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  • Medical Airmen assigned to U.S. Air Force Space Command are charged with delivering care to the Airmen who launch, monitor and operate the Air Force’s satellite systems. As space continues to play an increasingly critical role in our nation’s defense, medical Airmen in AFSPC are also preparing for the future of space medicine. (U.S. Air Force illustration)

    Growing Air Force’s space medicine culture

    As space continues to play an increasingly critical role in our nation’s defense, the need for the space medicine specialty grows. Medical Airmen within U.S. Air Force Space Command are making sure space operators are ready for future readiness requirements. “Space is no longer a neutral, docile domain,” said Col. Walter “Sparky” Matthews, AFSPC Command Surgeon. “It has become a contested environment where many state and non-state actors actively seek to disrupt U.S. space capability.”
  • While service members are medically ready to deploy, both physically and mentally, the rigors of deployment can take a toll. Mental health providers in deployed settings play a vital role in providing the necessary support to ensure the health of the warfighter and the mission. (U.S. Air Force illustration by Josh Mahler)

    Deploying mental health care downrange

    Deployed mental health providers play a vital role in delivering medical care downrange, ensuring the health of the warfighter and the mission. Even though service members who deploy are medically ready, both physically and mentally, the rigors of deployment can take a toll.
  • Tech. Sgt. Ricardo Lemos Rodriguez, noncommissioned officer in charge of the Force Health Management Branch, mentors the Public Health apprentice students to prepare them for the operational Air Force. He discusses how they can navigate the Air Force Portal to locate information on Air Force priorities, career development and education. (U.S. Air Force photo by Richard Eldridge)

    USAFSAM instructors bring experience to classroom, ready Airmen to battlefield

    Deployed experience, subject expertise, and a passion to share lessons learned make instructors at the U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine a vital part of medical readiness, equipping Airmen with the skills to be successful. Celebrating its 100th year, USAFSAM is the leading platform for education, training, and research in aerospace and operational medicine.
  • The symptoms associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can often be debilitating, significantly affecting a patient’s quality of life. Air Force mental health professionals have successfully treated many Airmen with the use of prolonged exposure therapy. Through this collaborative therapy, the patient is safely and gradually exposed to trauma-related memories and situations that have been avoided. The eventual goal is to alter the patient’s relationship with and reaction to the traumatic event so it no longer affects their quality of life and ability to do their job. (U.S. Air Force graphic by Josh Mahler)

    A peek behind the curtain: Prolonged exposure therapy for PTSD

    Post-traumatic stress disorder can be debilitating, but there are therapies that can reduce symptoms, improve quality of life, and help Airmen return to duty. One of the most effective therapies, practiced by many Air Force mental health professionals, is prolonged exposure therapy.
  • Maj. Shane Runyon (right), Baltimore’s Center for the Sustainment of Trauma and Readiness Skills (C-STARS) program deputy director, and Master Sgt. Sean Patterson, a respiratory therapist and superintendent of C-STARS Baltimore, set up for patient arrival at the Trauma Resuscitation Unit (TRU) at the University of Maryland Medical Center, Baltimore, June 13, 2018. The U.S. Air Force’s C-STARS Baltimore program partners with the R Cowley Shock Trauma Center at the University of Maryland Medical Center to ensure medical Airmen train on the latest trauma care techniques. These techniques prepare medical Airmen to treat trauma patients in a deployed setting. (Courtesy photo)

    Baltimore C-STARS partnership prepares Airmen for battlefield medicine

    Civilian partnerships are a vital readiness resource for the Air Force Medical Service, refreshing medics on trauma skills and taking lessons learned to deliver life-saving trauma care downrange. The Center for the Sustainment of Trauma and Readiness Skills program in Baltimore, Maryland, prepares medical Airmen for deployment through immersive training at the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center.
  • Many Airman are unaware what the initial meeting with a mental health provider looks like when they seek PTSD treatment. The goal of the first meeting is to make the patient feel comfortable and to be as transparent as possible about what is going on and what treatment options the patient has. As a result, the patient and mental health provider will more likely have a collaborative and trusting interaction, making PTSD treatment more successful. (U.S. Air Force graphic by Josh Mahler)

    A peek behind the curtain: The first step of PTSD care

    Perhaps the most difficult part of seeking help for post-traumatic stress disorder is making that first appointment, since Airmen are often unsure of what to expect. Not knowing what to expect from mental health providers can get in the way of effective PTSD treatment.
  • Air Force Col. (Dr.) Kimberly Pietszak, interim chief, Department of Quality Services, and assistant chief, Department of Medicine, examines Air Force Col. Patrick McCain at San Antonio Military Medical Center, Aug 26, 2015. Getting regular checkups are vital step in maintaining one’s Individual Medical Readiness and aids an Airman’s ability to support the mission. (U.S. Air Force photo by Corey Toye)

    Medically ready to be mission ready

    From periodic health assessments to regular dental exams, every Airman should know the importance of maintaining their Individual Medical Readiness (IMR) at all times.
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