Report Examines Sexual Assaults At Military Academies A new report reveals that military academies have seen an overall increase in the number of sexual assault reports made to authorities during the 2010-2011 academic year. DoD’s “Annual Report on Sexual Harassment and Violence at the Military Service Academies,” that covered the 2010-2011 academic year reported that there were a total of 65 reports of sexual assault involving cadets and midshipmen compared to a total of 41 in the prior academic year. Sexual assault is a major contributor to PTSD, especially among women servicemembers. More
Government Panel Asks Science Journals to Censor Bird Flu Articles WASHINGTON - A federal panel has asked scientists and science journals to remove details in two controversial bird flu studies prior to publication - an unprecedented request by the U.S. government to life science researchers. The studies, which involve work by Yoshi Kawaoka of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Ron Touchier, MD, from the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, are currently under review and due to be published by Nature and Science. A group of influenza researchers, including Fouchier and Kawaoka, now have published a statement declaring a 60-day moratorium on any research into H5N1 that could lead to the virus becoming more transmissible to humans. More
Medical Schools Commit To Boosting PTSD, TBI Training and Research WASHINGTON—First Lady Michelle Obama announced a new initiative to help better train civilian providers in caring for veterans and troops. As part of this initiative, the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM) have “committed to creating a new generation of doctors, medical schools, and research facilities,” that will make sure troops and families receive “care worthy of their sacrifice,” according to the White House. More
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE JANUARY ISSUE
Is the VA Mental Health Scheduling System Gamed? WASHINGTON — Frustrated by the numerous reports of veterans unable to receive timely mental healthcare at VA facilities, legislators have called for the VA Office of the Inspector General to conduct a formal audit of wait times. In a letter to the VA IG, ranking VA Committee members raised issues that have emerged in recent hearings.Most notably, they are concerned about the contradiction between what VA staffers in the field are saying about their difficulties in getting expeditious care to veterans compared with the more optimistic tone VA officials have taken with Congress.More Please read this article and participate in this month's online opinion poll about whether VA is doing enough to reduce wait times for veterans who need mental healthcare?
New Army Surgeon General Is First Woman, Nurse to Hold That Position WASHINGTON — With the swearing in of Lt. Gen. Patricia D. Horoho, RN, as the Army’s 43rd surgeon general, for the first time a woman or a nurse has been officially in command of the Army’s largest medical organization. Horoho is both. Horoho replaced former Army Surgeon General Lt. Gen. Eric Schoomaker, MD, who has served as commander since December 2007 and will retire this month. More.
Kidney Injuries Sharply Increase Wounded Death Rates SAN ANTONIO, TX--Kidney injuries have dramatically increased death rates in military personnel evacuated to burn units in Iraq and Afghanistan. Up to 30% of those wounded troops suffer acute kidney injury (AKI) and, with the severe form of the injury, nearly two-thirds of those die, compared with a rate of 2 in 1,000 of patients without the condition, according to a new study published in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. Even those with minimal AKI have significantly increased death rates of between 4% and 8.3%, depending on what measurement system is used.More
Proposed Changes to Retirement Plans Could Impact Military Health Service WASHINGTON — Proposed changes to retirement plans are generating much discussion, especially because some professionals, such as those in the Military Health Service, often count on pensions to compensate for lower pay levels and other sacrifices throughout their careers. A recent Congressional Research Service report, which examined several recent proposals, noted that “few military subjects have generated as much interest or commentary as the military retirement system.” More
"Giving up smoking is the easiest thing in the world. I know because I've done it thousands of times." – Mark Twain (1835-1910)
Editor-in-Chief, Chester ‘Trip’ Buckenmaier III, MD, COL, MC, USA
As an anesthesiologist, on a purely pragmatic level, it is hard not to bear some animosity toward those who smoke.The simplest anesthetic case in a seemingly healthy individual can quickly degenerate into a multitude of care issues solely because the patient smokes.
These unnecessary, smoking-induced challenges in patient care motivate me to never miss an opportunity to tell a smoker, “Quitting smoking is the single most important thing you could do to improve your health.” More
