MHS Vital Signs MILITARY HE ALTH SYS TEM E-BULLE TIN
S u b s c r ib e
ISSUE 14 MAY 2010
IN THIS ISSUE
MHS Vital Signs is distributed
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web at www.health.mil/vitalsigns.
May 2010 Online Edition:
• May Is Mental Health Month
• Naval Hospital Bremerton Improves
Patient Safety
• MHS Profiles: Trained to Heal,
Inspired to Speak
• USNS Mercy Sets Sail for Pacific
Partnership 2010
• Military Children Prepare Care
Packages for the Deployed
• Warrior Care Spotlight: Battling
PTSD, Major Shares His Story
• InTransition For All Transitions
• Research Round Up: Better
Prosthetics Coming for Wounded
Warriors
UPCOMING EVENTS
NAMI (National Alliance on Mental
Illness) National Convention
June 30-July 3, Washington
Force Health Protection and
Readiness Conference
August 7-13, Phoenix
APA (American Psychological
Association) Annual Convention
August 12-15, San Diego
to MHS
V it a l S ig n s
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Welcome
Greetings from the Defense Centers of Excellence for
Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury! I recently
returned from Afghanistan and am working as DCoE’s senior
executive director for psychological health. Mental Health
Month is very important to DCoE, and it’s good to see all of
the support efforts for our military members and their loved
ones happening across the Military Health System.
It was an honor to be working with the soldiers, sailors,
airmen, and Marines who are suffering from the ill-effects of war. My staff of
35 was treating almost 2,000 warriors a month in Eastern Afghanistan and was
able to successfully return most of them to their units, buddies and the fight.
I am committed to doing what we can to make sure that both the deployed
and in-garrison warriors receive all the behavioral health care they need when
necessary. In addition, I will continue to spearhead the work of providing all
the prevention and resilience-building tools to both warriors and their families.
Together as a team this work can be accomplished. We want to work with you.
Lt. Col. Christopher Robinson, USAF, PhD, MPH
Senior Executive Director for Psychological Health Defense Centers of
Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury
May Is Mental Health Month
We live in difficult times. With
engagements overseas and difficulties at
home, we all feel the stress of life every
day. May is Mental Health Month, and the
Military Health System wants you to know
that you are not alone. For mental health
tools and resources inside and outside
the MHS available to you and your family
visit http://bit.ly/dlhRIJ.
MHS Profiles: Trained to Heal, Inspired
to Speak
This month, we profile a combat medic and two combat nurses
whose steadfast strength and determination have aided them
on the battlefield, in their recovery at home, and today, as they
advocate for others experiencing psychological stress. Read
MHS Profiles to learn about their experiences and ongoing
efforts at combating the stigma associated with psychological
stress. Visit http://bit.agJls5.
RESEARCH ROUND UP
Research Roundup: Better
Prosthetics Coming for
Wounded Warriors
From developing a new microprocessor-
controlled prosthetic leg to a non-chafing
socket device, the Telemedicine and
Advanced Technology Research Center at
Fort Detrick, Md., is making big strides in
advancing prosthetic science to improve
wounded warriors’ quality of life.
“The objective is to help amputees and
traumatically wounded service members
return to the highest level of functionality
that they are capable of,” said Troy Turner,
who manages the center’s advanced
prosthetics and human performance
portfolio.
One of the center’s biggest triumphs to date
is the X2 microprocessor leg, developed
by Otto Bock HealthCare with TATRC
funding. The new “C-leg,” being tested by
above-the-knee amputees at Walter Reed
Army Medical Center in Washington, uses
a microprocessor to control the knee’s
hydraulic functions. This, in turn, gives the
wearer more flexibility to change speeds or
directions without sacrificing stability. Read
more at http://bit.ly/cfuHsk .
CONTACT US
Let us know what you’d like to see in
future issues of MHS Vital Signs.
Please contact
mhs_vitalsigns@tma.osd.mil.
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USNS Mercy Sets Sail for Pacific Partnership 2010
The Naval hospital ship USNS Mercy
deployed from San Diego May 1, kicking off
Pacific Partnership 2010.
The fifth in a series of annual U.S. Pacific
Fleet humanitarian and civic assistance
endeavors, Pacific Partnership 2010 is aimed
at strengthening regional relationships with
host and partner nations in Southeast Asia
and Oceania. Pacific Partnership 2010 will visit six nations during the five-month
deployment.
Pacific Partnership 2010’s Mission Commander is Capt. Lisa Franchetti, who
will ensure the collaboration and teamwork of the many government and non-
governmental agencies who make up the mission this year.
“This deployment offers an incredible opportunity to continue to build the
relationships and capabilities that will be essential in responding to a real world
disaster in the region,” said Franchetti. Read more at http://bit.ly/b2t8JQ.
Warrior Care: Battling PTSD, Major Shares His Story
Ryan Kranc was traveling with the 3rd Armored Cavalry
Regiment near Ramadi, Iraq, on July 23, 2003, when his
convoy was hit with an improvised explosive device.
Kranc, now an Army major, survived. His commander and
friend, Capt. Josh T. Byers, did not.
Six years and two full combat tours later, Kranc committed
himself to recovering from the emotional wounds sustained
on that day in 2003.
While serving in Saudi Arabia in 2009, he notified his command that he had a
problem. Although he had sought counseling before, Kranc decided he needed
more intervention. He entered treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder at
Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany for six weeks. Kranc said the
traumatic events of the war have forever changed his life, but because of his
treatment he can now move forward. Read more at http://bit.ly/bLOmLK .
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