Navy Medicine Vol. 104 No.3 Spring 2012

2012·5.6 MB·English

by  U.S. Navy. Bureau of Medicine and Surgery

Navy Medicine
CONTENTS
Official Magazine of U.S. Navy and
Marine Corps Medicine
Vol. 104 No.3 Spring 2012 Spring Issue
Surgeon General of the Navy
Chief, BUMED 4 ADMIRAL’S CALL
Vice Adm. Matthew L. Nathan
Deputy Surgeon General 5 FORCE NOTES
Deputy Chief, BUMED
Rear Adm. Michael H. Mittelman
8 UNDER PRESSURE
Force Master Chief
FORCM (FMF) Sherman E. Boss
10 THE KEY TO FAMILY READINESS
Public Affairs Officer
Capt. J.A. “Cappy” Surette, APR
12 NAVY DOCTORS SAVE A LIFE ABOARD PLANE
Deputy Public Affairs Officer
Shoshona Pilip-Florea
14 AN ONGOING LEGACY
Managing Editor
Paul R. Ross
18 SHARING KNOWLEDGE
NAVY MEDICINE is the professional magazine of the Navy Medical
Department community. Its purpose is to educate its readers on Navy
Medicine missions and programs. This magazine will also draw upon the 22 WOUNDED BODY WARRIOR SPIRIT
medical department’s rich historical legacy to instill a sense of pride and
professionalism among the Navy Medical Department community and to
enhance reader awareness of the increasing relevance of Navy Medicine
in and for our nation’s defense. 26 NEVER FORGOTTEN
The opinions and assertions herein are the personal views of the authors
and do not necessarily reflect the official views of the U.S. Government,
the Department of Defense, or the Department of the Navy. 28 NAVY CORPSMAN A VALUABLE ASSET
The use of a name of any specific manufacturer, commercial product,
commodity or service does not imply the endorsement by the
Department of the Navy or the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery.
NAVY MEDICINE, (ISSN 0895-8211 USPS 316-070) is published quarterly 32 ENHANCING THE QUALITY OF LIFE
by the Department of the Navy, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery,
Washington, DC 20372-5300. Periodical postage paid at Washington, DC.
Authorization
The Secretary of the Navy has determined that this publication is 36 UNDERSEA MEDICAL OFFICERS
necessary in the transaction of business as required by law. NAVY
MEDICINE is published from appropriated funds by authority of the
Bureau of Medicine and Surgery in accordance with Navy Publications and 40 CORPSMEN COMPLETE EMT TRAINING IN CUBA
Printing Regulations P-35.
Guidelines for submission to NAVY MEDICINE. 42 DEVELOPING TRAUMA CARE IN AFGHANISTAN
ABOUT NAVY MEDICINE:
NAVY MEDICINE is published quarterly Winter/Spring/Summer/Fall.
Please contact Shoshona Pilip-Florea ([email protected].
mil) for deadline of present issue in progress. 44 NAVY ENTOMOLOGY
SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS:
Articles must be between 600-1,000 words.
All articles must be present tense/active voice.
Photos must be minimum 300 dpi. 46 VACCINE EXPECTED TO IMPROVE TRAINING
Photos showing action are preferred.
All photos must be accompanied by a caption and photo credit.
Subjects considered: 48 INNOVATIONS/R&D
Scuttlebutt: Stories about activities at MTFs and the field.
Photo Album: Action shots from across Navy Medicine.
Feature Articles: Stories featuring interesting contributions of Navy
Medicine to military operations including everything from combat 52 A LOOK BACK
support to Humanitarian Relief/Disaster Response will be considered.
Please contact Shoshona Pilip-Florea ([email protected].
mil) for current theme of issue in progress.
R & D and Innovations: Any new processes and/or research and
development news.
Quality Care: Anything that improves the quality of care for our
patients. On the Cover
IT, QA: Any articles showing how Navy Medicine is utilizing the electronic
age.
Shipmates: Anything interesting about our shipmates working in the Navy Hospital Corpsman
healthcare field in the Department of the Navy.
All submissions must be accompanied by complete contact information 3rd Class Michael Soto, the
for author. In the event there is more than one author please assign one corpsman for Bridge Platoon,
author to be primary correspondent.
Alpha Company, 9th Engineer
Feedback Welcome Support Battalion, poses
NAVY MEDICINE Magazine for a photo in the district of
Bureau of Medicine and Surgery
Communications Directorate Garmsir, Helmand province.
2300 E Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20372-5300 Soto, a native of Lake Villa, Ill.,
E-mail: [email protected]
has been with 9th ESB for the
Subscriptions are for sale by the Superintendent of Documents past year and is the primary
Subscriptions may be ordered online, via phone, fax, or e-mail,
or postal mail. caregiver to the Marines of
To order online, visit the U.S. Government Printing Office bookstore bridge platoon as they serve on
at http://bookstore.gpo.gov
To order by phone, call toll-free 1-866-512-1800 or, in the DC metro the frontlines of Afghanistan.
area, call 202-512-1800 (Photo by Marine Corps
Send e-mail orders to contact [email protected]
Send mail orders to: Cpl. Bryan Nygaard)
U.S. Government Printing Office
P.O. Box 979050
St. Louis, MO 63197-9000
Annual cost: $23 U.S.; $32.20 Foreign (4 issues/year).
Address Changes (Please include old address):
Visit us online at www.med.navy.mil
NAVY MEDICINE Magazine
Bureau of Medicine and Surgery Twitter: twitter.com/NavyMedicine
Public Affairs Office
2300 E Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20372-5300
E-mail: [email protected] Facebook: U.S. Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery
22
NNAAVVYY CCOORRPPSSMMAANN AA VVAALLUUAABBLLEE AASSSSEETT 2288
AN ONGOING LEGACY 14
NEVER FORGOTTEN 26
SHARING KNOWLEDGE 18
Spring 2012 33
Admiral’s Call
ne of my top priorities since tive focus on building and maintaining
becoming the Navy Surgeon the resiliency of the force which are vital
General last November is to after a decade of combat.
ensure that Navy Medicine Everyday across the globe, we sup-
is strategically aligned with port the operational missions and core
the imperatives and priorities capabilities of the Navy and Marine
of the Secretary of the Navy, Chief of Corps by maintaining warfighter health
Naval Operations and Commandant of readiness, delivering the continuum of
the Marine Corps. Our focus remains care from the battlefield to the bedside
in alignment with our Navy and Marine and protecting the health of all
Corps leadership as we support the those entrusted to our care.
defense strategic guidance, “Sustaining Force Health Protection is at
U.S. Global Leadership: Priorities for the epicenter of everything we
the 21st Century” issued by the Presi- do. It is an expression of our
dent and Secretary of Defense earlier Core Values of Honor, Cour-
this year. The Chief of Naval Opera- age and Commitment and the
tions in his “Sailing Directions” has imperative for our world-
articulated the Navy’s core responsibili- wide engagement in support
ties and Navy Medicine stands ready as of expeditionary medical
we move forward at this pivotal time in operations and combat
our history. casualty care. It is at the
As such, I am also proud to report very foundation of our
that Navy Medicine is a key partner continuum of care in sup-
in supporting the new “21st Cen- port of the warfighter and optimizes our
and Marines with the support network,
tury Sailor and Marine” initiative that ability to promote, protect and restore
health care, and skills needed so they
the Secretary of the Navy announced their health. It is both an honor and
can overcome any adversity and thrive.
recently. This initiative is a set of objec- obligation.
We aim to build a culture where all
tives, programs and policies across a The heart of the new “21st Cen-
leaders recognize the importance of pro-
spectrum of wellness that maximizes the tury Sailor and Marine” initiative is to
viding timely support to our Sailors and
personal readiness of Sailors, Marines provide preventive measures to ensure
their families which is key to military
and their families. the readiness of our naval personnel.
readiness.
Personal readiness of our people di- Health is not simply the absence of
The men and women of Navy Medi-
rectly relates to our ability to maintain infirmity or disease – it is the complete
cine will play a vital role in supporting
a fit and ready force to answer the call state of physical, mental, spiritual and
this initiative. As the Navy continues
when our nation needs us. The pro- social well being. The overall goal of
to highlight the dangers of prescription
grams included as part of the new initia- the new program is to provide Sailors
and synthetic drug abuse, deglamor-
ize the use of alcohol and smoking and
reinforce healthy alternatives while on
liberty, the line community will look
to us to provide them our support and
expertise in these areas. I have every
confidence that you will all be there
ready to support them and this impor-
tant program.
Thank you for suiting up every day.
I am so proud to be part of your team,
and it is my honor to serve with you. I
look forward to seeing you around the
Fleet.
--Vice Adm. Matthew L. Nathan
4 Navy Medicine
Force Notes
The old saying about the Navy fam- responsibility to provide ssuuppppoorrtt • Fleet and Family Support
ily, “If the Navy wants you to have a to their Sailors and familiieess.. TThheeyy Center: http://www.nffsp.org
family, they’ll issue you one in your sea communicate directly witthh ffaammiilliieess • Navy-Marine Corps Relief
bag!” is no longer operative in today’s through various channels tthhaatt Society (NMCRS): www.
Navy. The family is no longer seen as may include the commanndd ccaarree-- nmcrs.org provides financial,
an extension of the Sailor; now it’s quite line, newsletters and sociaall mmeeddiiaa.. educational, and other as-
the opposite. Today, clearly, we know Leadership also prepares ffaammiilliieess ffoorr sistance to Navy and Marine
Sailors and families are one in the same, deployments by hosting pprree-- Corps families.
because of this, we must ensure our deployment briefs. Chieff • Military One
families are always ready. A strong com- Petty Officers play a vital Source: www.
mitment to Family Readiness will be re- role by ensuring Sailors militaryonesource.
flected in the success of our Navy Medi- stay engaged in this com provides service
cine mission, as it serves to provide a process. members and their
smooth transition during deployments, Proactive leaders family free newslet-
with emphasis on increased support and Sailors must focus ters, webinars, educa-
during deployment and reintegration. on resources that prepare Navy families tional materials and tax preparation.
Since Navy Medicine operates as an for mobilization, deployment, and • Military Homefront: www.mili-
agile, flexible and forward force, both prolonged separations using all the re- taryhomefront.dod.mil is the depart-
the Sailor and family must be ready. Per- sources available. The Family Readiness ment of defense website for official
sonal and family readiness is the ability Toolkit is a valuable resource to ensure Military Community and Family Policy
of Sailor and their family to effectively family readiness. It allows a Sailor and (MC&FP) program information, policy
balance the challenges of a military life- their family to prepare, in a timely man- and guidance designed to help troops
style, family, career, and mission events. ner, items such as financial preparedness, and their families.
“Family readiness is unit readiness.” an updated will, updated Page 2, and • The American Red Cross: http://
Both the Sailor and the command Powers of Attorney. Other resources that www.redcross.org links members of the
leadership need to take time out – be- are extremely helpful to mission success U.S. Armed forces with their families
fore deployment – to ensure that Navy are the Command Ombudsman, Fam- during a crisis. Twenty-four hours a
families are as prepared as they can be ily Readiness Groups, Fleet and Family day, 365 days a Year, the Red Cross can
to face the demands of a deployment. A Support Centers (including the Com- quickly send emergency communica-
family not ready for deploy is the same mand Financial Specialist) and Chap- tions to deployed service members on
as the Sailor not being ready for deploy- lains. These resources provide a network behalf of their family.
ment. Personal and family readiness of support systems and communication • Naval Service Familyline: http://
has been identified as a force multiplier channels that link the command, family www.cnic.navy.mil provides mentor-
and is equally important as individual, and Sailor, resulting well prepared and ing programs as well as free printed and
equipment, and deployment readiness. adaptable family. online materials to families of the sea
With families in a higher state of readi- As leaders, our priority of develop- services.
ness, Sailors are better able to perform ing and leading Sailors in our charge has • CNIC Fleet and Family Readiness:
their assigned missions effectively, ef- never changed. A ready Sailor and fam- http://www.cnic.navy.mil/CNIC_HQ_
ficiently, and safely, thereby achieving a ily is an integral part the Navy’s warf- Site/WhatWeDo/FleetandFamilyReadi-
higher state of unit readiness. ighting capability. When a Sailor and ness/index.htm
The Navy family support infrastruc- their family are ready, the Sailor is safer, • Family Readiness Toolkit: http://
ture is designed to ensure that Navy focused on the mission, and confident ra.defense.gov/documents/publications/
families are proactively prepared for mo- their family has the resources they need Commanders%20Toolkit%200328.pdf
bilizations, deployments, and prolonged to thrive.
separations through a network of sup- For more information on available -- Force Master Chief
port systems and communication chan- resources contact: Sherman E. Boss
nels. These channels link the command,
family and Sailor, resulting in a resilient,
well-informed family. A prepared Navy
family is adaptable to the Navy’s operat-
ing environment and capable of navigat-
ing through, and utilizing, the many
support services available.
The command’s leadership, has the
Spring 2012 5
6 Navy Medicine
Spring 2012 7
A Navy doctor with 1st Medical Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group, performs continuous chest compressions in order to save a
simulated casualty during a fi eld training exercise aboard Camp Pendleton, Calif. As part of the training, several waves of simulated
casualties continuously arrived on site and required immediate treatments to simulate the stress of combat.
under pressure
Exercise Prepares Sailors for the Realities of Deployments
Story and photos by said Navy Cmdr. Tuan Hoang, properly to treat everyone.
Marine Corps Cpl. Khoa Pelczar surgeon, officer in charge of field “The team came together tre-
1st Marine Logistics Group
surgical team. “Basically we’re put- mendously,” Hoang said. “They’re
“Marine, do you know your ting the team together and seeing working as a team like a well oiled
name? Do you know where you how they work under pressure machine.”
are,” the corpsman asked with no while operating the Shock Trauma To these men and women,
response. “It’s OK, we’re here to Platoon and the Forward Resusci- looking for wounds and treat-
take care of you.” tative Surgical System.” ing patients has become second
Navy Surgeons, doctors, nurses As part of the training, sev- nature as they’ve provided medical
and corpsmen with 1st Medical eral waves of simulated casualties care to service members so often,
Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics continuously arrived on site and explained Hospital Corpsman 3rd
Group, participated in a field required immediate treatment, Class Jared Nixon.
training exercise, Jan. 26. explained Hoang, 42, from Chula As he observed his fellow care-
“The focus of this training Vista, Calif. Medical staffs were to takers providing aid to the simu-
event is to successfully provide identify the more critical cases to lated casualties while playing the
medical support to Marines and provide immediate response in the role of a casualty himself, Nixon,
Sailors in the field environment,” FRSS, as well as to divide the team 22, from Santa Cruz, Calif., said
8 Navy Medicine
Navy Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Jared Nixon, 1st Medical Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group, plays the role of a casualty during
a fi eld training exercise aboard Camp Pendleton, Calif.
the stressful training environment
is exactly what they needed to pre-
pare for the deployment.
“It’s no surprise that they know
how to treat the patients. The
training simulates stress and that’s
the most important part of our
job at this point,” said Nixon. “If
we learn how to deal with that
stress now, we’ll be much more
successful in theater as nothing
will come as a surprise to us.”
Nixon not only helped his
fellow service members train for
deployment, he said he had also
learned an important lesson.
“As I was laying there on the
opposite side of the operating Navy Surgeons, doctors and nurses with 1st Medical Battalion, 1st Marine
table, I learned how scary it would Logistics Group, conduct an operation on a simulated casualty during a
fi eld training exercise aboard Camp Pendleton, Calif.
be,” he said. “Coming into a situ-
ation such as this where you have here can take confidence out of training exercise,” Hoang said. “It
no control of where your life was this training as well, knowing that is our job and our duty to take
going to go, and you’re completely their corpsmen are doing a great care of these guys and bring them
depending on somebody else, it’s job because this is a very realistic home. Nothing can even come
a scary thing. Knowing that these simulation.” close to the feelings I get when my
corpsmen were given great train- Hoang was thrilled with the old patients come up to thank me
ing and so full of confidence really result of the training exercise. and hug me. It is so great to see
helps put that feeling at ease. So “I’m impressed with the effort them back up and walking around
I hope that a lot of the Marines that everyone put forth during this again.”
Spring 2012 9
Story and photos by Regena Kowitz
Naval Hospital Beaufort Public Aff airs
amily readiness is an essential com- excels in this by reaching out to these organizations.”
ponent of mission readiness. When For the past five years at the start of flu season,
families are resilient and equipped preventive medicine staff has coordinated with the
with the knowledge and resources nurses from the three DoDEA schools located onsite
necessary for navigating military life, at the Laurel Bay military housing area as well as the
their Sailor or Marine can fully focus on the mission nurse for the youth centers and the CDC’s aboard
at hand, whether they are a deck seaman or a battal- Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Beaufort, Marine
ion commander. Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD) Parris Island, and
Naturally, good health is also an integral part of Laurel Bay to set up shot exercises (SHOTEX) at
family readiness, because when a service member is each location.
worried about a sick spouse or child, they may find By making it as convenient as possible to receive
it difficult, if not impossible, to focus on their unit’s the influenza vaccine, preventive medicine staff has
mission. At Naval Hospital Beaufort, the public found that more family members are getting immu-
health directorate knows that one of the best ways to nized, which is good for medical and family readi-
keep family members healthy is by protecting them ness. During last year’s massive SHOTEX in October
against vaccine-preventable diseases, particularly sea- 2011, staff from the hospital gave 597 flu vaccina-
sonal influenza (flu). tions in one day to children as well as to parents and
Because children are one of the groups most sus- school and CDC staffers.
ceptible to developing serious flu-related complica- “We bring the vaccine to the children so parents
tions and they make up a significant segment of don't have to take time off from work,” said Garcia.
Naval Hospital Beaufort’s beneficiaries, it only made “Parents and staff are also encouraged to get the vac-
sense for the hospital’s public health staff to work cine. By keeping the adults in their lives healthy, we
with the other local organizations including De- minimize the risk of exposing infants and children to
partment of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) influenza.”
schools and child development centers (CDC) to According to Garcia, children are more suscep-
coordinate efforts at protecting our most vulnerable tible to many illnesses because their immune systems
family members against the flu. are not fully matured. An average of 20,000 children
“With three CDC’s, two youth centers, and three under the age of five are hospitalized due to com-
elementary schools situated on local installations, plications from influenza and 46-153 children die
it is important to build strong inter-organizational from the flu every year according to the Centers for
and community relationships to keep the children Disease Control. Children younger than two years
healthy,” said Lt. Cmdr. Shawn Garcia, preven- of age are the most likely population to experience
tive medicine physician and head of the preventive severe complications from the disease. Currently, the
medicine department. “Our public health directorate vaccine that is used for seasonal flu is only approved
10 Navy Medicine