact on the world.
A study of more than 643,000 children from 2006 through 2007 suggests that while nine years of war is taking a toll on U.S. children, these same children are getting necessary access to appropriate medical care for mental health services.
Led by Navy Cmdr. Gregory Gorman, an assistant professor of pediatrics at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, or USU, and a practicing pediatrician, the study found children of active-duty military personnel make 18% more trips to the doctor for behavioral problems and 19% more visits for stress disorders when a military parent is deployed compared with when the parent is home. The study of children ages 3 to 8 was published in the December issue of the journal Pediatrics.
The holidays are a great opportunity to bond with family members and reconnect with old friends, but this time of year can also present significant stress, particularly if a loved one is deployed for the holidays. An empty seat at the dinner table, holiday shopping, minus one or unwrapped gifts under the Christmas tree can cause the holiday blues. Joyous reminders of the holiday season can also bring pain and loneliness.
Especially during this time of the year, it is critical that TRICARE beneficiaries reach out to family members and friends if they are experiencing any holiday blues. Sometimes frequent communication with a loved one can get a beneficiary back on track. TRICARE Assistance Program is here to assist.