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Health Readiness

The Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (DASD) for Health Readiness Policy and Oversight is the principal staff assistant and advisor to the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Health Affairs) for all medically related Department of Defense policies, programs, and activities. The office is responsible for deployment medicine, force health protection, medical readiness, international health agreements, deployment related health policy, theater information systems, humanitarian and health missions, and national disaster support.

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U.S. doctors save Italian patient hours from death

Article
8/8/2018
U.S. Air Force Capt. Melanie Gates, left, Capt. Nick McKenzie, and Capt. Richard Thorsted, all who are Special Operations Command Forward Northwest Africa ground surgical team members, gather for a photo at Nigerien Air Base 101, Niamey. The three doctors recently finished medical school and are serving their first deployment. They are deployed from Travis Air Force Base, California. (U.S. Air Force courtesy photo)

The patient had a fever, a very high heart rate and low oxygen levels

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Trauma care reference body now woven into DHA combat support

Article
8/3/2018
Establishing the Joint Trauma System within the Defense Health Agency optimally positions the JTS to serve as the reference body for all trauma care. (U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Gary Johnson)

The JTS mission is to provide evidence-based process improvement of trauma and combat casualty care to drive morbidity and mortality to the lowest possible levels, and to provide recommendations on trauma care and trauma systems across the Military Health System

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Shanahan discusses medical readiness, DHA transfer at Womack

Article
8/1/2018
Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick M. Shanahan greets Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie as Army Col. John Melton, the commander of Womack Army Medical Center, looks on, at the start of a meeting at Womack Army Medical Center, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, July 26, 2018. Shanahan convened the meeting to discuss medical readiness, as well as how the Defense Health Agency and military services are collaborating on the integration of the Military Health System. (DoD photo by Lisa Ferdinando)

The fiscal year 2017 National Defense Authorization Act transfers the administration and management of military medical treatment facilities to the DHA beginning Oct. 1, 2018

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Health Readiness | Military Hospitals and Clinics

Leaders come together to rehearse military healthcare transition

Article
7/31/2018
Leaders from across the Department of Defense, the Army and Fort Bragg meet at U.S. Army Forces Command headquarters July 19, 2018, to discuss the upcoming transition of the administration and management of Womack Army Medical Center from the U.S. Army Medical Command to the Defense Health Agency. (U.S. Army photo by Eve Meinhardt)

There should be zero impact on delivery of medical services that support readiness of the force

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Preparing for travel can prevent illness

Article
7/18/2018
Experts encourage overseas travelers to seek advice from a health care provider before leaving on a trip, and to make sure recommended vaccinations are up to date (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. De-Juan Haley)

Experts encourage travelers to be proactive about their travel medicine needs, including learning about the health risks associated with the destination and checking with their doctor to make sure they’re in good health

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Operation Bobcat provides free healthcare to residents of Eastern Kentucky

Article
7/2/2018
Area residents line up outside Lee County High School in Beattyville, Kentucky to receive treatment at a health-care clinic being operated by the Air National Guard and U.S. Navy Reserve. The clinic is one of four that comprised Operation Bobcat, a 10-day mission to provide military medical troops with crucial training in field operations and logistics while offering no-cost health care to the residents of Eastern Kentucky. (U.S. Air Force photo by Lt. Col. Dale Greer)

The primary purpose of Operation Bobcat is to provide military medical troops with crucial training

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Breaking down the image: Mental health

Article
5/22/2018
Kevin Hines, a suicide survivor and activist for suicide prevention, speaks to Airmen assigned to the 28th Bomb Wing about his story at Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota. Hines is one of 36 people to survive a suicide attempt by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, California. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Nicolas Z. Erwin)

May has been National Mental Health Month since 1949

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Migration to Defense Health Agency to modernize Army medicine, surgeon general says

Article
5/2/2018
Lt. Gen. Nadja Y. West, the Army Surgeon General and commanding general for Army Medical Command, addressed the Army's fiscal year 2019 funding request and budget justification before the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations on Capitol Hill, April 26. (Courtesy photo provided by the Senate Appropriations Committee)

Army Medicine has the opportunity to make significant improvements in healthcare

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Surgeons general testify on medical readiness at senate hearing

Article
4/30/2018
Air Force Maj. Michael Rawlins, 60th Surgical Operations Squadron, takes out a piece of stomach during a surgery at David Grant USAF Medical Center, Travis Air Force Base, California. (U.S. Air Force by photo Louis Briscese)

The services’ surgeons general updated senators on Capitol Hill on the needs and priorities of military health programs

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Ready, set, focus: Finding calm in a storm through the power of breathing

Article
4/23/2018
Airmen and Soldiers practice breathing and relaxation during their off duty time in a deployed location. Stress can take its toll on your mental and physical health, including your heart health, but there are breathing techniques to buffer yourself from it. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Lance Cheung)

‘Mindful minutes’ and deep breathing help on the job, airmen say

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Eat an apple a day, but don't keep the dentist away

Article
3/27/2018
A child eats an apple during a Trunk-or-Treat event, which featured a healthy snack station as an alternative to candy, at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Jimmie D. Pike)

Good oral health takes more than brushing teeth and flossing – it also requires proper nutrition

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Pediatric care in the military rated 'excellent' but can improve

Article
2/27/2018
Experts say pediatric care within the Military Health System is excellent as they strive to improve and provide top-quality care for military children. (U.S. Navy photo by Jacob Sippel)

Experts say pediatric care within the Military Health System is excellent as they strive to improve and provide top-quality care for military children

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Focus on prevention … not the cure for heart disease

Article
2/21/2018
Navy Lt. Cmdr. Cecily Dye is chief cardiologist at Naval Medical Center Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. (U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Nicholas N. Lopez)

Many heart health problems can be avoided

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‘Kissing disease’ exhausting, but it strikes only once

Article
2/15/2018
Mononucleosis is nicknamed the “kissing disease” because it’s spread through saliva. U.S. Navy Logistics Specialist 3rd Class Michael Zegarra shares the traditional first kiss with his wife Caterina Zegarra, after the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz pulled into port at Naval Base Kitsap, Washington, Dec. 10, 2017. (U.S. Navy photo by Seaman Greg Hall)

Mononucleosis: Learn how virus spreads, who’s most vulnerable

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Lose to win: Some service members struggle with weight

Article
2/7/2018
Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Jovanei Taito, shown here receiving his information warfare qualification certificate, credits the ShipShape program for enabling him to pass the Navy's body composition and physical fitness assessments. (Courtesy photo)

With numbers rising, programs help keep you shipshape

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Health Readiness | Heart Health
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