WASHINGTON - With motor vehicle crashes being a leading cause of deaths among combat veterans during the first years after their return home, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Department of Defense (DOD) are working together to reduce these accidents.
A new Institute of Medicine report, recommends that DoD gradually reduce (and eventually eliminate) the use of tobacco products to restore and maintain the optimal health and readiness of our nation's service members.
The pilot for a new, jointly-developed DoD-VA disability evaluation system (DES), set to expand from five to 22 military bases by May, does much of what proponents hoped it would. It allows more injured or ill service members to win higher disability ratings, to see VA payments start faster and, through greater transparency in the process, to feel they have been treated more fairly by government.
Posted by: S. Ward Casscells, M.D.
Our work in Africa is not new. Historically, DoD has worked in Africa through either Central Command or through European Command, and only recently have we better aligned our efforts to the needs of the African nations by forming Africa Command. This new venture marks an opportunity to change the way we do business by sharing expertise with other U.S. governmental agencies and non-governmental organizations. In order to support the new command surgeon, I am hosting an important conference called U.S. Africa Command: Health as a Bridge to Peace and Stability, January 8 and 9 at the Institute of Medicine here in Washington D.C.
Falls Church, Va.-The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and TRICARE are offering new innovative online tools to help military service members keep their New Year's resolutions to quit tobacco.
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.
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.
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.
The US Family Health Plan (USFHP) and the National Military Family Association (NMFA) were recently honored with an Emmy Award for their series of public service announcements, at a luncheon held by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in November.
The Pentagon and the Department of Veterans Affairs are making "great strides" in the ability to electronically share the medical records of troops and former troops under their care who are transitioning between the health care systems of the two departments.
Smoking and other tobacco use is common in the military, presenting a major health risk to the men and women in uniform. Indeed, tobacco use rates within the Department of Defense (DoD) exceed those of the general population by two percent. So this November 20, as we observe the Great American Smokeout established by the American Cancer Society, the Military Health System (MHS) encourages service members and their families to make a commitment to quitting smoking.
* Speak Up, Reach Out
* Resources Across the MHS and Its Partners
o Give Help, Get Help
o From the Services and VA
o MHS Organizations
o From DoD and Beyond
o More Information
o Theme Graphics for You to Use