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#AcrossTheMHS March 3, 2022

Welcome to the latest edition of #AcrossTheMHS. This e-newsletter will keep you up to date on MHS news and includes content you can repurpose for your local audiences.

Photo Caption: Brig. Gen. Clinton Murray, Brooke Army Medical Center Commanding General, and Command Sgt. Maj. Thurman Reynolds, BAMC Command Sgt. Maj., present the Army Medicine Wolf Pack Award to members of the BAMC Trauma Readiness Center team at BAMC’s Carolyn D. Putnam Auditorium, Fort Sam Houston, Texas, Feb. 28, 2022. The integrated team worked closely through coordination and support from the U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence, the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research, and BAMC to develop and implement the STaRC program, a 3-week long pre-deployment medical readiness training program providing operational readiness for the Forward Resuscitative Surgical Detachments. (U.S. Army photo by Jason W. Edwards, DVIDs)

What's in this issue

  • Latest MHS Minute
  • DoD MHS Patient Safety Culture Survey and Video
  • DHA Director and SEL Blood Donation Video
  • MHS March 2022 Communications Toolkit for Brain Injury Awareness Month
  • Trending news from around the MHS and on Health.mil and Tricare.mil
  • A COVID-19 at home self-test tutorial video from CSM Gragg and the latest on COVID-19 at home test kits and vaccines

Check out our Latest MHS Minute

The MHS Minute highlights some of the outstanding work taking place across the Military Health System, including major milestones, events, notable activities, and much more. Help us get the word out about all of the unique, meaningful, and fascinating work taking place across the MHS by watching and sharing the video, which you can download from DVIDs here. Check out the entire playlist here.

DoD MHS Patient Safety Culture Survey Closes March 10

The Patient Safety Culture Survey is live and accepting responses through March 10. The survey -- given every three years across the MHS -- assesses the culture of patient safety and workforce burnout within MHS Direct Care facilities worldwide. Results will be provided at overall MHS and MTF levels in order to identify actionable strengths and improvement areas, provide comparisons, examine trends in staff burnout rates, and more. If you’ve received the link to participate in this anonymous survey, please respond. This is your opportunity to voice your opinions and contribute to patient safety improvements in our facility.
U.S. Army Reserve Soldiers, Staff Sgt. Kyle Hugo, , left, Capt. Reslen Dorman, 1st. Lt. Kelly Barry and Capt. Katharine Ingle, all of the 328th Combat Support Hospital, 820th Hospital Center, 2nd Medical Brigade, 807th MC (DS), based in Camp Parks, Calif., team up to roll over a patient as Sgt. 1st Class Glenn Holmes, places an X-ray plate on the patient's back during a three-day training mission at the Mayo Clinic Multidisciplinary Simulation Center (MMSC) in Rochester, Minn., Nov. 20, 2021. Training at the MMSC provided a unique setting for U.S. Army Reserve Soldiers to advance their team efficiencies and communication, utilizing the tools and strategies essential within the Team Strategies and Tools to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety structure. (U.S. Army Reserve photo by Sgt. 1st Class Clinton Wood).

Please Donate Blood!

Airmen and Soldiers from the Idaho National Guard donate blood during a blood drive with the American Red Cross, Feb. 23, 2022, Gowen Field, Boise, Idaho. Idaho National Guard members regularly donate with the American Red Cross to help replenish the nation’s blood supply. (DVIDs Photo by Ryan White, 124th Fighter Wing)
Go to www.militarydonor.com to find a donation location in your area.

The Military Health System March 2022 Communications Toolkit is now live on Health.mil!

Our March theme is “Brain Injury Awareness to Improve Readiness." Throughout March, MHS platforms will promote information about preventing and recovering from traumatic brain injuries, and help service members understand the risks, signs symptoms, and impacts of TBI, on and off the battlefield

The March Speaker's Notes, focusing on how dental care can improve readiness, can be found here. Social media content supporting March health and military observances are available here.

Brain health is critical to overall mission readiness. Even a mild TBI can have long-lasting effects that impact deployability if not diagnosed and treated. The Department of Defense is committed to protecting the health and well-being of our people to maximize our ability to defend the Nation.

News from Around the Military Health System

The MHS is an interconnected network of service members whose mission is to support the lives and families of those who support our country. Every day in the MHS, advancements are made in the lab, in the field, and here at home.

Photo Caption: Sgt. Sojourner T. Briley, a laboratory technician from the 1st Area Medical Laboratory, trained with German military medical professionals at the Bundeswehr Institute of Microbiology in Munich, Germany, Feb. 7 – 11. One U.S. Army microbiologist and four medical laboratory specialists from the 1st AML trained at the institute with medical doctors, veterinary doctors, biologists and laboratory staff. Courtesy photo.

Health & Wellness Spotlight: Latest info on COVID-19 Vaccine efforts

“As the COVID-19 virus continues to evolve, we also must adjust our approach to fight the virus,” said Dr. Margaret Ryan, medical director of Defense Health Agency’s Immunization Healthcare Division for the Pacific Region. “Although the vaccines are still very effective in reducing risk of severe disease, hospitalization, and death, we’re learning that protection from illness does wane with time. The booster shot increases the level of protection.”