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Working together toward the same end-strengthening the health care capacity and crisis response capabilities of African nations to ultimately empower Africans to improve their health and security-was the theme of a conference in Washington, D.C., hosted by the Military Health System that introduced the new U.S. Africa Command surgeon to an array of partners from the military, Department of State, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and the African Union.

Falls Church, Va. - The Department of Defense (DoD) is pleased to announce the successful launch of MiCare, the Military Health System's prototype personal health record (PHR) at Madigan Army Medical Center (MAMC) in Tacoma, Wa. MiCare is designed to help members of the military and their families more easily and effectively manage their health and wellness, regardless of their location and as they seek care inside and beyond the Military Health System. MiCare developed as a pilot project in partnership with Microsoft Corp. and Google.

Movement for Global Mental Health calls for scaling up treatments for mental disorders, for the human rights of those affected to be protected, and for more research in low- and middle-income countries. The range of activities and efforts by multidisciplinary health professionals allows us to make major strides. I heartily endorse this initiative and am committed to helping achieve the vision, spurred by the Movement, that this can be one of the great public health successes of our times.

The Defense Department is launching a new program soon that's designed to assist transitioning service members in accessing help for mental health issues, a U.S. Public Health Service officer announced in Washington, D.C., Mar. 23. The Transitional Support Program is "designed to bridge potential gaps in psychological health services that can occur during periods of transfer," when service members complete military service and re-enter civilian life, according to Cmdr. Guy Mahoney, who is detailed to work with the Defense Department.

The Defense Health Information Management System (DHIMS) provides information management and IT solutions that capture, manage and share healthcare data for the military's Electronic Health Record (EHR).

A new study has found that more than one-third of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans who enrolled in the veterans health system after 2001 received a diagnosis of a mental health problem, most often post-traumatic stress disorder or depression.

CHARLOTTE COUNTY -- A $200,000 grant will help provide medical care in Charlotte County for veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Charlotte Behavioral Health Care received the grant from the Florida BRAIVE Fund at Gulf Coast Community Foundation of Venice. The grant will be used over the next 18 months to address mental health, substance abuse and related psychological needs of 75 to 100 veterans and family members.

Health care benefits and services from the Veterans Health Administration, part of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

TMA is offering a pilot program that delivers post traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury (PTSD/TBI) education to civilian behavioral health providers in a convenient, online setting. The new civilian provider portal can be accessed at http://www.health.mil/civilianprovidereducation.

A new study of US veterans suggests that post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and metabolic syndrome, the group of symptoms that increases heart disease and diabetes risk, may be linked. Dr Pia S. Heppner of the Veterans Affairs San Diego Health System in La Jolla and her colleagues found that the more severe a person's PTSD symptoms, the more likely they were to also have the metabolic syndrome. Evidence is mounting that exposure to trauma can worsen physical health, including increasing heart disease risk, Heppner and her team note in the journal BMC Medicine.

The Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury is operating the 24-hour center, which will be open 365 days a year and is staffed by behavioral health consultants and nurses, including some former military psychologists.

Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs Dr. S. Ward Casscells speaks about global health and national security. (Speech given at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C., January 7, 2009.)

Africa Command Surgeon Col. Schuyler Geller discusses the Military Health System's humanitarian efforts to increase health care capacity in African nations.

t's been around since 2007, but the success of the Military Health System blog has surpassed expectations. Dr. Michael Kilpatrick is the Director of Military Health System Strategic Communications. He tells us that the importance of keeping in contact with members of the military and their families really can't be understated. He also says the blog helped make a lot of important information much more accessible to them.

"Real Warriors is a program aimed at wiping out the stigma associated with getting mental health care in the military," said Army Brig. Gen. (Dr.) Loree Sutton. "We want people to seek help the same way they would if they had a physical wound." Sutton is a psychiatrist who heads the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury.

A new Navy program dedicated to restoring, protecting and building the mental health of sailors, Marines and their families is now open at Naval Medical Center San Diego.

The Military Health System is asking you to "Share Your Care" in a video contest that showcases the people, programs and facilities supporting the health of our service members and families! The Share Your Care contest, is open to all service members, their families and MHS personnel, and it runs Feb. 27 through March 30, 2009.

This library provides Service members, families, leaders, Health Care providers, and veterans an easy way to find deployment health and family readiness information.

DoD recently opened a 24-hour outreach center to provide information and referrals to military servicemembers, veterans, their families and others with questions about psychological health and traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Brig. Gen. Sutton participated in a roundtable to announce the opening of a new 24-hour outreach center, which will be open 365 days a year and is staffed by behavioral health consultants and nurses. This center will provide service members, veterans and their families a new resource for psychological health problems and traumatic brain injuries.