Health Care Happenings

I had the distinct honor to spend last Saturday evening at a reunion of a group of patriots and their families who bore some of the heaviest burdens of war during the Vietnam conflict. These were the physicians, nurses, medic’s, other healthcare providers, and the helicopter pilots who led the dangerous missions of flying the wounded out of battle and to the Army’s 95th Evacuation Hospital. The location was DaNang on the coastal area of the South China Sea in the then South Vietnam. This area also had heavy exposure to Agent Orange.

It was a privilege to listen to the stories and to see the many pictures and memorabilia they had to share. As I engaged with them throughout the evening, it became apparent how much their experiences bonded them together in ways known only those who have endured the traumatic hardship of a front line combat casualty care environment. Are these medical professionals special? Yes. Are they carrying the unseen pain and wounds of war? Yes. Have they developed a resilience that has enabled them to develop careers, families and lives since they returned home after their service 35 to 40 years ago? Yes, many have – but many did not.

By way of history, the 95th Evacuation Hospital was reactivated on March 26, 1963 at Fort Benning, Georgia and altered for overseas movement. On March 26th 1968, the 95th Evacuation Hospital arrived in the Republic of Vietnam and was set up as a temporary tent hospital on the shores of the South China Sea near the Marble Mountains south of DaNang. The hospital was temporarily supplemented with some trauma surgical equipment until the construction of the fixed facility was completed. Approximately 4 months later, the organization moved to the newly constructed 320-bed hospital at the base of Monkey Mountain, 8 miles to the north of its original location. The wide range of professional capabilities made the 95th Evacuation Hospital a referral center for difficult cases throughout the Northern Military Combat Tactical Region. Specialty services including neurology, dermatology, oral surgery, psychiatric consultations, orthopedic surgery, general surgery and special radiographic procedures were provided thorough this facility.

By the 8th of May 1968, 300 beds were fully operational. By the 27th day in May showed an increase to 400 operational beds with a hospital census of 240 and an experience of a total of 320 medical patients, 941 surgical patients and 1058 outpatients with a total of 1261 admission and 1021 dispositions.

This was not only an evacuation hospital but trauma surgical hospital as well. This unit also could be continually harassed by enemy action in the nearby areas requiring the personnel to put in arduous 12 hour shifts of patient care and then sleep or stand watch on the perimeter the other 12 hours.

The hospital was among the last to close with the mass exodus of American troops in March 1973.

To all of the veterans of the 95th Evac, we give you our profound thanks and we will never forget your self-less service and sacrifice and the many lives you saved.

Last week I had the privilege on behalf of MOAA, to sit down for an interview with RADM Karen Flaherty at Navy Medicine’s Headquarters in Washington DC. RADM Flaherty is the Director for Wounded Ill and Injured for the Navy. …
Here are excerpts from our interview:
Beasley: Admiral thank you for taking the time this morning to talk about what Navy Medicine and the Marine Corps are doing to care for our wounded service personnel coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan.
Flaherty: First, Congress and the American taxpayers were very generous. The Services received Congressional funds of over $200M for new projects directed to the following key areas: access to care, surveillance, quality care, and transition coordination care. At Navy Medicine we have put Programs put in place which are targeting resilience. We know that the number of deployments can adversely impact resiliency. We have put together programs in partnership with civilian academic institutions such as UCLA and have developed our signature program “Project FOCUS” headed by Dr. Patricia Lester. This is a research program set up to work closely with the family system to examine the stressors experienced by the family as it undergoes multiple deployments. Children are a focus as well as the whole family unit. We know that families undergo stress when they experience 4 to 6 deployments. The Navy Surgeon General and Navy Medicine have always been focused on the family with our concept of family centered care. So we naturally began with looking at the family and their network of support and infrastructure to determine what they will require in terms of their abilities to succeed in managing the stress. This has been a very big focus area for us. Initially, we started Project FOCUS with the Navy Special Warfare community. To understand what we need to have in place. The program has been very well received.
Beasley: Navy also takes care of the Marine Corps. Can you comment on the support for the Marine Corps?
Flaherty: Along with the Navy, we have the Marine Corps in fully in our sights and mind when we put programs in place. They are a bit different and we tailor programs and provide them to where and when the Marines deploy and where they are located. We work closely with the Wounded Warrior Detachment in Quantico and with Headquarters Marine Corps here in Washington.
Beasley: It was noted by several of our panelists during our (MOAA’s) recent Wounded Warrior Symposium, that there exist differences between the Services in the manner with which they handle transition care. Can you comment on this observation?
Flaherty: First, each service has a unique culture and identity. When the Marines look at their warriors they view them as “Marines for Life”. They have numerous programs such as the Semper Fi Fund, which directly support the Marines and their families. They also take a more holistic approach. I would like to note though that one service’s model is not better than the other. But there are different models. The Marines very quickly developed the Wounded Warrior Regiment (WWR) model. The WWR provides and facilitates assistance to Wounded, Ill and Injured Marines and Sailors attached to Marine Units, and their family members, throughout the phases of recovery. The WWR is a single command with a strategic reach that serves the total WII force: Active Duty, Reserve, Retired and veteran Marines. The Wounded Warrior Battalions East and West are located at Camp Lejeune and Camp Pendleton. Detachments include major Military Treatment Facilities and VA Polytrauma Centers. The Regiment Headquarters is in Quantico VA. The WWR provides non-medical care management with a personal touch. Their assets include: Family Support Staff; Chaplains for spiritual support; Recovery Care Coordinators to assist with transitional issues; VA liaisons; Clinical Services Staff to assist with care coordination and TBI/PTSD outreach education and much more. The Marines truly take care of their own. You can find out more at their website at www.woundedwarriorregiment.org
Beasley: The VA and DoD have just held a joint Mental Health Summit here in DC with the objective of identifying where gaps are between the two departments with respect to transitioning service personnel. Based upon your experience with the VA can you comment on this from your perspective?
Flaherty: First, the transition needs to be smooth and we need to partner when ever and where ever we can. In a perfect world it would be ideal to have the joint electronic record which could be initiated on the battlefield and to follow through until VA rehabilitation. But this is a few years out and we have work to do before this happens. Our energies must be focused on building the relationships and partnering connections and encouraging people in the support of each other. We will get there. Whenever we can forge partnerships and relationships at the hand offs and connections between the two systems, this will benefit the sailor and Marine and their families.
Beasley: What can the Military Service Organizations such as MOAA, and the other advocacy groups do to assist in the military’s efforts with the Wounded Ill and Injured?
Flaherty: I think you all are doing a magnificent job! You all live in the communities where these young men and women are coming home to. I think the recognition of the commitment they have made and the help with the smooth reintegration for these men and women is where you can and do help. You help celebrate what these people have done and the more you can allow them to tell their stories the better – as this is therapy. We rely on you as critical partners in this.
Beasley: Thank you Admiral for all that you and your team are doing.
Flaherty: Thank you for helping get the word out and for all of your support.

I’m very pleased to announce that we’ve found a super person to assume John Class’s desk as Deputy Director, Government Relations (Military Health Care).

CAPT Kathy Beasley is a Navy nurse who retired from active duty in August.  She holds master’s degrees in both nursing and business administration and is working on her PhD.

Kathy’s 30-year active-duty career included tours of duty as Officer in Charge of the Naval Air Facility Clinic at Andrews AFB, Md; Director of Health Care Planning and Support at the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery at HQ US Navy; Chief of Staff of the National Capital Area Multi-Service Market Office at Walter Reed Medical Center; and Director of Health Care Plans and Operations at National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Md.

We’re thrilled to welcome this distinguished professional to MOAA’s lobbying team.

Kathy’s first day at MOAA will be Sept 14.