| Welcome "The soldier’s heart, the soldier’s spirit, the soldier’s soul are everything. Unless the soldier’s soul sustains him he cannot be relied upon and will fail himself, and his commander, and his country, in the end." Dear Colleagues,  These words, spoken in 1941 by the late Army Gen. George C. Marshall, have never been more applicable than they are now. We have been engaged in a conflict since 2001 and America’s soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen have never been asked to do so much. Marshall recognized that regardless of how physically fit America’s forces may be, if they were not nurtured spiritually, emotionally and mentally, they would not succeed in their endeavors.
True wellness consists of an integration of all dimensions of human functioning. It's a package deal. For any of us to perform as we need to -in or out of combat environments - there must be an equilibrium or we fall out of balance. As we strive to reach total wellness, let us not forget to strengthen the dimensions of our lives that cannot be measured by physical fitness tests, lab results and X-rays. Strength and wellness are best reflected and experienced in our relationships, our responses to challenges and in the attitudes with which we live and serve. Chaplain (Col.) Thomas E. Preston,
U.S. Army Executive Director,
Armed Forces Chaplains Board January Is Healthy Lifestyle Month!  Maintaining a healthy lifestyle means staying fit throughout the year. To help you do that, the Military Health System provides information and support to service members and families on a variety of topics including tobacco cessation, alcohol use, nutrition, exercise, seasonal affective disorder, and depression. Is your lifestyle healthy? Click here for tips and resources that will help you and your family live healthy, happy lives. Warrior Care Spotlight
Communities Support Wounded Warriors  The Army Wounded Warrior Program’s AW2 Community Support Network connects local organizations with severely wounded, ill, and injured soldiers and veterans living in their hometowns. Army Sgt. Allen Hill has already benefited from the program, receiving support from a yellow Labrador retriever named Frankie. "With Frankie by his side, Allen has started participating in his life again," said Hill’s wife Gina. Hill received Frankie from Puppies Behind Bars, a member of the AW2 Community Support Network. "The support that community organizations provide AW2 soldiers, veterans, and their families is priceless," said AW2 Director Col. Jim Rice. "The services they offer go above and beyond the government benefits - they help wounded warriors rebuild confidence through outdoor activities, offer employment opportunities, and build and modify houses to meet physical limitations." For more information on the Army Wounded Warrior Program and the AW2 Community Support Network, visit www.AW2.army.mil Female Marines, Sailors Assist Afghan Women  Throughout Afghanistan's Garmsir district, Marines and sailors of 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, interact with key leaders and locals to learn the needs of local Afghan villagers. However, there is one gap that is hard to bridge - the interaction between Marines and Afghan women. From Dec. 16-20, female Marines and sailors of the U.S. military engagement team worked to solve this issue as they conducted patrols through the village of Tajik Khar. With help from male Marines and members of the Afghan National Army, female Marines moved from compound to compound, hoping to speak to Afghan women to ascertain their medical and humanitarian assistance requirements. Because of local culture, male Marines are not allowed to look at, let alone talk to, any Afghan women. Even Afghan soldiers are not supposed to talk to the women of any compound, so the female Marines' efforts not only benefit other Marines but the local Afghan military as well. "It is good news for us," said Sgt. Shokorunnah, an Afghan soldier. "The female Marines came and talked to the women and found out their problems. I am very happy." Read more. Quit Tobacco: Make Everyone Proud The Military Health System is committed to protecting our service members, and with more than five million people dying annually as a result of tobacco use, there's no doubt that service members need protection from the harms of cigarettes— and smokeless tobacco, too. That's why the DoD created Quit Tobacco: Make Everyone Proud, a year-round campaign that assists service members in kicking the tobacco habit. The campaign's Web site, UCanQuit2.org, will help you develop a quit-tobacco plan and put you in touch with online coaches to chat with about quitting. There's even a calculator that figures out how much money you will save by quitting tobacco for good. Learn more. One for the Dogs:
MHS Profiles  This month MHS Profiles looks at a unique breed of therapist. Deuce, George and Raleigh are resident therapy dogs at Walter Reed Army Medical Center who offer comfort, exercise, and motivational support to rehabilitation patients. Find out how these furry friends are having a profound healing effect, physically and emotionally, on wounded warriors. Read it.
And, in an upcoming issue of MHS Profiles, wounded warriors go on a duck hunt, a horseback ride, and play basketball with President Obama. These may not sound like traditional rehabilitation therapies but the Army is breaking out of the box when it comes to recreational therapy. Current and past issues of MHS Profiles are available at health.mil/profiles. Research Roundup  Research, medical publications and articles from peer-reviewed medical and scientific journals are a vital part of the Military Health System. Each month, MHS Vital Signs highlights notable research being conducted by the MHS and its counterparts. Army Studies High-Altitude Health Effects Research is being conducted on the causes and medical effects of high-altitude exposure at the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine's (USARIEM) Thermal and Mountain Medicine Division in Natick, Mass. The study addresses concerns that climate and altitude hinder cognitive and physical performance of service members located in mountainous regions such as Afghanistan. Through this research, Dr. Stephen R. Muza, research physiologist at USARIEM, and his team have developed several products to increase resiliency and performance of service members deployed at high altitudes. Because there is relatively little data accumulated with regards to altitude sickness, several models are being created to be used as tools for the military. The research team at USARIEM is working on several predictive models that will pivot around the results and findings of three main topics of research: altitude sickness, work performance, and altitude acclimatization. Learn more. Study Compares Methods of Assessing and Diagnosing TBI and PTSD A recent study funded by the Department of Defense addressing obstacles for assessment and diagnosis of various mental health conditions found that current practices are hindered by biases and complications but remain the most effective tool to study and assess brain injuries. Service members were found to underreport symptoms and health problems immediately following their return from deployment, which negatively impacts the clinical assessment process. Additional biases complicate the ability for health care workers to accurately assess and diagnose potential mental and physical injuries in service members. Read more. Did You Know?  TRICARE beneficiaries can now receive select vaccines with no out-of-pocket expense at retail pharmacies.
For the first time, beneficiaries can visit TRICARE retail network pharmacies to receive seasonal flu, H1N1 flu and pneumonia vaccines at no cost. This expanded coverage is available to all TRICARE beneficiaries eligible to use the TRICARE retail pharmacy benefit. Other vaccines still must be administered in a doctor's office or authorized convenience clinic to be fully covered by TRICARE's preventive health services cost-share waiver. To receive the vaccines, beneficiaries can call their local TRICARE retail network pharmacy to make sure it participates in the vaccine program and has the vaccine in stock. To locate a participating retail network pharmacy, go to http://www.express-scripts.com/TRICARE or call Express Scripts at 877-363-1303. For more information, click here. Comprehensive Soldier Fitness Improves Resilience  In support of Healthy Lifestyle Month, Army Brig. Gen. Rhonda Cornum discussed the Army’s Comprehensive Soldier Fitness program on a recent Dot Mil Docs podcast.
Cornum, the program’s director, discussed how Comprehensive Soldier Fitness focuses on the five dimensions of strength to enhance performance and build resilience. Click here to listen to the podcast.
IN and OUT: Comings and Goings in the MHS  IN:  Mr. Marco Moore recently joined the Office of the Chief Information Officer as part of the Wounded Warrior Program. He is a software tester under the Test and Independent Verification and Validation Division.
OUT:  On January 29, 2010, Ms. Ellen Embrey will leave her position performing the duties of the assistant secretary of defense for health affairs.
The Military Health System (MHS) is a unique partnership of medical educators, medical researchers, and health care providers and their support personnel worldwide. The MHS is prepared to respond anytime, anywhere with comprehensive medical capability to military operations, natural disasters and humanitarian crises around the globe, and to ensure delivery of world-class health care to all DoD service members, retirees, and their families. To subscribe, unsubscribe, or manage your e-mail subscription options, including your preference for text or HTML formatted e-mails, click here. |