Military Medical Treatment in the mid-2000s

Medical personnel race to load a simulated patient onto a C-130H Hercules aircraft during exercise Patriot 2006 at Fort McCoy, WS, 24 July 2006. The aircraft is from the 169th Airlift Squadron, 182nd Airlift Wing, Illinois Air National Guard.

Today in WW II: 9 Jul 1940 Battle of Calabria [Battle of Punta Stilo, the toe of Italy] fought between the Italian Royal Navy and the British/Australian Royal Navies, 30 miles [48km] east of Punta Stilo. More ?

9 Jul 1943 US-British invasion of Sicily begins [night of 9-10 Jul].
9 Jul 1944 British and Canadian forces capture Caen from the Germans, a critical post-D-Day objective in Normandy, France.
9 Jul 1944 US forces reach the northern end of Saipan, finding thousands of Japanese civilian men, women, and children who commit suicide by leaping off the cliffs rather than be captured.
Visit the Olive-Drab.com World War II Timeline for day-by-day events 1939-1945! See also WW2 Books.

Strategic Objectives of the Military Health System

The Military Health System (MHS) strategy focuses on the creation of a world class health system as defined by two major customer groups: Combatant Commanders and Service Members. Beneficiaries expect that their health system will conveniently meet their needs by delivering the highest quality health services.

Specific objectives:

Fit and protected force
Minimal injuries during military operations
Satisfied beneficiaries
Healthy communities
World class health benefit within reasonable costs

Battlefield Medical Care

USAF and Army medics unload evacuation passengers from a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter at the Air Force Theater Hospital on Balad Air Base, Iraq, 2 August 2006. The hospital provides level one trauma and specialized medical care for patients.

The MHS revolutionized battlefield medical care, with accelerated effect after 2001, reducing fatalities and raising the quality of care to all-time high levels. When compared to the World War II chain of evacuation, injured servicemembers are now far more quickly evacuated from the battlefield, receive vastly superior care while on route, and receive the most advanced medical care at higher echelon facilities. More wounded servicemembers are surviving because of this care. Even following injuries that would have excluded them from military service in the 1990s, they are being rehabilitated and returned to combat. This success can be attributed to increased capability and equipment of Combat Lifesavers and medical units on the front lines, but also to the quality of care given during ground transport, helicopter evacuation and aeromedical evacuation.

Amputees and Rehabilitation

Improvements in body armor, vehicle armor, and care during evacuation have increased survival but with the consequence of a higher number of amputees and servicemembers with severe rehabilitation problems. In order to return these casualties to duty or to productive civilian life, advanced medical facilities have been created or expanded to focus on the individual's unique needs during recovery and rehabilitation, including:

Medical care & rehabilitation
Education, training and job placement
Personal mobility and functioning
Home, transportation and workplace accommodations
Personal, couple and family issues counseling
Financial resources

The Military Severely Injured Center was officially opened on 1 February 2005. The new center ties together military and other government programs, such as the Army Disabled Soldier Support System and similar programs in the other services, and those run by the departments of Labor and Veterans Affairs.

The Defense Department's first specialized Amputee Care Center opened at Walter Reed Army Medical Center (Washington, DC) in early 2004, followed by a second center at Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC), Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, TX. BAMC is also a level-one trauma center and the only burn center for military personnel recovering from combat wounds.

Reducing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

After return from combat, the military health care community has employed new initiatives to better recognize and treat PTSD. Military members returning from deployment now have to go through a second health assessment to look for psychological problems, and family members are being taught about signs and symptoms to look for, as well as where to go for help.

Integrating Benefits for Guard and Reserve

The unprecedented and sustained mobilization of National Guard and Reserve forces since the attacks on the United States on 11 September 2001, created stress in the medical service and support systems causing significant medical challenges for returning National Guard and Reserve personnel wounded in the global war on terror. The system was designed primarily for regular active duty forces, but had to change to adapt to the reality of the new reliance on the Guard and Reserve components.

Tricare

Tricare is the medical plan offered by the United States Department of Defense (DoD), delivering health care to 9.2 million beneficiaries (2005) including:

Active-duty military
National Guard and Reserve members who are activated for more than 30 days
Retirees
Family members and survivors of service members

All military medical facilities are part of Tricare along with partner civilian hospitals and clinics. Tricare is designed to increase patients' access to care, assure quality care and promote medical readiness.

Tricare began in 1988 as managed care for the military, replacing CHAMPUS and other earlier programs. Since its establishment, Tricare has grown to be the central organizing program for medical care of the extended military family. Tricare is divided into regions, each operated by a Managed Care Support Contractor who combines the services available at military treatment facilities and those offered by a network of civilian hospitals and providers in the region. The Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) is a computerized database of military sponsors, families and others who are entitled by law to Tricare benefits. DEERS registration is required for Tricare eligibility.

Recommended Books about the Military Medical System

Find More Information on the Internet

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