Combined Assessment Program Summary Report – Evaluation of Compounded Sterile Product Practices in Veterans Health Administration Facilities
The VA Office of Inspector General completed a healthcare inspection of compounded sterile product (CSP) practices in Veterans Health Administration facilities. The purpose of the review was to determine whether facilities complied with selected requirements for the safe preparation of CSPs. CSPs are pharmaceutical preparations made or modified in a controlled sterile environment. We conducted this review at 25 Veterans Health Administration medical facilities during Combined Assessment Program reviews performed across the country from October 1, 2015, through March 31, 2016. We noted high compliance in several areas, including that facilities had adequate policies and provided safe conditions for CSP preparation; that staff documented sampling for contamination in required areas and took actions when they identified positive cultures; and that when facilities used non-VA sources for CSPs, the sources were appropriately registered. We made five recommendations.
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U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs CMV - News Update for Wednesday, 10 May 2017 from The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in Washington, D.C., United States
In Case You Missed It: The Center for Minority Veterans is sharing recent news stories that may be of interest to minority Veterans, service members, and their supporters on a weekly basis.
Solicitation of Nominations for Appointment to the Advisory Committee on Minority Veterans
A Notice by the Veterans Affairs Department on 05/10/2017 [from The Federal Register]
Richmond VA Hospital Dedicates Native American Sweat Lodge
A sweat lodge ceremony is a spiritual experience in a variety of Native American cultures. [from The Richmond Times-Dispatch]
#VeteranOfTheDay LaToya Stanislaus
We honor your service, LaToya!
In the Game: Navy Veteran Staying Active Despite Vision Loss
Joe Ann McBride is competing for the fourth year in a row at the National Veterans Golden Age Games in four events: visually-impaired bowling, boccia, power walking and blind discus golf.
#VeteranOfTheDay Rodrigo Quijada
We honor your service, Rodrigo!
In Case You Missed It: The Center for Minority Veterans is sharing recent news stories that may be of interest to minority Veterans, service members, and their supporters on a weekly basis.
Solicitation of Nominations for Appointment to the Advisory Committee on Minority Veterans
A Notice by the Veterans Affairs Department on 05/10/2017 [from The Federal Register]
Richmond VA Hospital Dedicates Native American Sweat Lodge
A sweat lodge ceremony is a spiritual experience in a variety of Native American cultures. [from The Richmond Times-Dispatch]
#VeteranOfTheDay LaToya Stanislaus
We honor your service, LaToya!
In the Game: Navy Veteran Staying Active Despite Vision Loss
Joe Ann McBride is competing for the fourth year in a row at the National Veterans Golden Age Games in four events: visually-impaired bowling, boccia, power walking and blind discus golf.
#VeteranOfTheDay Rodrigo Quijada
We honor your service, Rodrigo!
#VeteranOfTheDay Audrey Hsieh
We honor your service, Audrey!
Veterans Choice Program: A Good Option, but Needs Improvement
The Department of Veterans Affairs and TriWest are working to solve issues with the Veterans Choice Program. [from The Maui News]
Go For Broke National Education Center Awarded $193,080 Grant From NEH
Funding to Digitize 800 Japanese American WWII Veterans' Oral Histories from Hanashi Project. [from PR Web]
Nonprofit Begins Digitizing Japanese-American World War II Veterans' Stories
"This grant from the National Endownment for the Humanities will allow us to preserve these priceless histories of our Nisei Veterans." [from NBC News]
Vice President Pence Visits American Samoa
Vice President Pence spoke on the challenges the United States faces in the Pacific, and thanked them for their dedicated service. Vice President Pence is the sixth White House dignitary to visit the territory. [from Marianas Variety]
VA Leader's Visit New Mexico's Taos Pueblo Tribe Focuses On Improving Access to Veteran Health Care
This visit is just one of the many intergovernmental engagement and outreach activities sponsored by VA's Tribal Government Office.
US Senators Urge Trump to Continue WWII Filvets' Reunification with Families
Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), with four other Democratic senators, sent a letter to President Trump urging the continuation of the Filipino Veterans of WWII family reunification program instituted by the Obama administration. [from Inquirer.net]
Bataan Death March Remembered at Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar
This exhibit will be the continuing voice for the 70,000 brave Filipino and American soldiers who endured that harrowing march. [from POP! Inquirer]
Full Honors for Filipino-American WWII Vet Who Died at 101
U.S. Coast Guard Veteran Florence Ebersole Smith Finch will be buried with full military honors. [from Stars and Stripes]
WWII Veteran Opens First Chinese Restaurant in Eureka
In 1954, Veteran Ben Chin came to Eureka and opened a business in a town that only 70 years earlier had driven out all of the Chinese people. [from Times Standard]
Filipino Americans and Vietnamese Americans: Representations of U.S. Military History
From the common scars of fighting both with and against the U.S., we are connected in the stories the United States tells about itself and its military. [from The Huffington Post]
Vietnamese-Americans Mark Fall of Saigon with Solemn Black April Ceremony
About 150 members of the Vietnamese-American community marked the anniversary of the collapse of the South Vietnamese government with a solemn ceremony at the James P. McEntee Plaza at the County Government Center. [from The Mercury News]
'Go For Broke' Movie Aims to Tell Stories Through Eyes of 442nd Soldiers
The film, expected to be complete in the fall, will be released On Demand. [from Hawaii News Now]
Keep updated & let us know how we're doing.
VA does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of any external web site links. These sites are provided for informational purposes only.
If you are in crisis and need immediate help, please call 1-800-273-8255 and (PRESS 1) or visit http://www.veteranscrisisline.net/.
Please remember the only secure way to ask personal questions is at https://iris.custhelp.com.
Explore VA benefits at explore.va.gov
-------
We honor your service, Audrey!
Veterans Choice Program: A Good Option, but Needs Improvement
The Department of Veterans Affairs and TriWest are working to solve issues with the Veterans Choice Program. [from The Maui News]
Go For Broke National Education Center Awarded $193,080 Grant From NEH
Funding to Digitize 800 Japanese American WWII Veterans' Oral Histories from Hanashi Project. [from PR Web]
Nonprofit Begins Digitizing Japanese-American World War II Veterans' Stories
"This grant from the National Endownment for the Humanities will allow us to preserve these priceless histories of our Nisei Veterans." [from NBC News]
Vice President Pence Visits American Samoa
Vice President Pence spoke on the challenges the United States faces in the Pacific, and thanked them for their dedicated service. Vice President Pence is the sixth White House dignitary to visit the territory. [from Marianas Variety]
VA Leader's Visit New Mexico's Taos Pueblo Tribe Focuses On Improving Access to Veteran Health Care
This visit is just one of the many intergovernmental engagement and outreach activities sponsored by VA's Tribal Government Office.
US Senators Urge Trump to Continue WWII Filvets' Reunification with Families
Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), with four other Democratic senators, sent a letter to President Trump urging the continuation of the Filipino Veterans of WWII family reunification program instituted by the Obama administration. [from Inquirer.net]
Bataan Death March Remembered at Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar
This exhibit will be the continuing voice for the 70,000 brave Filipino and American soldiers who endured that harrowing march. [from POP! Inquirer]
Full Honors for Filipino-American WWII Vet Who Died at 101
U.S. Coast Guard Veteran Florence Ebersole Smith Finch will be buried with full military honors. [from Stars and Stripes]
WWII Veteran Opens First Chinese Restaurant in Eureka
In 1954, Veteran Ben Chin came to Eureka and opened a business in a town that only 70 years earlier had driven out all of the Chinese people. [from Times Standard]
Filipino Americans and Vietnamese Americans: Representations of U.S. Military History
From the common scars of fighting both with and against the U.S., we are connected in the stories the United States tells about itself and its military. [from The Huffington Post]
Vietnamese-Americans Mark Fall of Saigon with Solemn Black April Ceremony
About 150 members of the Vietnamese-American community marked the anniversary of the collapse of the South Vietnamese government with a solemn ceremony at the James P. McEntee Plaza at the County Government Center. [from The Mercury News]
'Go For Broke' Movie Aims to Tell Stories Through Eyes of 442nd Soldiers
The film, expected to be complete in the fall, will be released On Demand. [from Hawaii News Now]
Keep updated & let us know how we're doing.
VA does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of any external web site links. These sites are provided for informational purposes only.
If you are in crisis and need immediate help, please call 1-800-273-8255 and (PRESS 1) or visit http://www.veteranscrisisline.net/.
Please remember the only secure way to ask personal questions is at https://iris.custhelp.com.
Explore VA benefits at explore.va.gov
-------
Military, civilian nurses learn, teach in unique DoD-VA collaboration from the Military Health System in Washington, D.C., United States
Military, civilian nurses learn, teach in unique DoD-VA collaborationThe Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center, located 40 miles north of Chicago, is a first-of-its-kind facility staffed with uniformed nurses from the Navy, and serves nearly 67,000 eligible beneficiaries. Navy Lt. Nathan Aranas (left) and Christine Barassi-Jackson (right) work side-by-side at the center. Aranas is an active duty Navy registered nurse and Barassi-Jackson works as a registered nurse with the Department of Veterans Affairs. (U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Jacob Waldrop)
A unique partnership between the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs places military and VA nurses side-by-side in a facility where they can expand their own clinical skills and learn from each other. The Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center, located 40 miles north of Chicago, is a first-of-its-kind facility staffed with uniformed nurses from the Navy, and serves nearly 67,000 eligible beneficiaries.
“This organization has its roots in the military, but with several opportunities we might not see in the military [health] system, such as treating non-retiree veterans from World War II, Korea, and Vietnam, as well as working with some civilian emergency medical services in the area,” said Navy Lt. Nathan Aranas, an active duty registered nurse and assistant nurse manager in the hospital’s emergency room. During his eight-year career, he has cared for patients at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in suburban Washington, D.C., a military hospital in Italy, and other locations around the world. His time at Lovell has been eye opening.
Along with serving multi-generational veterans at Lovell, the staff has a great working relationship with other civilian hospitals in the immediate area, said Aranas. “We learn from local trauma, mental health, and pediatrics and birthing centers, exposing me more to how medicine outside of the military is practiced,” he said. “It gives me a bigger perspective of how the rest of the country operates as a health care institution.”
At the same time, Aranas believes medicine is medicine. When former active duty patients see someone in uniform treating them, they speak more at ease with that nurse, because they understand the lingo. “I think my patients become a lot more empowered to care for themselves. They have a sense of security.”
Christine Barassi-Jackson is a VA civilian registered nurse working at the hospital for the last five years. She’s the nurse manager in the emergency room but never served in the military. Barassi-Jackson appreciates the discipline and attention to detail military members bring to her emergency room.
“Everybody has clearly defined rules and responsibilities and is expected to get the job done,” said Barassi-Jackson. Having a combined organization is a great balance that pulls out the best parts of both the Navy and VA, she said.
This federal health care center, established in 2010, is the first of its kind and treats active duty military, military retirees, family members, and veterans. A large portion of its patient population includes the nearly 40,000 Navy recruits who pass through Naval Station Great Lakes each year, plus veterans from throughout northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin.
Barassi-Jackson leans on Aranas to serve as an interpreter with some of the patients.
“Knowing more of the Navy culture helps break down walls with the patients and other providers,” she said.
Aranas said there are many places within the Military Health System where uniformed nurses can serve. His wife is also an active duty Navy nurse at the hospital, and they turned down more traditional assignments just to have the chance to practice medicine at this unique place.
“Clinically, we wanted to see more variety of patients, such as the aging veterans from World War II and Vietnam,” said Aranas. “It’s a great experience for young, active duty clinicians to have.”
Read More ...
Wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery highlights Nurses Week activitiesMaj. Gen. Dorothy Hogg (left), Air Force deputy surgeon general and chief of the Air Force Nurse Corps, and Hollyanne Milley (right), a registered nurse and wife of Gen. Mark Milley, Army Chief of Staff, stand by the wreath placed at the Nurses Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery May 8, 2017. (MHS photo)
Maj. Gen. Dorothy Hogg (left), Air Force deputy surgeon general and chief of the Air Force Nurse Corps, and Hollyanne Milley (right), a registered nurse and wife of Gen. Mark Milley, Army Chief of Staff, stand by the wreath placed at the Nurses Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery May 8, 2017. The event, which also included Army Sgt. Elizabeth Marks, winner of a gold and a bronze medal at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio, along with dignitaries and honorees from all the services, was part of the Military Health System’s recognition of National Nurses Week, running through May 12. The week highlights the contributions military nurses make to the readiness and care of service members, retirees, and their families.
During remarks at the ceremony, Hogg said military nurses have served America for more than two centuries, on land and sea, and in the air, during war and peacetime. She pointed to the varied tasks of the Military Health System and how nursing plays a role in each area, including research, education, disaster response, and humanitarian missions.
“But no matter how varied the mission, the one constant is military nurses,” said Hogg. “The perseverance of all these military nurses [who served during the past two centuries] from all walks of life paved the way for us to serve in various capacities and roles around the world.”
Read More ...
Program offers holistic recovery tools to Soldiers with TBI
MIST Program participants engage in traditional and nontraditional therapies, such as creating symbolic masks. The MIST Program offers holistic treatment to service members with traumatic brain injuries and other traumatic conditions. (U.S. Army photo by Suzanne Ovel)
JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. — Brain injuries don't happen in isolation. They're often accompanied by chronic pain, or long-impacting injuries, or behavioral health concerns like post-traumatic stress. After all, whatever caused the brain injury – an explosion, a vehicle accident, a fall – also affects the rest of the person.
These coexisting conditions can make patients more complex, and "are often very difficult to treat through our normal, conventional health care system," said Army Col. Beverly Scott, the medical and program director of Madigan Army Medical Center's Traumatic Brain Injury Program and Intrepid Spirit Program.
Enter the Madigan Intrepid Spirit Transitions Program, a six-week intensive outpatient group designed to address the complex conditions of eight to 12 service members at a time.
"The priority goal is to help individuals so they can return to duty or improve their well-being for whatever path they are on… It's never too late to help them address a number of issues that they may be having following a traumatic brain injury, dealing with pain, dealing with behavior health issues," Scott said, emphasizing that the program goes beyond a TBI focus and also treats patients with other trauma-related conditions.
The MIST Program only serves active duty service members with referrals from their primary care managers and other specialty services at Madigan, or throughout the Regional Health Command-Pacific. It's a part of the tripod of the larger Intrepid Spirit Model, which offers "arena" intake sessions for a multidisciplinary team to build service members' overall treatment plans, enhanced case management for TBI Program patients, and the intensive outpatient program itself.
The program leadership acknowledges that a six-week program is quite the commitment for service members. In fact, being dedicated to the process is crucial to success.
"They have to devote that same accountability [they've given to] military life now to their recovery," Scott said.
Commanders must sign memorandums of understanding that patients will be off of duty rosters for the duration of the program.
"They're making a commitment to help that service member get better," Scott said.
The holistic focus of MIST recognizes that the whole person is affected by brain injuries and the conditions that often accompany them. While patients address chronic pain, insomnia, and work to improve cognitive skills, they also learn mindfulness and strategies to nurture relationships and build spiritual resiliency. The classroom bounces between the TBI Program building, art studios, yoga mats, and nature.
"Because of the program's uniqueness, it's anything but mundane," said James Brassard, the program administrator for the TBI Program and Intrepid Spirit Program.
The variety of approaches offered to program participants lets them cherry pick the methods they believe will help them the most – what one service member called "customizing their own multi-tool."
"They leave knowing they'll come away with what works best for them," Scott said.
Giving them tools they can use well after they complete the program is an acknowledgment that the recovery process is an ongoing one.
"We recognize it is a transition … In a six-week period we know we really can't address or reverse or fix everything, so we do try to expose the individuals to programs on JBLM and the resources, the tools, the information, the ideas that they're going to take with them to continue their recovery," she said. The participants are encouraged to continue individual care within the TBI/Intrepid Spirit program following the MIST program.
That's why they reached out to JBLM's Army Wellness Center, Soldier and Family Assistance Center, Telehealth and Technology, and more to teach parts of the program.
"It's a whole team, and the team extends beyond our walls," Scott said.
So far, the MIST Program has graduated two groups of participants. "We've seen incredible success," she said. Overall, participants have benefited from increased wellness, but some of the participants' accomplishments were more personal. One service member's medical evaluation board was halted because of how much his behavioral health had improved; another reversed the downward trajectory of his marriage.
While the MIST Program is designed with evidence-based curriculum, some of its success is derived from peer support.
"Some significant success is clearly related to Soldiers helping Soldiers, the service members helping each other," Scott said. "The power of the cohort is just extraordinary. We make sure we have time for the individuals to just talk to and help each other, and you can really see the power in that."
The results at the end of the program include much more than the successful treatment of the TBI and its related conditions.
"It's going to help them be a better Soldier, a better person, a better spouse, a better parent, a better leader," she said.
Disclaimer: Re-published content may have been edited for length and clarity. Read original post.
Program offers holistic recovery tools to Soldiers with TBI by Suzanne Ovel, Army Medicine
JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. -- Brain injuries don't happen in isolation. They're often accompanied by chronic pain, or long-impacting injuries, or behavioral health concerns like post-traumatic stress. After all, whatever caused the brain injury -- an explosion, a vehicle accident, a fall -- also affects the rest of the person.
These coexisting conditions can make patients more complex, and "are often very difficult to treat through our normal, conventional health care system," said Col. Beverly Scott, the medical and program director of Madigan Army Medical Center's Traumatic Brain Injury Program and Intrepid Spirit Program.
Enter the Madigan Intrepid Spirit Transitions Program, a six-week intensive outpatient group designed to address the complex conditions of eight to 12 service members at a time.
"The priority goal is to help individuals so they can return to duty or improve their well-being for whatever path they are on … It's never too late to help them address a number of issues that they may be having following a traumatic brain injury, dealing with pain, dealing with behavior health issues," Scott said, emphasizing that the program goes beyond a TBI focus and also treats patients with other trauma-related conditions.
The MIST Program only serves active duty service members with referrals from their primary care managers and other specialty services at Madigan, or throughout the Regional Health Command-Pacific. It's a part of the tripod of the larger Intrepid Spirit Model, which offers "arena" intake sessions for a multidisciplinary team to build service members' overall treatment plans, enhanced case management for TBI Program patients, and the intensive outpatient program itself.
The program leadership acknowledges that a six-week program is quite the commitment for service members. In fact, being dedicated to the process is crucial to success.
"They have to devote that same accountability [they've given to] military life now to their recovery," Scott said.
Commanders must sign memorandums of understanding that patients will be off of duty rosters for the duration of the program.
"They're making a commitment to help that service member get better," Scott said.
The holistic focus of MIST recognizes that the whole person is affected by brain injuries and the conditions that often accompany them. While patients address chronic pain, insomnia, and work to improve cognitive skills, they also learn mindfulness and strategies to nurture relationships and build spiritual resiliency. The classroom bounces between the TBI Program building, art studios, yoga mats, and nature.
"Because of the program's uniqueness, it's anything but mundane," said James Brassard, the program administrator for the TBI Program and Intrepid Spirit Program.
The variety of approaches offered to program participants lets them cherry pick the methods they believe will help them the most -- what one service member called "customizing their own multi-tool."
"They leave knowing they'll come away with what works best for them," Scott said.
Giving them tools they can use well after they complete the program is an acknowledgment that the recovery process is an ongoing one.
"We recognize it is a transition … In a six-week period we know we really can't address or reverse or fix everything, so we do try to expose the individuals to programs on JBLM and the resources, the tools, the information, the ideas that they're going to take with them to continue their recovery," she said. The participants are encouraged to continue individual care within the TBI/Intrepid Spirit program following the MIST program.
That's why they reached out to JBLM's Army Wellness Center, Soldier and Family Assistance Center, Telehealth and Technology, and more to teach parts of the program.
"It's a whole team, and the team extends beyond our walls," Scott said.
So far, the MIST Program has graduated two groups of participants. "We've seen incredible success," she said. Overall, participants have benefited from increased wellness, but some of the participants' accomplishments were more personal. One service member's medical evaluation board was halted because of how much his behavioral health had improved; another reversed the downward trajectory of his marriage.
While the MIST Program is designed with evidence-based curriculum, some of its success is derived from peer support.
"Some significant success is clearly related to Soldiers helping Soldiers, the service members helping each other," Scott said. "The power of the cohort is just extraordinary. We make sure we have time for the individuals to just talk to and help each other, and you can really see the power in that."
The results at the end of the program include much more than the successful treatment of the TBI and its related conditions.
"It's going to help them be a better Soldier, a better person, a better spouse, a better parent, a better leader," she said.
Military, civilian nurses learn, teach in unique DoD-VA collaborationThe Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center, located 40 miles north of Chicago, is a first-of-its-kind facility staffed with uniformed nurses from the Navy, and serves nearly 67,000 eligible beneficiaries. Navy Lt. Nathan Aranas (left) and Christine Barassi-Jackson (right) work side-by-side at the center. Aranas is an active duty Navy registered nurse and Barassi-Jackson works as a registered nurse with the Department of Veterans Affairs. (U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Jacob Waldrop)A unique partnership between the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs places military and VA nurses side-by-side in a facility where they can expand their own clinical skills and learn from each other. The Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center, located 40 miles north of Chicago, is a first-of-its-kind facility staffed with uniformed nurses from the Navy, and serves nearly 67,000 eligible beneficiaries.
“This organization has its roots in the military, but with several opportunities we might not see in the military [health] system, such as treating non-retiree veterans from World War II, Korea, and Vietnam, as well as working with some civilian emergency medical services in the area,” said Navy Lt. Nathan Aranas, an active duty registered nurse and assistant nurse manager in the hospital’s emergency room. During his eight-year career, he has cared for patients at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in suburban Washington, D.C., a military hospital in Italy, and other locations around the world. His time at Lovell has been eye opening.
Along with serving multi-generational veterans at Lovell, the staff has a great working relationship with other civilian hospitals in the immediate area, said Aranas. “We learn from local trauma, mental health, and pediatrics and birthing centers, exposing me more to how medicine outside of the military is practiced,” he said. “It gives me a bigger perspective of how the rest of the country operates as a health care institution.”
At the same time, Aranas believes medicine is medicine. When former active duty patients see someone in uniform treating them, they speak more at ease with that nurse, because they understand the lingo. “I think my patients become a lot more empowered to care for themselves. They have a sense of security.”
Christine Barassi-Jackson is a VA civilian registered nurse working at the hospital for the last five years. She’s the nurse manager in the emergency room but never served in the military. Barassi-Jackson appreciates the discipline and attention to detail military members bring to her emergency room.
“Everybody has clearly defined rules and responsibilities and is expected to get the job done,” said Barassi-Jackson. Having a combined organization is a great balance that pulls out the best parts of both the Navy and VA, she said.
This federal health care center, established in 2010, is the first of its kind and treats active duty military, military retirees, family members, and veterans. A large portion of its patient population includes the nearly 40,000 Navy recruits who pass through Naval Station Great Lakes each year, plus veterans from throughout northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin.
Barassi-Jackson leans on Aranas to serve as an interpreter with some of the patients.
“Knowing more of the Navy culture helps break down walls with the patients and other providers,” she said.
Aranas said there are many places within the Military Health System where uniformed nurses can serve. His wife is also an active duty Navy nurse at the hospital, and they turned down more traditional assignments just to have the chance to practice medicine at this unique place.
“Clinically, we wanted to see more variety of patients, such as the aging veterans from World War II and Vietnam,” said Aranas. “It’s a great experience for young, active duty clinicians to have.”
Read More ...
Wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery highlights Nurses Week activitiesMaj. Gen. Dorothy Hogg (left), Air Force deputy surgeon general and chief of the Air Force Nurse Corps, and Hollyanne Milley (right), a registered nurse and wife of Gen. Mark Milley, Army Chief of Staff, stand by the wreath placed at the Nurses Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery May 8, 2017. (MHS photo)Maj. Gen. Dorothy Hogg (left), Air Force deputy surgeon general and chief of the Air Force Nurse Corps, and Hollyanne Milley (right), a registered nurse and wife of Gen. Mark Milley, Army Chief of Staff, stand by the wreath placed at the Nurses Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery May 8, 2017. The event, which also included Army Sgt. Elizabeth Marks, winner of a gold and a bronze medal at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio, along with dignitaries and honorees from all the services, was part of the Military Health System’s recognition of National Nurses Week, running through May 12. The week highlights the contributions military nurses make to the readiness and care of service members, retirees, and their families.
During remarks at the ceremony, Hogg said military nurses have served America for more than two centuries, on land and sea, and in the air, during war and peacetime. She pointed to the varied tasks of the Military Health System and how nursing plays a role in each area, including research, education, disaster response, and humanitarian missions.
“But no matter how varied the mission, the one constant is military nurses,” said Hogg. “The perseverance of all these military nurses [who served during the past two centuries] from all walks of life paved the way for us to serve in various capacities and roles around the world.”
Read More ...
Program offers holistic recovery tools to Soldiers with TBIMIST Program participants engage in traditional and nontraditional therapies, such as creating symbolic masks. The MIST Program offers holistic treatment to service members with traumatic brain injuries and other traumatic conditions. (U.S. Army photo by Suzanne Ovel)
JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. — Brain injuries don't happen in isolation. They're often accompanied by chronic pain, or long-impacting injuries, or behavioral health concerns like post-traumatic stress. After all, whatever caused the brain injury – an explosion, a vehicle accident, a fall – also affects the rest of the person.
These coexisting conditions can make patients more complex, and "are often very difficult to treat through our normal, conventional health care system," said Army Col. Beverly Scott, the medical and program director of Madigan Army Medical Center's Traumatic Brain Injury Program and Intrepid Spirit Program.
Enter the Madigan Intrepid Spirit Transitions Program, a six-week intensive outpatient group designed to address the complex conditions of eight to 12 service members at a time.
"The priority goal is to help individuals so they can return to duty or improve their well-being for whatever path they are on… It's never too late to help them address a number of issues that they may be having following a traumatic brain injury, dealing with pain, dealing with behavior health issues," Scott said, emphasizing that the program goes beyond a TBI focus and also treats patients with other trauma-related conditions.
The MIST Program only serves active duty service members with referrals from their primary care managers and other specialty services at Madigan, or throughout the Regional Health Command-Pacific. It's a part of the tripod of the larger Intrepid Spirit Model, which offers "arena" intake sessions for a multidisciplinary team to build service members' overall treatment plans, enhanced case management for TBI Program patients, and the intensive outpatient program itself.
The program leadership acknowledges that a six-week program is quite the commitment for service members. In fact, being dedicated to the process is crucial to success.
"They have to devote that same accountability [they've given to] military life now to their recovery," Scott said.
Commanders must sign memorandums of understanding that patients will be off of duty rosters for the duration of the program.
"They're making a commitment to help that service member get better," Scott said.
The holistic focus of MIST recognizes that the whole person is affected by brain injuries and the conditions that often accompany them. While patients address chronic pain, insomnia, and work to improve cognitive skills, they also learn mindfulness and strategies to nurture relationships and build spiritual resiliency. The classroom bounces between the TBI Program building, art studios, yoga mats, and nature.
"Because of the program's uniqueness, it's anything but mundane," said James Brassard, the program administrator for the TBI Program and Intrepid Spirit Program.
The variety of approaches offered to program participants lets them cherry pick the methods they believe will help them the most – what one service member called "customizing their own multi-tool."
"They leave knowing they'll come away with what works best for them," Scott said.
Giving them tools they can use well after they complete the program is an acknowledgment that the recovery process is an ongoing one.
"We recognize it is a transition … In a six-week period we know we really can't address or reverse or fix everything, so we do try to expose the individuals to programs on JBLM and the resources, the tools, the information, the ideas that they're going to take with them to continue their recovery," she said. The participants are encouraged to continue individual care within the TBI/Intrepid Spirit program following the MIST program.
That's why they reached out to JBLM's Army Wellness Center, Soldier and Family Assistance Center, Telehealth and Technology, and more to teach parts of the program.
"It's a whole team, and the team extends beyond our walls," Scott said.
So far, the MIST Program has graduated two groups of participants. "We've seen incredible success," she said. Overall, participants have benefited from increased wellness, but some of the participants' accomplishments were more personal. One service member's medical evaluation board was halted because of how much his behavioral health had improved; another reversed the downward trajectory of his marriage.
While the MIST Program is designed with evidence-based curriculum, some of its success is derived from peer support.
"Some significant success is clearly related to Soldiers helping Soldiers, the service members helping each other," Scott said. "The power of the cohort is just extraordinary. We make sure we have time for the individuals to just talk to and help each other, and you can really see the power in that."
The results at the end of the program include much more than the successful treatment of the TBI and its related conditions.
"It's going to help them be a better Soldier, a better person, a better spouse, a better parent, a better leader," she said.
Disclaimer: Re-published content may have been edited for length and clarity. Read original post.
Program offers holistic recovery tools to Soldiers with TBI by Suzanne Ovel, Army Medicine
JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. -- Brain injuries don't happen in isolation. They're often accompanied by chronic pain, or long-impacting injuries, or behavioral health concerns like post-traumatic stress. After all, whatever caused the brain injury -- an explosion, a vehicle accident, a fall -- also affects the rest of the person.These coexisting conditions can make patients more complex, and "are often very difficult to treat through our normal, conventional health care system," said Col. Beverly Scott, the medical and program director of Madigan Army Medical Center's Traumatic Brain Injury Program and Intrepid Spirit Program.
Enter the Madigan Intrepid Spirit Transitions Program, a six-week intensive outpatient group designed to address the complex conditions of eight to 12 service members at a time.
"The priority goal is to help individuals so they can return to duty or improve their well-being for whatever path they are on … It's never too late to help them address a number of issues that they may be having following a traumatic brain injury, dealing with pain, dealing with behavior health issues," Scott said, emphasizing that the program goes beyond a TBI focus and also treats patients with other trauma-related conditions.
The MIST Program only serves active duty service members with referrals from their primary care managers and other specialty services at Madigan, or throughout the Regional Health Command-Pacific. It's a part of the tripod of the larger Intrepid Spirit Model, which offers "arena" intake sessions for a multidisciplinary team to build service members' overall treatment plans, enhanced case management for TBI Program patients, and the intensive outpatient program itself.
The program leadership acknowledges that a six-week program is quite the commitment for service members. In fact, being dedicated to the process is crucial to success.
"They have to devote that same accountability [they've given to] military life now to their recovery," Scott said.
Commanders must sign memorandums of understanding that patients will be off of duty rosters for the duration of the program.
"They're making a commitment to help that service member get better," Scott said.
The holistic focus of MIST recognizes that the whole person is affected by brain injuries and the conditions that often accompany them. While patients address chronic pain, insomnia, and work to improve cognitive skills, they also learn mindfulness and strategies to nurture relationships and build spiritual resiliency. The classroom bounces between the TBI Program building, art studios, yoga mats, and nature.
"Because of the program's uniqueness, it's anything but mundane," said James Brassard, the program administrator for the TBI Program and Intrepid Spirit Program.
The variety of approaches offered to program participants lets them cherry pick the methods they believe will help them the most -- what one service member called "customizing their own multi-tool."
"They leave knowing they'll come away with what works best for them," Scott said.
Giving them tools they can use well after they complete the program is an acknowledgment that the recovery process is an ongoing one.
"We recognize it is a transition … In a six-week period we know we really can't address or reverse or fix everything, so we do try to expose the individuals to programs on JBLM and the resources, the tools, the information, the ideas that they're going to take with them to continue their recovery," she said. The participants are encouraged to continue individual care within the TBI/Intrepid Spirit program following the MIST program.
That's why they reached out to JBLM's Army Wellness Center, Soldier and Family Assistance Center, Telehealth and Technology, and more to teach parts of the program.
"It's a whole team, and the team extends beyond our walls," Scott said.
So far, the MIST Program has graduated two groups of participants. "We've seen incredible success," she said. Overall, participants have benefited from increased wellness, but some of the participants' accomplishments were more personal. One service member's medical evaluation board was halted because of how much his behavioral health had improved; another reversed the downward trajectory of his marriage.
While the MIST Program is designed with evidence-based curriculum, some of its success is derived from peer support.
"Some significant success is clearly related to Soldiers helping Soldiers, the service members helping each other," Scott said. "The power of the cohort is just extraordinary. We make sure we have time for the individuals to just talk to and help each other, and you can really see the power in that."
The results at the end of the program include much more than the successful treatment of the TBI and its related conditions.
"It's going to help them be a better Soldier, a better person, a better spouse, a better parent, a better leader," she said.
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