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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.

Casscells is using the MHS site to establish the criteria to select his He's polling members of the military health community for candidates, and using a dialogue in the site's Healthy Debates section, which asks readers to define the qualifications and expertise that Defense's next Top Doc should have.

Warrior Adventure Quest, a program that uses outdoor recreation to help soldiers deal with post-deployment stress. Recently returned soldiers all over Europe, including more than 3,500 members of 2nd Cav, are doing activities such as rock climbing, scuba diving, cross country skiing, high ropes courses and mountain biking as part of the program.

A Missouri senator has proposed a bill that would in some cases keep under wraps the identities of servicemembers who seek help for alcohol or drug abuse.

WASHINGTON - The Army Family Action Plan kicked off its 25th anniversary conference with Secretary of the Army Pete Geren telling the 117 delegates that funding would double from $700 million to $1.4 billion for family programs in the coming year.

For disabled veterans, the camaraderie they find in sports brings incalculable benefits that go beyond the physical rehabilitation.

The Hawaii State Chapter of the American Red Cross announced that a new course, Coping With Deployments: Psychological First Aid for Military Families, is now available. The course, offered free of charge, is open to military family members of active duty, Reserve and National Guard forces, as well as veterans and their families. It is not offered to the general public.

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.

FORT JACKSON, S.C. - The Army has been dismissing so many overweight applicants that its top recruiter, trying to keep troop numbers up in wartime, is considering starting a slim-down camp to transform chubby trainees into svelte soldiers.

Army leaders are proposing to end a longtime policy that requires a commanding officer be notified when a soldier voluntarily seeks counseling in hopes of encouraging more GIs to seek aid, according to Army Secretary Pete Geren.

TUESDAY, Dec. 9 (HealthDay News) -- A decade-long study into post-traumatic stress disorder among combat veterans and their identical twins has yielded critical information on the root causes of this devastating condition. The researchers found that both genetic and environmental factors increase the risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The work, to be presented Tuesday at the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology annual meeting in Scottsdale, Ariz., was sponsored by both the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health and the Veterans Administration.

FALLS CHURCH, Va. - The Department of Defense (DoD) is working with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to expand a pilot program that simplifies the current disability evaluation process for wounded, injured and ill service members.

The Defense Department is deeply committed to providing the best care possible for military members with post-traumatic stress disorder, despite the determination that the disorder does not meet the criteria for the Purple Heart, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said yesterday.

For veterans struggling financially due to a job loss or decreased income, Department of Veterans Affairs officials offer an assortment of programs that can relieve the costs of health care or provide care at no cost.

The system is a comprehensive, turnkey solution that monitors multiple casualties within 300 yards of a medic or first-response team.

You're listening to Dot Mil Docs, a product of the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs. This show is designed to discuss the topics that concern you most when it comes to military health. We welcome your input, your questions, and your thoughts. We're glad you joined us. The appearance of advertising on this Web site, does not constitute endorsement by the (Department of Defense), of the products or services advertised on this site.

MILLIGNTON, Tenn (NNS) -- The Navy rolled out a new Suicide Prevention poster series Dec. 2 that encourages Sailors in distress to reach out for help and encourages shipmates to look out for each other.

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.

he Mental Health Self-Assessment Program® (MHSAP) offers service personnel and their families the opportunity to take anonymous, mental health and alcohol use self-assessments online, via the phone, and through special events held at installations. The self-assessments are a brief series of questions that, when linked together, help create a picture of how an individual is feeling.

If they are able, every wounded soldier is assigned a job, internship or takes continuing education classes during their recovery, said Col. Jimmie Keenan, chief of staff of the nation's Warrior Care and Transition Office. The goal is to place troops in jobs that match existing skills, help them learn new ones, or, if an injury means they need a new career, help them find one.