The Military Health System Blog
Tuesday, September 23, 2008 - A Hero Recognized, Finally
Posted by: S. Ward Casscells, M.D.
Here is a link to a great story about Spec. Odilio Muñoz, a Guard medic who risked his life in Iraq in 2005 to save a fellow soldier, and who just last week received the Bronze Star for valor.
Why did it take three years for Muñoz to get his medal? The general who oversaw the award ceremony chalks it up to Army bureaucracy (let’s not have this sort of delay happen again).
Muñoz rescued Staff Sgt. Barry Breidegan on Sept. 24, 2005, when their company was ambushed near Beiji, Iraq. Breidegan was bleeding fiercely from his left leg, which had been opened by shrapnel from an explosion. Muñoz bravely came to Breidegan’s aid amid gunfire and further explosive blasts and administered treatment to the leg.
I’m proud to have this hero as a part of the Military Health System and I am happy to hear that he has finally been awarded his Bronze Star. I know that he is not alone and that many other heroes have been made in Iraq and Afghanistan. I wish you all the best and pray you return safely home. |
Posted at 2008-09-23 12:49:09 in Current Events | Permalink | Comments 
Monday, September 22, 2008 - It's Flu Season Again
Posted by: S. Ward Casscells, M.D.
 Now that the kids are settled in at school, it is a great time to start thinking about preparations for the autumn, which officially begins today. Along with creating new Halloween costumes and deciding where you’ll celebrate the holidays, please make time to vaccinate yourself and your family against the flu.
Influenza (flu) is a highly infectious disease that can range from mild to life-threatening. Each year about 200,000 people in the U.S. are hospitalized because of the flu. The best way to protect against influenza viruses is to get vaccinated every year, by either an injectable vaccine or a nasal spray.
DoD requires flu vaccines for all active duty, Reserve and National Guard members, as well as all health care personnel at military treatment facilities, to ensure the health and safety of our service members. Family members are encouraged to receive a flu vaccination through their TRICARE benefit. Parents, also note that the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices modified its recommendations this year for children, and now recommends flu vaccination for all children ages 6 months to 18 years.
As temperatures outside begin to fall, we tend to stay inside more, which means we share more germs with others. In addition to your flu vaccination, always remember to wash your hands, cover your coughs and sneezes, stay home when you are sick, and avoid contact with people who are sick. Do all you can to have a healthy autumn and winter! |
Posted at 2008-09-22 11:47:58 in Thoughts | Permalink | Comments
Friday, September 19, 2008 - New Models for Future Health Systems
Posted by: Michael Dinneen, M.D.
On Sept. 18, leaders from the Military Health System (MHS) and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) joined an unprecedented group of luminaries to shine some light on the future of health care in this country. Leaders came from many disciplines, including health care, economics, health policy, architecture, business, engineering, academics and even sociology. VIPs from Harvard, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Mayo Clinic, and from government participated (including former U.S. Senator Bill Frist and the former Prime Minister of Finalnd Esko Aho).
 Instead of looking under the usual light posts for answers to the looming health care crisis, this group attempted to take a more expansive look—out of the box. Whereas there is no health care “system” in the United States, the group acknowledged that both the MHS and VA health systems are true systems of care that can achieve goals of improving personalized care and population health while reducing costs. It was truly heartening to hear the top leaders in health care, government and academia praise the accomplishments of the MHS and VA in achieving quality and excellence and serving as a beacon of hope.
Lt. General Schoomaker, Lt. General Roudebush and Rear Adm. Cullison explained in different but equally compelling ways that having a clear mission is necessary for achieving a unity of effort. Dr. Don Berwick from the Institute for Health Care Improvement commented: “Aim creates a system, and clearly the MHS has that aim.” It was nice to see that our shared effort over the last year to update our mission statement and strategic plan is recognized by the broader community.
We spent a lot of time speaking about collaboration; Secretary Peake highlighted the fact that the MHS and VA are really a system of systems, transcending barriers to ensure the highest level of care for our nations sons and daughters and their families, with a focus on health and resilience. In spite of these pockets of excellence, the group was concerned that U.S. medicine is still focused primarily on treating illness, not creating health and that it remains the largest single “cottage industry.” Part of the reason for this is that we don’t have a clear mission for U.S. medicine.
Dr. Frist challenged the group to identify the biggest drivers of mortality and cost. It turns out they are health services, genetics, socio-economic status, personal behaviors and environment. The biggest single contributor is behavior, and no one has figured out the key to changing unhealthy behaviors in a population. We noted that the mission of the MHS is already focused on creating health, fitness and resilience. This was a major “a-ha!” moment, and at the end of the day, the group agreed to continue the dialogue in an effort to develop a focused mission for health in America.
It is clear that, thanks to your accomplishments, we will have an important role in shaping the solutions to improving the health of the U.S. population, patient experiences and the overall cost of care. |
Posted at 2008-09-19 14:26:43 in Meetings | Permalink | Comments
Thursday, September 18, 2008 - MHS in the Press
Posted by: S. Ward Casscells, M.D.
 A few months ago, the managing editor of Future Healthcare magazine visited my office at the Pentagon to interview me and find out more about the Military Health System and its impact on national health care. It’s great to see a private-sector publication taking an interest in the MHS.
Our talk gave me the opportunity to explain how the MHS is a world leader in health care innovation and global heath. The interview also allowed me to speak about the MHS’ symbiotic relationship with private-sector health care systems. My experience has been that one hand washes the other—as much good as the MHS has done for private-sector health care, we’ve learned as much from the commercial industry. We hope to continue to inspire and learn from our private-sector counterparts as we continue the great tradition of military medicine.
The Future Healthcare issue featuring my interview is available now. You can also access the interview on the magazine’s Web site (to do so, you must register with the site—free of charge).
Let me also use this as a chance to invite other publications and media outlets into my office and the offices of other MHS leaders. When I say that the MHS is dedicated to creating a culture of transparency, I mean it. In a past entry in this blog, Health Affairs communications expert Terry Jones wrote that “the principle of transparency is essential in a successful democracy.” We want the story of military medicine to be known throughout the world, and we are available to media outlets that want to tell it.
It doesn’t have to be print media. Our leaders travel far and wide and can often make time to talk on the radio or television programs. It’s our pleasure to open our doors to those who would like to discuss what the MHS does, how we do it, why we do it and where we are headed. If you are a writer, editor or producer in the media, please take this into consideration and contact us at MHSWebContent@tma.osd.mil to learn more about what we do and share it with the world. |
Posted at 2008-09-18 12:29:58 in Current Events | Permalink | Comments
Wednesday, September 17, 2008 - Chem-Bio Warfare Exposures Site
Posted by: Michael Kilpatrick, M.D.
Today, we have launched the Chemical-Biological Warfare Exposures Web site. It provides extensive information on testing conducted during World War II, during Project 112/SHAD (Shipboard Hazard and Defense) and during the Cold War.
I’d like to address three compelling questions regarding our lengthy search to determine who was exposed to what and where and when and why during these tests – Why has the search taken so long? Why are we releasing the information now? When will the search end?
I. What took so long?
Times were different then and medical research and operational activities were different. If acute health problems were not identified at the time of exposure, it was natural to believe that there were no long-term threats to health.
Today, medical ethics and medical research requirements are much more demanding. The medical care of our veterans is one of the important pillars of our military health system. We are applying the medical lessons learned from the 1990-1991 Gulf War and are focused on the potential for long-term health effects from chemical, biological and environmental exposures.
A question from the VA to DoD in August 2000 about potential exposures to harmful substances in three SHAD tests started us down a path. We didn’t know how large the issue would turn out to be and how much frustration there was out there among Service members. These Service members – yesterday’s warriors – took their oath of secrecy and sense of patriotism seriously and did not know how to ask the questions that needed to be asked or to whom the questions should be directed.
We now have established a process to conduct formal and rigorous searches for records.
Ours is a team effort with the VA. DoD searches archived records to identify and validate a veteran’s presence or participation in chemical or biological testing and shares this information with the VA. The VA notifies the individual and handles his claim.
II. Why now?
DoD and VA developed a process in responding to questions from the Project 112/SHAD program. That process is now being used for all other similar programs. For those events that happened a number of years ago, we cannot be certain until we basically have all the facts.
We are at that point now. We want to be open and share what we are doing with veterans and their families, policy-makers and the public. We want to make sure that everyone fully understands the process that has been developed and can be applied to other types of chemical, biological and environmental exposures.
III. When will it end?
This process has to be open-ended. It will never be closed. Once we have searched all locations for archived information on these exposures, the active part will be over. However, adding one more name has tremendous value to that person and to the process as a whole. That’s why we ask that any veteran with any information to contact us. Our goal is to account for everyone who has been exposed.
This way, medical science will be able to do the best job possible to determine the long-term health outcomes of exposure to chemical and biological warfare agents. We owe it to those who volunteered to put their lives in harm’s way out of a sense of duty to their country. Our job continues.
The Chemical-Biological Warfare Exposures Web Site: http://fhp.osd.mil/CBexposures
For more information:
Veterans who believe that they may have been exposed or who would like more information are advised to contact DoD via e-mail at: CBWebmaster@tma.osd.mil, or call DoD’s contact managers at (800) 497-6261, Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time. Veterans call also write to DoD at: Force Health Protection and Readiness, ATTN: CB Exposure Manager, 5113 Leesburg Pike, Suite 901, Falls Church, VA 22041. |
Posted at 2008-09-17 08:06:53 in Current Events | Permalink | Comments
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