VA Office of Economic Opportunity in Washington, D.C., "United States for Tuesday, 12 December 2017 "Forever GI Bill Hearing"

VA Office of Economic Opportunity in Washington, D.C., United States for Tuesday, 12 December 2017 "Forever GI Bill Hearing"
Dear Fellow Veterans and Colleagues,
We’ve already been telling you about what we’ve done so far to implement the Colmery Act/Forever GI Bill, but now it’s time for Congress to know. On Tuesday, December 12 at 2:00pm ET, Mr. Robert Worley II, Director of Education Service, will testify before the House Veterans Affairs Committee to discuss what we’ve done so far, and what we have ahead of us.
With your help in spreading the word on this legislation, we’ve been able to inform thousands of Veterans that they’re now able to:
Access their benefits when the time is right for them and their families;
Pursue their education at an accredited independent study program, technical school, and vocational institution using their benefits;
Get assistance if a school’s closing affects them; and
Plan to earn while they learn for years to come through a work-study program without worrying if Congress will renew it.
We will discuss these and other aspects of the legislation during the hearing, and answer your representatives’ questions. To watch, go to the House Veterans Affairs Committee website. You can also join the conversation as we live tweet the hearing by following us on Twitter at @VAVetBenefits.
As always, thank you for helping sharing this information with our Veteran community.
Regards,
Curtis L. Coy
Deputy Under Secretary for Economic Opportunity
Veterans Benefits Administration
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Washington, D.C. 20420, United States
VA Core Values: Integrity, Commitment, Advocacy, Respect, Excellence (“I CARE”)
---Military Health System in Washington, D.C., United States "It's a small world after all with rise in global health engagements"

It's a small world after all with rise in global health engagements
Dr. Mansour Niang (left), a Senegalese gynecologist, and Dr. Anthony Donaldson, a major in the Vermont Air National Guard, perform surgery during a joint medical readiness training exercise at a hospital in Dakar, Senegal. (U.S. Army photo by Maj. Simon Flake) by: Military Health System Communications Office
American military medics and nurses attend a training conference with their German counterparts. U.S. military technicians travel to Senegal to share their expertise in inspecting, maintaining, and repairing medical equipment. A Liberian soldier graduates from the U.S. military’s preventive medicine specialist program.
All of these efforts are part of global health engagement, also known as GHE. These Department of Defense activities are growing in importance, especially since troops must be ready to deploy on a moment’s notice to almost anywhere in the world for combat, disaster response, and humanitarian assistance.
“Global health engagement also protects our troops,” ensuring they don’t catch infectious diseases and thus, can meet the readiness mission, said Tom McCaffery, acting assistant secretary of Defense for Health Affairs. And it protects the health of U.S. civilians when troops come home, he said.
Still, McCaffery said, the benefits of GHE are more encompassing.
“Global health activities also build interoperability so we can work more effectively with the armed forces of our partner nations,” he said. “And they enhance security cooperation so we can establish and maintain strong relationships around the world.”
The DoD has a long history of global health engagement. In 1900, Brig. Gen. George Miller Sternberg, the Army surgeon general, appointed a commission to investigate the cause and prevention of yellow fever. More Spanish-American War troops had died from it and other infectious diseases than from combat.
More than 100 years later, medical scientists from the Army and Navy played a key role during the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa. After setting up a diagnostic laboratory at the Liberian Institute for Biomedical Research, they tested blood samples for the often-fatal virus, as well as trained institute staff members to perform this work.
“Health is a critical part of how our military engages around the world,” said Navy Capt. Carlos Williams, director of the Office of Global Health Engagement for the Navy’s Bureau of Medicine and Surgery in Falls Church, Virginia.. “A disease threat anywhere could be a disease threat everywhere. We see global health engagement as many things – from health force protection and readiness for the services and our partners, to regional stability and security for our combatant commands.”
Another example of GHE in action is the DoD Laboratory Network. The consortium of several facilities includes locations in the United States as well as overseas, such as in Thailand, Egypt, and Peru. The labs conduct routine and emerging disease surveillance and response missions through partnerships with local ministries of agriculture, defense, health, and with academia. Early detection and response efforts addressed the H1N1 virus, which was first detected in San Diego; and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, which was first reported in Saudi Arabia.
“One trip is not what GHE is about,” Williams said. “It’s about persistent, sustained engagement to build capacity and bring about positive change. That means we have people working with the country over a period of time.”
The United States is also a member of the Global Health Security Agenda, a growing partnership of more than 60 nations working to prevent, detect, and respond to infectious disease threats and elevate global health security as a worldwide priority. The GHSA also calls for providing humanitarian assistance after natural disasters, collaborating in research and development efforts, and monitoring global health concerns.
“The bottom line is that worldwide health security is an essential part of U.S. national security,” McCaffery said. “Global health engagements reduce risks to our own armed forces while fostering the mission capability of our partner nations’ forces. Together, we can continue working effectively to defend global interests.”
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Army-developed Zika vaccine induces strong immune response in early trials
A team of U.S. Army researchers at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research are developing a Zika vaccine that has induced a strong immune response in early trials. (Photo Credit: U.S. Army photo by Jonathan Thompson, WRAIR) bBy: Col. Nelson L. Michael and Col. Stephen J. Thomas, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research
SILVER SPRING, Md. -- Three Phase 1 human clinical trials evaluating an Army-developed Zika purified inactivated virus vaccine, known as a ZPIV, have shown it was safe and well-tolerated in healthy adults and induced a robust immune response. Initial findings from the trials were published earlier this week in the medical journal "The Lancet."
Each of the three studies included in the paper was designed to address a unique question about background immunity, vaccine dose or vaccination schedule. A fourth trial with ZPIV is still underway in Puerto Rico, where the population has natural exposure to other viruses in the same family as Zika (flaviviruses) such as dengue.
"It is imperative to develop a vaccine that prevents severe birth defects and other neurologic complications in babies caused by Zika virus infection during pregnancy," said Dr. Kayvon Modjarrad, WRAIR's Director for Emerging Infectious Diseases, the Zika program co-lead and the article's lead author. "These results give us hope that a safe and effective vaccine will be achievable."
Across the three trials, a total of 67 healthy adult volunteers (55 vaccine, 12 placebo) received two vaccine injections, four weeks apart. Researchers measured the immune response by monitoring levels of Zika virus-neutralizing antibodies in the blood. More than 90% of volunteers who received the vaccine developed an immune response against Zika.
"Not only is the development of a Zika vaccine a global public health priority, but it is also necessary to protect Service Members and their families," said Col. Nelson Michael, director of WRAIR's Military HIV Research Program and Zika program co-lead.
The ZPIV vaccine candidate was developed as part of the U.S. Department of Defense response to the 2015 outbreak of Zika virus in the Americas. WRAIR researchers conceived the ZPIV vaccine in February 2016 and were able to advance the candidate to a Phase 1 human trial by November of the same year.
"WRAIR has previously steered to licensure a similar vaccine for Japanese encephalitis, a flavivirus in the same family as Zika, which helped speed our vaccine development effort," said Dr. Leyi Lin, who led one of the trials at WRAIR.
In the volunteers who received the vaccine, neutralizing antibody levels peaked two weeks after they completed the 2-dose vaccine series, and exceeded the threshold established in an earlier study needed to protect monkeys against a Zika virus challenge (Science. 2016 Sep 9; 353(6304):1129-32). Researchers also found that antibodies from vaccinated volunteers protected mice from a Zika virus challenge, providing insight into how this vaccine might prevent Zika infection.
Next steps include evaluating how long vaccine-induced immunity lasts, and the impact of dose, schedule and background immunity. Michael added that "Army researchers are part of integrated, strategic US Government effort to develop a vaccine to protect against Zika."
The ZPIV program is led by Col. Michael and Dr. Modjarrad. The principal investigators at each of the study sites were Dr. Leyi Lin at WRAIR, Dr. Sarah L. George at SLU and Dr. Kathryn E. Stephenson at BIDMC. The sponsor of the investigational new drug application for two of the studies (WRAIR and SLU) is the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health. The BIDMC study is investigator-sponsored by Dr. Kathryn Stephenson.
Disclaimer: Re-published content may have been edited for length and clarity. Read original post.

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Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General (OIG) in Washington, D.C., United States 

Monthly Highlights for Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General (OIG). This information has recently been updated, and is now available.
OIG Monthly Highlights
CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS
Veterans Health Administration Investigations
Tomah, Wisconsin, VAMC Peer Support Specialist Convicted of Sexual Exploitation
A Tomah, WI, VA Medical Center (VAMC) peer support specialist pled no contest and was convicted of sexual exploitation by a therapist and misdemeanor charges of fourth degree sexual assault and lewd behavior-exposure. The former employee was sentenced to 24 months’ probation for the misdemeanor charges, while the felony charge will be dismissed pursuant to the successful completion of a three-year diversion agreement requiring the defendant to be engaged in therapy, have no contact with victims, comply with conditions of probation, and not work in any capacity in mental health or substance abuse treatment. An Office of Inspector General (OIG), VA Police Service, and Tomah Police Department investigation revealed that the defendant texted inappropriate pictures, groped, and had sexual relations in his office with female veteran patients.
Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General (OIG).

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VA Office of Economic Opportunity in Washington, D.C., United States "BLS Data - November 2017"
Colleagues and Fellow Veterans,
As with the first Friday of each month, the BLS employment statistics were released today. Attached is our monthly ‘cheat sheet’ for your use and information. The national unemployment rate for November 2017 remained unchanged at 4.1% and the Veteran unemployment numbers for November 2017 increased from 2.7% to 4.0%.
Thanks to all of you who are working directly or indirectly, to ensure our Veterans have meaningful employment.
BLS_Employment_Data_-_November_2017.pdf
V/R
Curtis L. Coy
Deputy Under Secretary for Economic Opportunity
Veterans Benefits Administration
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Washington, D.C. 20420, United States
VA Core Values: Integrity, Commitment, Advocacy, Respect, Excellence (“I CARE”)
Please Remember:

• If you would like to review prior messages sent through this listserv, click http://benefits.va.gov/vow/economic_opportunity.asp
• If you would like to research, find, access, and, in time, manage your VA benefits and personal information please visit and/or register at https://www.ebenefits.va.gov/ebenefits-portal/ebenefits.portal.

---Military Health System in Washington, D.C., United States "Decisions, decisions: Experts aim for higher quality, safer care in building electronic health record"

Decisions, decisions: Experts aim for higher quality, safer care in building electronic health record
Department of Defense leaders came together to share insights on behind-the-scenes, decision-making that supports the first major upgrade to health documentation for the Military Health System in more than a decade.
The rollout of MHS GENESIS, the military’s integrated medical and dental electronic health record for 9.4 eligible beneficiaries, started in February in the Pacific Northwest. More than 50 legacy systems will collapse as MHS GENESIS deploys, which is expected to be complete by 2022.
Over the course of the year, the EHR was implemented at four sites. Maj. Gen. Roosevelt Allen, Air Force Functional Champion, said the Pacific Northwest was chosen because all three services are represented at these locations. The facilities vary in size and capability, allowing those involved with the program to address issues and lessons learned from each site before the next rollout.
“The objective was to learn as much as they could from these initial sites and then press forward, and … use what they’ve learned at those initial sites in order to make things better,” said Allen, speaking as a panel member at the AMSUS Annual Meeting at Gaylord Resort and Convention Center in Oxon Hill, Maryland, on November 29. The functional champion panel of experts listed training methodology, issue resolution, change management, and technical readiness as lessons learned at the four sites so far.
Army Functional Champion Brig. Gen. Ronald Stephens said it’s critical for those involved with the program to focus on the long-term picture for the electronic health record. MHS GENESIS has been guided by four core principles:
• Basing decisions on what’s best for the MHS as a whole
• Configuring an off-the-shelf electronic product that can adapt to the DoD environment
• Standardizing clinical and business processes across the MHS and military services
• Designing a system that focuses on quality, safety, and patient outcomes.
Dr. Paul Cordts, the electronic health record functional champion for the Military Health System, said while risks are inherent with changing clinical and business processes in military treatment facilities, the goal is higher quality and safer care for patients.
“The functional community has been heavily involved since day one,” said Cordts, referring to the Functional Advisory Council and Functional Champion Leadership Group – the two governing structures of the MHS GENESIS deployment. The decision-making behind MHS GENESIS has also involved stakeholders from all of the services and about 850 subject matter experts, including health care providers and information technologists, Cordts said.
“What we’re trying to do is identify how we can make the entire product easier for the user to use and safer for the user to use,” said Michael Malanoski, Navy functional champion, stressing that the adoption of the software is dependent on those two factors. The electronic health record can make the health system better by improving data collection and usage, standardization, and decision support, he added.
“There [has to] be a baseline of standardization across the enterprise to ensure that we’re being as efficient, effective, consistent, and interoperable as possible,” said Stephens. “Whether you’re taking care of a patient in the field or in garrison, it’s the continuum of care. It’s from the beginning of time that you start taking care of that patient until you’ve completed that care.”
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Elective surgeries hone surgical skills, prepare medical team for combat
Inside Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center’s second floor surgery suite, surgeons and medical teams are busy honing their critical-care skills. Regardless of procedure or patient, every incision is an exercise in mission readiness. (U.S. Army photo by Marcy Sanchez) by: Gloria Montgomery
FORT HOOD, Texas — Inside Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center’s second floor surgery suite, surgeons and medical teams are busy honing their critical-care skills. In one room, a retiree is getting a new nose. A few feet away, surgeons are replacing broken knees and performing bariatric surgery on dependents to enhance their quality of life. Regardless of procedure or patient, every incision is an exercise in mission readiness.
“Often, when we think of readiness, we’re only thinking of the warfighter or active-duty Soldier,” said Army Lt. Col. Leah Triolo, an orthopedic surgeon and deputy of the Fort Hood hospital’s surgical services. “But there’re a lot of other green suiters who to go to support that warfighter, and that’s our medical team.”
That team, said Triolo, includes every member on the nursing and anesthesiology staff to the post-recovery and the ward staff who are taking care of the medications and providing more challenging care.
“Even though the surgery itself is elective, providing care to more complex cases, such as a total joint replacement, helps with the readiness of the entire team,” she said.
“Everything we do is a training opportunity to better prepare us for such things as gunshot wounds, fractures and IED explosions when we do go downrange,” said Army Lt. Col. Lance Taylor, who as chief of operating and anesthesia services, orchestrates the battle rhythm inside CRDAMC’s 8-bay surgical suite.
“When we look at our total joint population, they represent a population of complex patients because of their medical comorbidities that we may not see when we treat only our active-duty population who are often young and healthy,” said Triolo who deployed twice to Afghanistan with Forward Surgical Teams. “It’s the same with the bariatric care population who are often admitted to the intensive care unit post-op because of other pre-existing conditions that represent critical-care issues.”
Army Maj. Saundra Martinez, a perioperative nurse who saw her share of injuries during her deployment to Tikrit, Iraq, with the 82nd Airborne, said repetition and training in controlled environments translate to surgical excellence and patient safety.
“All that training just clicks in when you are deployed,” said Martinez, who is the chief nurse and officer in charge of CRDAMC’s operating room suites. “That muscle memory just comes back to you regardless of the procedure and requires you to critically think about what’s going on and what you need to do to get that patient stable.”
Open surgeries such as hernias or gastric bypass procedures also offer real-world lessons in anatomy.
“In theater, we get big cases like gunshot wounds to the abdomen and blast explosions, so what we do stateside exposes us to that open-body environment,” said Army Capt. Carolyn Dillon, who deployed to the Helmand Province in Afghanistan and now serves as a circulating nurse who helps prep the patient for surgery and oversees operating room preparation. “We saw lots of wounds from IED explosions, burns and gunshot wounds to the arms and chest, so taking care of the patients there from our fixed experiences here, helps you think outside the box. You’re just not going to have all the necessities in theater that you have here, so critical thinking is key. Overall, all the experiences refine your skills, so you kind of know a little bit about everything.”
On average, the eight surgical teams, which consist of the surgeon, circulating nurse, technician and anesthesiologist perform about 30 surgeries daily.
It’s important, said Taylor, who manages the surgical center’s operating hub, to keep the operating rooms hopping to maximize both operational resources and the surgical skills of the hospital’s medical team.
“If the operating rooms weren’t filled all the time, how would we get our skills?” said Martinez. “How would we know how to take care of our patients?”
For CRDAMC physician, Army Lt. Col. Paula Oliver, who recently returned from a combat deployment, every procedure regardless of simplicity or severity prepares surgeons for combat’s worst-case scenarios.
“The more you operate, no matter the procedure, the more familiar you are with the anatomy and are exposed to complications and anatomical differences,” said Oliver. “Even those who care for civilian trauma can’t be completely prepared for the massive wounds we see with IED blasts, but the more you know, are exposed to, and are comfortable with, helps when you receive your first traumatic multiple amputee.”
That repetition also builds confidence for the Army’s operating-room technicians who shadow the surgeons.
“The only way you are going to boost your confidence level is through repetition,” said Army Spec. Matthew Barek, an operating-room technician who has already assisted in more than 300 surgeries in the three months he has been at CRDAMC. “It helps you to not get nervous and to be able to do everything you need to do.”
Surgery is not just about incisions and sutures. It’s also about patient safety.
“Everyone on that table is someone’s mother, father, son or daughter,” said Army Sgt. Mark Johnson who is as the non-commissioned officer in charge of CRDAMC’s surgery department.
And that, says Martinez, is why every surgical opportunity is a training exercise in deployment medicine.
“It really is irrelevant what kind of surgery it is,” said Martinez. “Having the opportunity to hone our skills during routine procedures is essential downrange when saving lives on the battlefield.”
And those skills, said Triolo, are the unifying element for all the medical providers tasked with saving lives.
“When you’re forward deployed, you don’t have the assets you have here at home, but the skills, which come from the readiness you’ve developed by taking care of critical patients, you take with you,” she said. “Even though the procedures we’re performing here may be thought of as elective or not needed in a military setting, the trickle-down effect for the readiness of the hospital’s entire team is important. And we like the positive impact it can have on the entire population that we support here at Fort Hood.”
Disclaimer: Re-published content may have been edited for length and clarity. Read original post.

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Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General (OIG) in Washington D.C., Washington, United States "Comprehensive Healthcare Inspection Program Review of the Bath VA Medical Center, Bath, New York"

Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General (OIG). This information has recently been updated, and is now available.
Comprehensive Healthcare Inspection Program Review of the Bath VA Medical Center, Bath, New York

The VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) conducted an evaluation of the quality of care provided in the inpatient and outpatient settings of the Bath VA Medical Center (facility). This included reviews of various aspects of key clinical and administrative processes that affect patient care outcomes—Leadership and Organizational Risks; Quality, Safety, and Value; Medication Management: Anticoagulation Therapy; Coordination of Care: Inter-Facility Transfers; Environment of Care; Mental Health Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program; and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Care. OIG also provided crime awareness briefings to 29 employees. The facility has generally stable executive leadership and active engagement with employees and patients as evidenced by high satisfaction scores. Organizational leaders support patient safety, quality care, and other positive outcomes. OIG’s review of accreditation organization findings, sentinel events, disclosures, Patient Safety Indicator data, and Strategic Analytics for Improvement and Learning results did not identify any substantial organizational risk factors. OIG noted findings in five of the six areas of clinical operations reviewed and issued 11 recommendations that are attributable to the Chief of Staff and Associate Director. The identified areas with deficiencies are: (1) Quality, Safety, and Value • Credentialing and privileging data reviews • Utilization management documentation (2) Medication Management: Anticoagulation Therapy • Provision of medication education to patients (3) Environment of Care • Environment of care rounds frequency and attendance • Maintenance of required number of filled oxygen tanks and an adequate supply of personal protective equipment • Storage of clean and sterile supplies (4) Mental Health Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program • Monthly self-inspections, weekly contraband inspections, every 2-hour rounds of public spaces, and daily resident room inspections • Security at entrance doors
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Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General (OIG) in Washington, D.C., United States "Comprehensive Healthcare Inspection Program Review of the VA Eastern Kansas Health Care System, Topeka, Kansas"

Oversight Reports for Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General (OIG). This information has recently been updated, and is now available.
Comprehensive Healthcare Inspection Program Review of the VA Eastern Kansas Health Care System, Topeka, Kansas
The VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) conducted a focused evaluation of the quality of care delivered in the inpatient and outpatient settings of the VA Eastern Kansas Health Care System (facility). The review covered key clinical and administrative processes associated with promoting quality care—Leadership and Organizational Risks; Quality, Safety, and Value; Medication Management: Anticoagulation Therapy; Coordination of Care: Inter-Facility Transfers; Environment of Care; High-Risk Processes: Moderate Sedation; and Long-Term Care: Community Nursing Home Oversight. OIG also provided crime awareness briefings to 118 employees. The facility had generally stable executive leadership and active engagement with employees and patients as evidenced by high satisfaction scores. Organizational leaders support patient safety, quality care, and other positive outcomes (such as initiating processes and plans to maintain positive perceptions of the facility through active stakeholder engagement). OIG’s review of accreditation organization findings, sentinel events, disclosures, Patient Safety Indicator data, and SAIL results did not identify any substantial organizational risk factors. OIG noted findings in four of the six areas of clinical operations reviewed and issued five recommendations that are attributable to the Chief of Staff, Nurse Executive, and Assistant Director. The identified areas with deficiencies are: (1) Quality, Safety, and Value • Review of Ongoing Professional Practice Evaluation data • Documentation of decisions by Physician Utilization Management Advisors (2) Medication Management: Anticoagulation Therapy • Education for patients with newly prescribed anticoagulant medications (3) Environment of Care • Locked Mental Health Unit Interdisciplinary Safety Inspection Team training (4) Long-Term Care: Community Nursing Home Oversight • Cyclical clinical visits

---Military Health System in Washington, D.C., United States "From initial entry to retirement, access to seamless health care top priority among leaders"

From initial entry to retirement, access to seamless health care top priority among leaders Dr. Paul Cordts, (right), director of the Defense Health Agency Office of the Functional Champion, and Dr. Ashwini Zenooz, chief medical officer for the VA’s Electronic Health Record Modernization executive office, speak at AMSUS Annual Meeting in Oxon Hill, Maryland, on November 29. This year’s conference theme emphasizes force health protection from the battlefield to home. (Courtesy photo) by: Military Health System Communications Office
Leaders from across the Military Health System and Department of Veterans Affairs work diligently to ensure patients receive timely and seamless care as they transition from one system to the next. Plans are underway to modernize electronic health records and improve how military medical information is transferred between the two departments.
“We are committed to interoperability,” said Dr. Paul Cordts, director of Defense Health Agency Office of the Functional Champion, which serves as a liaison between DHA and Defense Healthcare Management Systems. More than 50 percent of care is delivered outside military treatment facilities through the TRICARE network, he added. “It’s very important for us to be able to see that care.”
Cordts leads the strategic planning for the construction of an integrated system for readiness and health in the MHS. About 9.4 million beneficiaries in the DoD and 8.9 million beneficiaries in the VA rely on electronic health records. A huge quantity of health care information is available on the DoD side alone, and while the electronic exchange of information may be available in areas such as the National Capital Region, it’s important to decipher the quality and usefulness of that information, said Cordts.
“A provider in the TRICARE network can see information about care at Walter Reed or Fort Belvoir, or vice versa,” said Cordts, speaking at the AMSUS Annual Meeting at the Gaylord Resort and Convention Center in Oxon Hill, Maryland, on November 29. “But what is the quality of that information? Is it useful? Is it ingested into the electronic health record? If it’s ingested, is it available and useful and part of the workflow so that it’s immediately available to the clinical team?”
By modernizing the electronic health record system across DoD and VA, providers will be able to access complete and accurate records for patients. This allows service members and veterans to receive care through one integrated and seamless system. Updating the health records not only improves patient safety, but also takes away the need to manually exchange and gather data between departments.
“I think we can all recognize that technology is evolving,” said Dr. Ashwini Zenooz, chief medical officer for the VA’s Electronic Health Record Modernization executive office. The updated process will improve usability, reliability, and safety for both providers and patients. “If you think about where we were five to 10 years ago to where we are now, things have changed a lot.”
And they’ll continue to change as DoD and VA work together to move health care in a better direction, said Zenooz. The transformation of the electronic health record is based on quality, safety, and value, with the overall goal to focus more on patients and providers.
“We’re absolutely interested in working together with the broader federal community to ensure that medical records are shared and available so our patients are [able] to have all of their information in one place,” said Zenoonz.
This year, the conference theme emphasized force health protection, from the battlefield to home, with 15 countries represented by international delegates and military medical officers. DHA leaders discussed the ongoing Military Health System (MHS) transformation throughout the week.
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2017 MHS award winners honoredMHS “Advancements towards High Reliability in Health Care” Awards: Healthcare Quality and Patient Safety Awards - Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for “High Value Cost Conscious Care: Optimizing the Electronic Medical Record to Reduce Unnecessary or Redundant Lab Orders.” Pictured (left to right) are Navy Vice Adm. Raquel Bono, director, Defense Health Agency, Navy Lt. Brett Sadowski, Navy Lt. Cmdr. Alison Lane, Navy Lt. Sara Robinson, Navy Lt. Nora Maddy and Tom McCaffery, acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs. (Courtesy photo) by: Military Health System Communications Office
The Department of Defense Military Health System honored its top healthcare providers and facilities during an awards ceremony Nov. 30 as part of the 126th Annual AMSUS (The Society for Federal Health Professionals) Meeting at the National Harbor Gaylord Convention Center, Oxon Hill, Maryland. Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs Tom McCaffery presided over the ceremony.
MHS Female Physician Awards: This award recognizes female physicians for their contributions to military medicine, while mentoring and inspiring young women working in the fields of medicine and science.
Army Junior Award:

•  Maj. Tatjana P. Calvano, Brooke Army Medical Center, Fort Sam Houston, Texas
• Navy Junior Award: Lt. Cmdr. Heather L. Shibley, Naval Special Warfare Group Two Logistics and Support Unit, Falls Church, Virginia
• Air Force Junior Award: Maj. Sarah M. Reynolds, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado Springs, Colorado
• Public Health Service Junior Award: Lt. Cmdr. Toya H. Kelley, Federal Correctional Institution Edgefield, Edgefield, South Carolina
• Army Senior Award: Col. Mary J. Edwards, Brooke Army Medical Center, Fort Sam Houston, Texas
• Navy Senior Award: Cmdr. Paulette R. T. Cazares, Naval Medical Center San Diego, San Diego, California
• Air Force Senior Award: Col. Gianna R. Zeh, Air Force Medical Operation Agency, Lackland, Texas

Public Health Service Senior Award: 

• Capt. Luzviminda K. Peredo-Berger, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Washington, D.C.

MHS Military and Civilian Nursing Excellence in Leadership Awards: This award acknowledges and honors Military and Civilian registered nurses in the field at the tactical/operational level who have demonstrated exemplary leadership, noteworthy clinical/administrative nursing accomplishments, while exhibiting exceptional compassion and commitment to patients, colleagues, and the profession of nursing.
Military Nursing Awards:

• Army Junior Award: Maj. Kaitlyn M. Perkins, Hohenfels Health Clinic, Hohenfels, Germany
• Navy Junior Award: Lt. Cmdr. Bradley S. Hazen, Naval Medical Center, Portsmouth, Virginia
• Air Force Junior Award: Maj. Cindy L. Callisto, Kirtland Air Force Base, Albuquerque, New Mexico
• Nursing Senior Award: Navy Capt. Jeremy J. Hawker, Naval Medical Center, Portsmouth, Virginia

Civilian Nursing Awards:

• Army Junior Award: James J. Fitzgerald, Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Kaiserslautern, Germany
• Navy Junior Award: Elizabeth A. Campbell, Naval Health Clinic, Annapolis, Maryland
• Air Force Junior Award: Ms. Sherry D. Baker, Patrick Air Force Base, Florida
• Civilian Nursing Senior Award: Mr. Manuel Santiago, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland

MHS Military Allied Health Leadership Excellence Awards: The Allied Health award recognizes those providers both clinical and non-clinical who do a great service to the patients but are not physicians, dentists, hospital administrators, or nurses.

• Junior Non-Clinician: Navy Lt. Dawn M. Whiting, Naval Hospital Okinawa, Japan
• Junior Clinician: Air Force Maj. Rachel E. Wiley, Maxwell Air Force Base, Montgomery, Alabama
• Senior Non-Clinician: Air Force Maj. Stephanie K. Harley, Maxwell Air Force Base, Montgomery, Alabama
• Senior Clinician: Air Force Maj. Neysa M. Etienne, 86th Medical Squadron, Landstuhl, Germany

MHS “Advancements towards High Reliability in Health Care” Awards: This award’s program recognizes continuous improvement, initiative and commitment to the development of systems and processes that will lead the MHS towards a better, safer, nationally-recognized health care system that our patients and families deserve.
Healthcare Quality and Patient Safety Awards:

• Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton (California) for “Cervical Cancer Screening Optimization;” Commander: Navy Capt. Frank Pearson
• 99th Medical Group Nellis Air Force Base (Nevada) for “Enhanced Surgical Recovery Program;” Commander: Air Force Col. Virginia Garner
• Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (Maryland) for “High Value Cost Conscious Care: Optimizing the Electronic Medical Record to Reduce Unnecessary or Redundant Lab Orders;” Commander: Navy Capt. Mark Kobelja
• Fort Belvoir Community Hospital (Virginia) for “Improving Sterile Instrument and Process Handling;” Commander: Army Col. Jason S. Wieman
• David Grant Medical Center (California) for “Implementation of an Enhanced Recovery after Surgery Program to Reduce Surgical Complications;” Commander: Air Force Col. Rachel Hight
• Brian Allgood Army Community Hospital (Korea) for “Increasing Healthcare Effectiveness and Data Information Set Low-Back Pain Imaging Compliance at MEDDAC-K;” Commander: Army Col. Erica Clarkson
• USAMEDDAC Ft. Stewart/Hunter Army Airfield (Georgia) for “Winn Army Community Hospital Clinical Improvement of Low Back Pain;” Commander: Army Col. Christopher H. Warner
• Health Net Federal Services LLC for “Improving Colorectal Cancer Screening by Mailing Fecal Immunochemical Testing Home Screening Kits to Beneficiaries;” Commander: Dr. Joyce Grissom, Chief Medical Officer
• Naval Hospital Pensacola (Florida) for “Improving Healthcare Effectiveness and Data Information Set Antidepressant Medication Management;” Commander: Navy Capt. Amy Branstetter

Improved Access Awards
Use of Embedded Assets to Improve Access to Comprehensive Primary Care

• 15th Medical Group Hickam Air Force Base (Hawaii) for “Partners in Care Program;” Commander: Air Force Col. Kara Gormont

Improving Access Using a Market or Integrated Healthcare System Approach

• Colorado Springs (Colorado) enhanced Multi-Service Markets for “Access to Care;” Commander: Air Force Col. Patrick M. Garman

Improving Access in Specialty or Ancillary Care

• Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (Maryland) for “Dispensing Pharmacists Prescribing Naloxone for Patients at Risk of Opioid Overdose;” Commander: Navy Capt. Mark Kobelja
• Madigan Army Medical Center (Washington) for “Decreasing Preoperative Appointment Duration;” Commander: Army Col. Michael Place

Improving Access/Readiness in Operational Medicine

• US Naval Hospital Okinawa (Japan) for “Liaison Naval Officer Program;” Commander: Navy Capt. Cynthia Kuehner

Improving Access in Primary Care

• 87th Medical Group McGuire Air Force Base (New Jersey) for “Access to Care Improvement;” Commander: Air Force Col Michael D. Foutch
• 14th Medical Group Columbus Air Force Base (Mississippi) for “Importance of Continuous Process Improvement;” Commander: Air Force Col. Imelda Reedy
• 9th Medical Group Beale Air Force Base (California) for “An Integrated Solution;” Commander: Air Force Col. Paul Gourley

Patient Engagement Awards
Clinically Focused Engagement:

• San Antonio Military Medical Center (Texas) for “The Supervision Stoplight: A Visual Aid to Patients Recognition of GME Supervision Hierarchy;” Commander: Army Col. Timothy Huisken
• Naval Medical Center San Diego (California) for “Postpartum Warning – A Nursing Partnership to Standardize and Improve Postpartum Discharge Education;” Commander: Navy Capt. Joel Roos

Patient Engagement Programs

• 47th Medical Group Laughlin Air Force Base (Texas) for “Text-Me-Now Initiative;” Commander: Air Force Col. Thatcher Cardon
• 97th Medical Group Altus Air Force Base (Oklahoma) for "I Don't Understand" – Removing the Silence for those with Limited Health Literacy;” Commander: Air Force Col. Devin P. Beckstrand
• 17th Medical Group Goodfellow Air Force Base (Texas) for “Improving Relationships through Patient Engagement;” Commander: Air Force Col. Janet Urbanski

2017 National Surgical Quality Improvement Program American College of Surgeons Meritorious Awards: These hospitals have been recognized as the top 10% of hospitals in eight surgical outcomes: mortality, cardiac, pneumonia, unplanned intubation, ventilator for more than 48 hours, renal failure, urinary tract infections, and surgical site infections.

• David Grant USAF Medical Center, Fairfield, California
• 81st Medical Group- Keesler Medical Center, Mississippi
• Brooke Army Medical Center, Fort Sam Houston, Texas

See the photos of all the winners. Read the complete abstracts on each of the “Advancements towards High Reliability in Health Care” awards.
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Bring Your TRICARE Benefit Questions to the Upcoming WebinarTRICARE is changing. Are you ready? by: TRICARE.mil Staff
Have questions about your TRICARE benefit? Here’s your chance to get some answers. Join us for a Q&A webinar on Wednesday, Dec. 13, from 1 to 2 p.m. (ET). The “TRICARE Asked and Answered” webinar will include a panel of subject matter experts to answer your questions about TRICARE benefits, health plan options, dental plan options, upcoming changes to TRICARE, and more.
Our panelists include representatives from major TRICARE offices and programs, including:

• TRICARE Dental Program
• TRICARE Pharmacy Program
• TRICARE Overseas Program
• TRICARE For Life
• Reserve Component
• TRICARE Policy and Benefits

The Dec. 13 webinar is one of multiple TRICARE resources to help you get answers to your questions related to your health care benefits. For a quick look at more resources, check out “7 Ways to Get Smart About TRICARE” highlighting resources available from handbooks, guides and booklets to fact sheets, newsletters and podcasts.
Don’t miss this unique opportunity to ask questions directly to TRICARE experts. Bring your questions and register to join us on Dec. 13. Registration is limited.
You must be registered and in the webinar platform to submit a question. If you’re calling in by phone, you’ll automatically be in listen only mode.
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Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General (OIG) in Washington, D.C., United States "Audit of VHA’s Management of Primary Care Panels"

Oversight Reports for Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General (OIG). This information has recently been updated, and is now available.
Audit of VHA’s Management of Primary Care Panels
OIG evaluated whether the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) effectively managed providers’ primary care panels to maximize access to primary care providers by evaluating new enrollee processing into panels as well as the panel sizes. Provider panels define both VHA’s capacity to provide managed outpatient care and provider efficiency based on the number of veterans managed for primary care. In the first seven months of fiscal year (FY) 2015, VHA had not effectively managed provider panels to maximize access. VHA facilities’ methods for processing and scheduling veterans into panels varied, and veterans encountered an average wait of 29 days from the date they enrolled until the facility scheduled their appointment. The average of 29 days was not included in VHA’s wait time calculation. VHA facilities had panels below VHA’s panel size recommendations with six of the seven facilities showing panels 13 to 30 percent below the model. This occurred because VHA lacked standard procedures for processing new enrollees, did not track the wait-time from the enrollment to scheduling, and did not ensure compliance with recommended panel sizes. As a result, VHA’s recorded wait times did not accurately reflect the wait experienced. VHA’s recorded wait time showed about 8 percent of newly enrolled veterans waited more than 30 days. However, when including the time between the date a veteran enrolled seeking care until the date the facility scheduled them for their appointment, OIG determined about 53 percent of newly enrolled veterans completed their first appointment more than 30 days past the determined eligibility date. Lower panel sizes equated to almost $169 million in underutilized provider salaries paid in FY 2015. OIG recommended the Acting Under Secretary for Health establish standardized new enrollee scheduling procedures that properly track wait times and ensure facilities either set panel sizes at VHA’s model goals or justify deviations. The Acting Under Secretary for Health concurred with the recommendations and OIG will monitor VHA’s progress until all proposed actions are completed.

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Military Health System in Washington, D.C., United States "Defense Health Agency earns top 2017 Military Health System Awards"

Defense Health Agency earns top 2017 Military Health System AwardsNavy Vice Adm. Raquel Bono, director, Defense Health Agency (far left) and Thomas McCaffery, acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs (far right), present the MHS “Advancements towards High Reliability in Health Care” Quality and Patient Safety Award to Fort Belvoir Community Hospital for “Improving Sterile Instrument and Process Handling.” Accepting award (left to right) are Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Daniel Asante, Navy Lt. Cmdr. Lara Kirchner, Army Maj. Shirley Ochoa-Dobies, Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Daniel Renardo Reid and Senior Chief Petty Officer James Pell. (Courtesy photo) by: Military Health System Communications Office
Several activities and one individual from the Defense Health Agency were recognized during an awards ceremony recently as part of the 126th Annual AMSUS (The Society for Federal Health Professionals) Meeting at the National Harbor Gaylord Convention Center, Oxen Hill, Maryland.
The Civilian Nursing Senior Award was presented to Manuel Santiago (Lt. Cmdr, USN Ret.) who works at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC), Bethesda, Maryland. While serving as a Clinical Nurse Specialist, Santiago mentored more than 2,000 hospital staff in the classroom and day-to-day work environment. Additionally, he has contributed to the development, execution and sustainment of over 100 clinical policies, ensuring hospital compliance to national evidence-based standards.
In the MHS “Advancements towards High Reliability in Health Care” Awards category there are several notable standout facilities.
Winners of the Healthcare Quality and Patient Safety Awards include WRNMMC for “High Value Cost Conscious Care: Optimizing the Electronic Medical Record to Reduce Unnecessary or Redundant Lab Orders.” Fort Belvoir Community Hospital in Alexandria, Virginia, was also a winner for “Improving Sterile Instrument and Process Handling.”
The award for Walter Reed was based on laboratory test overutilization as a major wasted costs contributor with 16 to 40% of lab orders considered unnecessary or redundant. WRNMMC designed a novel multi-intervention system-based approach utilizing the electronic medical Record (EMR) to reduce ordering of clinically unnecessary laboratory studies that add little value to patient outcomes. Between 2014 and 2017 three changes in the EMR were made that resulted in an overall cost savings of about $1.25 million.
Fort Belvoir Community Hospital was recognized for improving unsterile or defective instrument exposure to patients. Fort Belvoir had been operating at an 8% defective rate since the hospital opened in 2011. To achieve new results, the previous QA scorecard was improved, and a QA subject matter expert began training all staff to ensure a better process. In addition, wrapped instruments were put on transport trays prior to sterilization to reduce wrapper tears and contamination.
In the Improved Access Awards category, WRNMMC received a special award for Improving Access in Specialty or Ancillary Care, specifically for “Dispensing Pharmacists Prescribing Naloxone for Patients at Risk of Opioid Overdose.” Since the beginning of the year 2000, over half a million people have died from an opioid-related overdose. Naloxone administration by non-medical persons has saved the lives of over 26,000 people since 1996. The Naloxone Project was initiated through collaboration between the anesthesia and pharmacy departments in October 2016. The process to achieve this goal included educating pharmacists prescribing naloxone, giving pharmacists the authority to prescribe, and prescribing naloxone to patients missing pain management appointments and considered more at risk.
Read the award abstracts.
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Navy doctors bring medical care to the AmazonU.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Nehkonti Adams, an infectious diseases specialist, left, and U.S. Navy Lt. Gregory Condos, an internal medicine specialist, middle, work with 2nd Lt. Raissa Vieira Sanchez, a Brazilian medical officer, right, to diagnose an elderly woman on her houseboat near a remote village along the Amazon River in Brazil. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Andrew Brame) by: Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Andrew Brame

SAN DIEGO — U.S. Navy doctors recently embarked aboard the Brazilian Navy hospital ship NAsH Soares de Meirelles and began a month-long humanitarian mission that will take them deep into the Amazon. These doctors will be working closely with the Brazilian navy to deliver healthcare to some of the isolated peoples in the world.
According to U.S. Navy Capt. William Scouten, the mission's medical planner, the participants hope that this will be the first of many similar endeavors.
"The purpose of this mission is to establish a long-range collaborative effort that will span over the many years to come," said Scouten. "The overall intent of this mission is to perpetuate a regular collaborative experience. This mission is a 'capstone' where medical practitioners can experience what they have learned in the classroom."
The U.S. Navy medical team includes specialists in internal medicine, general medicine, infectious disease and dermatology.
In addition to providing care to people in remote jungle villages, these doctors will work together to create a curriculum for delivering healthcare to resource-limited areas along the river.
"I am excited to swap cases at the end of each day and continuously learn about the environment that we will be in," said Scouten. "Also, learning new perspectives is always something that I look forward to, because sometimes, the way we do things...doesn't always translate well depending on the environment we are in."
The curriculum will be a "living" document. On future missions, Brazilian, U.S. armed forces and civilian clinical specialists will continue to collaborate on the program, altering it over time to address changes in disease prevalence, technology and educational priorities.
Scouten hopes that this mission will grow to include other countries and regional partners in the future. Increased readiness and strengthened relationships, however, are not the only benefit he expects from missions like this one.
"The long-range goal here is to provide the indigenous population with a broader array of healthcare that they might not have received otherwise," said Scouten. "Hopefully, with all the data that we have been able to collect and will collect, we could be able to identify specific pathologies, perhaps eradicating, or at least mitigating some of them."
Disclaimer: Re-published content may have been edited for length and clarity. Read original post.
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Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General (OIG) in Washington, D.C., United States" Review of Alleged Appeals Data Manipulation at the VA Regional Office, Roanoke, Virginia"

Oversight Reports for Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General (OIG). This information has recently been updated, and is now available.
Review of Alleged Appeals Data Manipulation at the VA Regional Office, Roanoke, Virginia
OIG received an anonymous allegation that Veterans Service Center (VSC) staff at the Roanoke VA Regional Office (VARO) combined appeals to lower the pending inventory and achieve production goals by entering incorrect data into VA’s electronic system. OIG reviewed 331 appeal records that were closed indicating they were withdrawn by appellants. OIG determined 278 were improperly closed because the electronic record did not contain any evidence of a withdrawal request by the appellant. In 276 of the 278 closed appeal records, the pending issues were merged with other open appeal records. In two cases, appeals management and staff failed to add all pending issues to other open appeal records. Both of these appeal records were reactivated as a result of OIG’s review. Merging issues into one record was a longstanding practice at the Roanoke VARO to reduce the pending workload. VARO and VSC management were unaware of this practice, and appeals managers knew of it but were unaware of its full impact. Merging appeal records gave a false impression that the appeals inventory decreased. Subsequently, the reported statistics for the number of pending and completed appeals at the Roanoke VARO were inaccurate, and the associated timeliness measurements were unreliable. OIG could not determine what the VARO’s actual statistics should have been since staff appeared to have been following this guidance from at least September 2008. OIG recommended the Roanoke VARO Director conduct a review to identify prematurely closed appeal records and confer with appropriate Veterans Benefits Administration officials to determine the proper corrective actions to take, if any. OIG also recommended the Director confer with regional counsel to determine what steps to take, if any, with regard to management or staff involved in the conduct discussed in this report. The VARO Director concurred with our recommendations and planned corrective actions are responsive.
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Military Health System in Washington, D.C., United States "Airman saves infant's life"

Airman saves infant's lifeAir Force Staff Sgt. Charity Lee Vest, 87th Aerospace Medicine Squadron operational medicine technician, holds baby Arlat his home on Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey. Vest received a knock on the door from a neighbor who exclaimed their 14 month-old son was unresponsive and needed medical attention. Vest used her CPR training to resuscitate the infant. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Jessica Blair) by: Airman 1st Class Jessica Blair
JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. — After a long day at work we look forward to coming home to unwind into the familiar routines; picking up kids from daycare or school, coming home to take off our boots and sitting down to have a meal with our families around the table.
The last thing anyone would expect is to suddenly need to save a life while in the middle of dinner.
But in late October, Air Force Staff Sgt. Charity Vest, 87th Aerospace Medicine Squadron operational medicine technician, her evening went from relaxing at home to a hectic life or death circumstance.
“I just got home from work, and I heard a knocking on the door,” said Vest. “My neighbor was standing there and said that her child needed medical attention, so I ran out with her across the street.”
Vest was the first medical person on the scene and what she saw was something that would change her life.
When she reached the front yard 14 month-old baby Arlo was laying in the grass and unresponsive.
She immediately went into auto pilot using her quick thinking and years of training and began to perform CPR after checking the infants pulse and determining that the infant wasn’t breathing.
“This was the first time that I have ever given CPR to anyone,” said Vest. “I’m just so thankful for my training that I’ve had, and I’m just so glad that I was home.”
Vest and another neighbor together continued rescue breathing on the infant until first responders arrived at the scene and took over.
“It was just another call but our urgency was more and we were more concerned with his state,” said Staff Sgt. Pablo Duran, 87th Medical Operations Squadron ambulance services aerospace medical technician. “But once we stabilized the patient and once he started crying we weren’t as concerned about his airway anymore since he was breathing.”
When first responders arrived they were able to start him on a bag mask, said Vest. He was then taken to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia to get further medical attention.
“It all sank in afterwards. But when he was on the ambulance and breathing I was just so relieved to hear him cry,” said Vest. “It was the best noise I think I’ve ever heard.”
Disclaimer: Re-published content may have been edited for length and clarity. Read original post.
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---Military Health System in Washington D.C. United States "Military health: All for one, one for all"

Military health: All for one, one for allFrom left, Retired Army Maj. Gen. Richard Thomas, president of Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences; Navy Rear Adm. Colin Chinn, Joint Staff surgeon; Air Force Lt. Gen. Mark Ediger, Air Force surgeon general; Navy Vice Adm. Forrest Faison III, Navy surgeon general; Army Maj. Gen. Ronald Place, for the Army surgeon general; Navy Vice Adm. Raquel Bono, director of the Defense Health Agency; and Tom McCaffery, acting assistant secretary of defense for health affairs. (Courtesy photo) by: Military Health System Communications Office
The whole of the Military Health System is greater than the sum of the individual services’ parts. That was the key theme of the Defense Health Agency/Department of Defense Plenary Session on Thursday morning at the 126th annual meeting of AMSUS, the Society of Federal Health Professionals. The meeting was held at the Gaylord National Resort and Conference Center in Oxon Hill, Maryland.
“Military medicine has made its greatest contributions during the past 15 years of war,” said Vice Adm. Raquel Bono, director of the Defense Health Agency. Credit for this achievement doesn’t go to one service alone, she said, “but all of us working together. It’s time we replicated our successes on the battlefield at home.”
“There’s greater power in centralizing and bringing together our strengths, designing a Military Health System that’s responsive to patients’ needs,” Bono said.
Tom McCaffery, acting assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, said moving from a siloed system to a triservice-integrated operation will improve the ability to meet readiness requirements. It also will lead to better access and outcomes while lowering costs, he said.
McCaffery singled out three areas for modernization: the knowledge, skills, and abilities of health care providers; TRICARE; and MHS GENESIS.
“What’s exciting is, this is a historic opportunity to create something that’s a model for what military health and national health can become,” Bono said. Focusing on integration leads to faster decisions; streamlined planning, programming, budgeting, and execution; and standard management in military treatment facilities that will lead to “seamless care in multiservice markets, giving our patients the best outcome every time.”
Bono said outside partnerships were also an important aspect. “There’s got to be collectivism in the impact we create,” she said. “We need to recognize that we don’t have all those answers from within. So we need to partner with outside industry, because we don’t necessarily have the organic expertise to deliver.”
Rear Adm. Colin Chinn, the Joint Staff surgeon, showed a map originally created in the ’80s that showed areas of conflict. “It was a totally different world then,” he said. “The type of conflicts we’re involved in now don’t follow these neat lines, and neither do health and disease threats.”
Other panelists during the session were Maj. Gen. Ronald Place, who represented the Army surgeon general, Lt. Gen. Nadja West; Vice Adm. Forrest Faison III, the Navy surgeon general; Lt. Gen. Mark Ediger, the Air Force surgeon general; and retired Army Maj. Gen. Richard Thomas, president of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.
“We’re interoperable to a point,” Ediger said. “We need to move that point further.” He said partnering with civilian medical facilities enables military trauma surgeons to keep their skills sharp and that focus needs to be renewed on chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear threats.
“None of us is doing our job for fame or glory,” Faison said. “We’re doing it to help people, and to make a difference in their lives.” To continue the success, he said, “We all have to be all in.”
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Leaders discuss global health collaboration as powerful toolAt an AMSUS session, Dr. Terry Rauch describes how global health activities help facilitate readiness, security and international collaboration. (Courtesy photo) by: Military Health System Communications Office
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. – Health stability in the world protects our own health and homeland. That’s the message AMSUS attendees heard in a session about Department of Defense policy and approach on what is collectively called Global Health Engagement, or GHE.
The session discussion emphasized how knowledge can be a powerful and lasting tool when a community, region or nation finds itself working to prevent the spread of a deadly virus; responding to a humanitarian crisis; or building military medical skills and capabilities.
"We live in an interesting world with a broad scope of threats to global security and stability,” said Dr. Terry Rauch, acting deputy assistant secretary of defense for health readiness policy and oversight.
Members of the DoD Global Health Engagement Council weighed in on advancing the United States military’s connection to partner countries on health matters during a session at the annual meeting of AMSUS (The Society for Federal Health Professionals). The session titled “Strategic perspectives: Health Affairs and Policy discussing the new DoDI and strategic thinking on GHE" included a three-member panel: Rauch; Mr. Mark Swayne, acting deputy assistant secretary of defense for stability and humanitarian affairs; and, Navy Rear Adm. Colin Chinn, joint staff surgeon.
According to the session speakers, sharing best military medical practices with other nations is “a win-win.” Session attendees heard how GHE advances readiness, enhances interoperability, builds security, and helps strengthen cooperation with governments.
Standing up blood safety programs, teaching patient movement techniques, and sharing advances in trauma care with another country’s military are only a few examples of GHE in action. Panelists discussed instances where military health exchanges brought dozens of countries to the same table. While sharing information, nations develop confidence in each other. Over time, the activities create friendly ties. And, when militaries need to collaborate, the U.S. military is medically ready and able to partner with others to maintain regional stability and security.
GHE’s impact is difficult to measure, but countries that handle disease well are noticeably more secure overall. The U.S. military reaches out across the globe to help in more than a few ways. Natural disasters, climate issues, crowded cities, and territorial disputes appear all over the world. It’s no small task for any country to handle humanitarian aid and disaster recovery, reduce drug and human trafficking; or care for fleeing migrants across borders. Relationships with other nations can help all parties in these difficult situations.
Rauch explained that GHE activities enable the Combatant Commands to execute Theater Campaign Plans.
“The DoD’s GHE activities help facilitate readiness,” said Rauch. “Engaging with our partners’ capabilities brings international partner collaboration.”
The speakers discussed how helping partner nations builds medical capacity and skills that can reduce issues, enhance cooperation, improve how to diagnose health threats and offer better care for military, individual and population health. Plus, the remaining education from a military health exchange can sustain partner countries and their neighbors long after the US military moves on.
Swanye identified how DoD has come a long way in coordinating and improving its approach to GHE. The Global Health Engagement Council was created to organize efforts involved with quick DoD responses, and it brings senior leaders together to focus on health security.
“The whole reason we created the GHE Council was from the lessons learned when Ebola spread across Western Africa in 2014. The Council is another step in the right direction that highlights the importance of GHE,” Swanye said.
As recently as July 12, 2017, a new DoD Instruction (DoDI 2000.30) came out that specifically defines roles and responsibilities. With this policy in place, the panelists stated there is now a way forward to achieving stronger coordination across DoD and among agencies, academic institutions, civilian health care organizations, and partner nations.
"How can we best position the United States with global peace and security? We must build relationships with partners – and, GHE helps get us closer to reaching that goal," said Chinn.
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Guard and Reserve Support Network in Washington, D.C., United States "One month left to nominate your Employer!" Nominate your civilian employer for the 2018 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award.

Do you have an awesome employer!?
Has your employer's support made it easier for you to serve in the National Guard or Reserve? Does your civilian employer promote military service, support your family, and keep in contact while you're on routine duty, responding to natural disasters, or serving in a deployed location? If so, you should nominate your civilian employer for the 2018 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award.
Nominate your employer!

The Freedom Award is the U.S. government's highest award for large, small, and public organizations (not individuals, e.g. a supervisor, manager, etc.) that provide outstanding support of their Guard and Reserve employees. The nomination form takes about 10-15 minutes to complete and can be found at FreedomAward.mil. Just click "Nominate Employer" on the homepage, and then tell us the story of how your employer supports you and fellow military employees.
If your employer supports you, don't wait nominate them today.
Up to 15 employers will be chosen to receive the Freedom Award and be honored with a ceremony at the Pentagon in August. The nominee and award recipients will attend this special event. Nomination season runs from Oct. 1 through Dec. 31, 2017.
Please do not reply to this email, but send any questions to OSD.ESGR-PA@mail.mil. For more information, please visit us at ESGR.mil or FreedomAward.mil
If you encounter any errors while submitting a nomination please contact osd.ESGRITSupport@mail.mil or 1-800-336-4590 opt 3
Thank you for your service to our Nation!
Connect with us at:

• https://www.facebook.com/GoESGR/
• https://www.facebook.com/YellowRibbonReintegrationProgram/?ref=settings
• http://www.yellowribbon.mil/yrrp/

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