In This Issue Issue 21, December 2010

Global Health Engagement TRICARE - Here for the Holidays

Joint Disaster Response Training Navy Surgeon General on HIV/AIDS

Faster Ways to Report Mild TBI Mental Health Care for Military Children

Defense Health Assets Impact the World

Welcome
As our world becomes increasingly globalized, so does our
Military Health System. Our service members are deployed
around the world and are affected by a broad spectrum of
potential health challenges. In addition, the United States plays
a prominent role in humanitarian response efforts, and in
reconstruction activities that promote international stability.
Jim Fike, Col, USAF, MC, FS; Liaison to
OASD-HA; USAF International Health Special-
ist Program (Courtesy of FHP&R)
To address the diversity of needs worldwide, the MHS works
with other U.S. agencies, non-governmental, international, and partner nation organizations not only
to provide assistance when needed, but also to provide global partners with the capability and
capacity to provide for their own national security. Using tools like the Air Force International Health
Specialist program, Army Civil Affairs medical teams and the Navyʼs hospital ship missions, the MHS
establishes, sustains and expands our own capabilities while working in global partnerships that
ultimately enhance the security of our allies.

This year the Department of Defenseʼs International Health Division, part of the Office of Force Health
Protection and Readiness, put into place a groundbreaking new policy emphasizing the importance of
international medical missions conducted by the military. The new policy assigned responsibilities
and instructions for the militaryʼs medical support to international stability operations. Ultimately,
this will enhance the DoDʼs capabilities to respond quickly and efficiently when needed, and better
prepare MHS personnel to play pivotal roles across the full spectrum of medical stability operations.

1 http://www.health.mil/vitalsigns PRINT NEXT PAGE

This month, as the MHS focuses its attention on global health engagement we recognize the
important role medical aid and improving medical capacities globally plays in international stability.
Global health engagement is a key element of developing and enhancing partnership capabilities to
secure a safer future for us all.

Enjoy this issue of Vital Signs!

Jim Fike, Col, USAF, MC, FS

Liaison to OASD-HA
USAF International Health Specialist Program

Global Health Engagement Month

During December, the Military Health System recognizes
year-round efforts to deliver quality health care in cities,
villages and remote regions that span the globe. The type of
services MHS provides also covers a lot of territory, including;
responding to the scene of disasters, providing direct health
care in underdeveloped nations, mentoring host country military medical personnel, rebuilding critical
health infrastructure and supporting research to fight disease.
Continue reading at http://bit.ly/iatpvh

MHS Leads Training Course for Joint

FHP&Rʼs International Health Division worked
with the U.S. Agency for International
Development recently to help deliver a joint
disaster response course during the 116th
Annual Meeting of the Society of the Federal
Health Agencies.
Disaster Response
As part of an ongoing outreach effort to better prepare Military
Health System personnel to plan and carry out global medical
humanitarian relief missions in a collaborative approach with
their civilian counterparts, FHP&R's International Health Division
worked with the U.S. Agency for International Development to
help deliver a joint disaster response course during the 116th
Annual Meeting of the Society of the Federal Health Agencies.
Continue reading at http://bit.ly/csJECd

2 http://www.health.mil/vitalsigns PRINT CONTENTS PREVIOUS PAGE | NEXT PAGE

 Faster Ways to Report Mild TBI
Application upgrades currently underway to Army Medical
Communications for Combat Casualty Care (MC4) electronic
medical record (EMR) systems in Iraq and Afghanistan will
provide better methods for capturing and reporting mild
traumatic brain injury (mTBI) data.

Army Spc. Rosemary Yanezgarcia utilizes

DCAM's improved functionality to
Other enhancements include easier medical supply
simultaneously process multiple receipts in management and better visibility of patients in transit. The MC4
the Brigade Medical Supply Office at Forward
Operating Base Sharana, Afghanistan. (Photo program will field the upgrades first in Southwest Asia and then
Credit MC4)
in 12 other countries where MC4 systems remain operational.
Continue reading at http://bit.ly/ePi6Hg

Defense Health Assets Impact the

World
This month we profile the United States Air Force International
Health Specialist program and show how military medical assets
not only save lives, but also leave a lasting impact on the world.
Continue reading at http://bit.ly/esk3RH

TRICARE - Here for the Holidays

The holidays are a great opportunity to bond with family members and reconnect with old friends, but
this time of year can also present significant stress, particularly if a loved one is deployed for the
holidays. An empty seat at the dinner table, holiday shopping, minus one or unwrapped gifts under
the Christmas tree can cause the holiday blues. Joyous reminders of the holiday season can also bring
pain and loneliness.

Especially during this time of the year, it is critical that TRICARE beneficiaries reach out to family
members and friends if they are experiencing any holiday blues. Sometimes frequent communication
with a loved one can get a beneficiary back on track. TRICARE Assistance Program is here to assist.
Continue reading at http://bit.ly/eepLmB

3 http://www.health.mil/vitalsigns PRINT CONTENTS PREVIOUS PAGE | NEXT PAGE

 Navy Surgeon General on HIV/AIDS
The U.S. Navy Surgeon General addressed the importance of
controlling HIV/AIDS in global military and peacekeeping
organizations to an international audience Dec. 6, during the
10th annual HIV/AIDS Planning and Policy Seminar.

Vice Adm. Adam M. Robinson, Jr. discussed the healthcare

Navy Surgeon General Vice Adm. Adam M.
Robinson Jr. highlighted the medical role in
the U.S. military's growing humanitarian
assistance missions (U.S. Navy photo by
Capt. Cappy Surette/Released)
challenges associated with the spread of HIV/AIDS and provided
some recommendations to senior Ministry of Defense and
Ministry of Health medical officers from more than 40 countries
including sub-Saharan African nations, Southeast Asia, Eastern
Europe and South America.
Continue reading at http://bit.ly/e8eOJJ

Mental Health Care for Military Children

A study of more than 643,000 children from 2006 through 2007 suggests that while nine years of war
is taking a toll on U.S. children, these same children are getting necessary access to appropriate
medical care for mental health services.

Led by Navy Cmdr. Gregory Gorman, an assistant professor of pediatrics at the Uniformed Services
University of the Health Sciences, or USU, and a practicing pediatrician, the study found children of
active-duty military personnel make 18 percent more trips to the doctor for behavioral problems and
19 percent more visits for stress disorders when a military parent is deployed compared with when
the parent is home. The study of children ages 3 to 8 was published in the December issue of the
journal Pediatrics.
Continue reading at http://bit.ly/fmR2Ub

Upcoming Events
Military OneSource Webinar: 2011 Military Health System
Helping Your Child Deal with Conference The Quadruple Subscribe to
Stress: Teaching Resiliency Aim: Working Together,
December 20, 2010 at 11:00 Achieving Success
MHS Vital Signs
a.m. EST January 24 - 27 http://health.mil/vitalsigns
National Harbor, Maryland

4 http://www.health.mil/vitalsigns PRINT CONTENTS PREVIOUS PAGE