General discusses future of medical services

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Cassandra Locke
  • 43rd Airlift Wing Public Affairs
The assistant Air Force surgeon general discussed issues regarding the medical career field's role in the war on terrorism, Base Realignment and Closure, the future of Air Force nursing, and force shaping effects within the Air Force Medical Service during a visit April 19 here.

Maj. Gen. Melissa A. Rank said attracting and retaining the finest medical members builds morale and trust to recapitalize the Air Force Medical Service, and perfecting the joint range of care stateside and in Southwest Asia is the medical service's priority.

"Today we are faced with the most challenging of times," General Rank said. "We must implements BRAC while we simultaneously support the war on terrorism. The BRAC process has given us a tool to reposture several of our key military treatment facilities. We are also creating efficiencies outside of the BRAC process, restructuring some (military treatment facilities) to better meet today's demands.

"The talent and dedication of military medics ensures that an incredible 97 percent of the causalities we see in our deployed and joint theater hospitals will survive today," General Rank said. "We safely aeromedically evacuated nearly 40,000 patients from theaters of operations since the beginning of operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. We've provided compassionate care to 1.5 million people on humanitarian missions over the past six years and continued to care for 3 million patients annually all over the world."

Despite the successes of the medical career field, the general said they are far from a position where they can rest on their laurels. She said they will continue to work hard within the months and years ahead to perfect the joint continuum of care for this fight and the next. The medical service fully supports these priorities by taking care of joint warfighters and the air expeditionary force; taking care of Air Force family members and building the next generation of Air Force medics.

"Air Force medicine is not simply about support, not simply reacting to illness and injury, and Air Force medicine is definitely not a commodity," she said. "Air Force medicine is a highly adaptive, agile capability, a key part of Air Force expeditionary capabilities and culture."

Members of the Air Force Medical Service ensure joint warfighters receive seamless care from first battle damage surgery to definitive care and recovery back in the U.S. En route care relies on expeditionary medical support and aeromedical evacuation.

"Our expeditionary medical system and aeromedical systems combine to achieve an average patient movement time of three days from the battlefield to stateside care," General Rank said. "This is remarkable when compared to the 10 to 14 days required during the 1991 Persian Gulf War or the average 45 days it took in Vietnam."

Air Force nursing is an operational capability, and their services remain in the forefront supporting the warfighter, she said. Between January and December 2006, 12 percent of the 2,187 nursing members deployed to 43 locations in 23 countries. Within the Air Force component, 13 percent of the nurses and 15 percent of the medical technicians were deployed in 2006. The average deployment length was 110 days. Since September 2001, the TNF has completed 53 percent of all total force deployments within the Air Force Medical Service.

"Nurses and medical technicians are providing remarkable operational support," the general said. "We are a well-trained, highly motivated capability serving in every time zone, every theater of operations, and at every level of care."

The demand for the medical service's contributions will continue to grow, General Rank said. In January 2007, the medics activated the 455th Expeditionary Medical Group and assumed operational control of Craig Theater Hospital located at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan. They have received impressive reports of lifesaving care at the 455th.

"I see Air Force nursing capitalizing on similar awesome operational opportunities with even stronger clinical skills, advanced technology and the best medics in the world," she said.

The 332nd Expeditionary Medical Group at Balad AB, Iraq, remains the epicenter for wounded in Iraq. There they treat more than 300 trauma patients every month and provide care to another 400 sick and injured patients. Of the roughly 700 patients seen per month, about 500 are U.S. troops and 170 are Iraqi soldiers, police and civilians and the remaining 30 are foreign national contract employees, insurgents or those of unknown status.

"Nursing teams are providing phenomenal emergency trauma care and maximizing favorable outcomes for patients in these high-volume theater hospital environments," General Rank said. "U.S. casualties making it to Balad have an unprecedented survival rate of 97 percent to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. Our nursing care rivals that of any stateside facility. I see this only improving in the future."

The war on terrorism demand for operational, clinically current specialty nurses has steadily grown. In response, the members of the Air Force Medical Service have increased production of critical care and trauma nurses and returned nurses with specialty nursing experience to the deployment pool. 

Air Force Medical Service members rely on their Centers for Sustainment of Trauma and Readiness Skills, called C-STARS. These advanced training platforms are embedded into major civilian trauma centers throughout the U.S., the general said.

"In 2006, this immersion enabled 614 doctors, nurses and medical technicians to refresh operational currency while preparing them to deploy as Critical Care Air Transport Team, or CCATT, members or clinicians in expeditionary medical support facilities," she said. "Many chief nurses consider C-STARS an essential component of their clinical competency programs and the majority of C-STARS graduates tell us it is one of the best training experiences of their military career."

The Air Force Medical Service staff has been identifying opportunities for force shaping. As a result of PBD 720, the medics are working through evaluating the impact on people and resources. The medical readiness review was initiated in August 2004. Under the direction of senior Defense Department officials, the three military services were changed with several standardization tasks, the most significant for this effort being to standardize methods used by other services to size their active duty medical forces.

"In anticipation of this sizing review, the Air Force surgeon general directed the medical programming and force development staffs to accomplish a thorough internal review of the AFMS sizing methodology and numbers to ensure a complete picture of requirements and tie associated drivers. We will continue to work closely with the A1 community to ensure a smooth transition of affected personnel," General Rank said. 

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