Skip to main content

Military Health System

Test of Sitewide Banner

This is a test of the sitewide banner capability. In the case of an emergency, site visitors would be able to visit the news page for addition information.

Two Munson nurses at forefront of COVID-19 vaccination tracking

Image of Nurses discussing COVID-19 documentation. Nurses Ashley Woodruff (left) and Erin Richter, discuss documentation of COVID-19 vaccines for the electronic medical records on April 21 at Munson Army Health Center, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas (Photo by: Tracy McClung, Munson Army Health Center Public Affairs).

Munson Army Health Center civilian nurses Ashley Woodruff and Erin Richter have been responsible for administering and charting 80% of the nearly 14,000 COVID-19 vaccinations given so far to service members, their families, and retirees at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas military medical treatment facility.

Munson's motto is "constant dedicated care," and Woodruff and Richter embody those qualities.

Woodruff and Richter, both licensed practical nurses, work in the Munson multiservice specialty clinic, where, in addition to the COVID-19 vaccinations, they are responsible for ensuring the military population is medically ready for deployment. They are also responsible for improving, protecting, and promoting immunization health care for service members, military families and retirees who use Munson as their health center or who are changing service locations or going outside the continental United States.

The Fort Leavenworth area has more than 25,000 beneficiaries enrolled in the Military Health System there, said Army Lt. Col. Ira Waite, deputy commander for nursing and patient services at Munson.

Waite said Woodruff and Richter "have been doing a yeoman's effort as the primary personnel working on the COVID-19 vaccinations and ensuring that all regulations and policies are being followed."

COVID-19 vaccinations have been available at Munson since late December, and Woodruff and Richter have been in overdrive until recently. The largest single-day effort was 1,200 vaccinations. After that single-day vaccine team push, Woodruff and Richter managed the documentation of the doses within a few days, Waite said.

"We've learned to become highly adaptive," Woodruff said of the vaccination effort. "Guidance on COVID-19 vaccinations was changing sometimes by the hour, as were the timings of vaccination appointments. This really forced us to communicate better with our patients. We learned to say to patients: "We will get through this together, but we are not always sure exactly how.'"

Both nurses work with other military service personnel daily.

"Military nurses come in with a fresh outlook and perspective on things," Woodruff said. "This makes it easier for us and better for the patient."

Said Richter: "As health care workers, we are all in the same situation...seeing the next bump in the road during the pandemic. We use new advice daily for the best patient care, but it's a team effort, and we support one another as family."

As for strides made during the pandemic, Richter said it came in the form of supporting one another.

"We had to find new resources and build new relationships in order to support one another mentally or physically," she said.

Woodruff attended Horry-Georgetown Technical College in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, for her nurse training; and has been a government nurse for 14 years – 10 of those at Leavenworth.

Richter, a former military dependent who spent the most time growing up in Oklahoma, got her training at Kansas City Community College. She has been a nurse for eight years and is coming up on her fifth anniversary at Leavenworth.

"The biggest thing is that through the COVID-19 vaccination effort, Woodruff and Richter have been able to work together with the team, they've trained others and made sure regulations were followed," Waite said. "Being able to communicate well and to be able to share communication and knowledge to those around them has been notable. They've done a lot individually but also the additional work has enabled us to get the results we see today."

You also may be interested in...

Two Military Nurses Share Common Ground of Service, Education

Article
5/15/2023
Two Military Nurses Share Common Ground of Service, Education

Two military nurses may have taken different paths to their chosen profession, but their stories share common ground.

Future of Nursing is Bright, Says Chief Nursing Officer Simonson

Article
5/5/2023
Future of Nursing is Bright, Says Chief Nursing Officer Simonson

Nurses at DHA are leading the charge toward a person-centric care model says Chief Nursing Officer Simonson.

Future of Nursing: Telehealth, More Innovation and Maybe Some Robots

Article
5/13/2022
Second Lt. Nina Hoskins, 81st Surgical Operations Squadron operating room nurse, briefs Col. Debra Lovette, 81st Training Wing commander, and other base leadership on robotics surgery capabilities inside the robotics surgery clinic at the Keesler Medical Center June 16, 2017. (Photo: Kemberly Groue, U.S. Air Force)

The future of nursing is here due in part to changes brought by the COVID-19 pandemic.

How One Military Nurse Persevered Through the COVID-19 Response

Article
5/5/2022
Air Force Capt. Courtney Ebeling, a medical-surgical nurse at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph Family Health Clinic, Texas, was deployed to support the COVID-19 response in Afghanistan in 2021. They administered vaccinations to U.S. citizens, service members, and foreign military members as well as supported the preparation to withdraw from the country. (Photo: Courtesy of Air Force Capt. Courtney Ebeling)

Nurses across the Military Health System have played a vital role in providing routine patient care and meeting the needs of the COVID-19 pandemic.

‘I Love the Intensity’ – One Nurse Recalls Three COVID-19 Deployments

Article
5/5/2022
In 2020, Air Force 1st Lt. Tiffany Parra, an ICU nurse at the 633rd Medical Group, on Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, was deployed to a North Dakota hospital to support a FEMA COVID-19 mission. In the photo, she trains on equipment used for critical patients in a North Dakota ICU. (Photo: Courtesy of Air Force 1st Lt. Tiffany Parra)

Nurses are unique, they follow a calling to care for others. Military nurses do that as well as serve their nation. For Nurses Week, the MHS highlights some of their own.

Despite a low profile, Commissioned Corps nurses are proud to serve

Article
5/12/2021
Military health personnel posing for a selfie

Nurses account for the majority of the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service, are a tight-knit group, and wear plenty of hats.

Laughter really is among the best medicines, says Air Force nurse

Article
5/12/2021
Military personnel laughing

Air Force Col. Jacqueline Killian, senior nurse scientist for the 711th Human Performance Wing, located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, talks about her 2015 PhD research on the health benefits of laughter yoga.

Navy certified nurse midwife epitomizes life of service

Article
5/12/2021
Military health personnel wearing a face mask posing for a picture

Navy nurse contributes to Navy mission while representing Asian Pacific Americans as the only certified nurse midwifes

USU nursing students saved lives, receive medal

Article
5/11/2021
Military personnel during their graduation ceremony

USU Nursing Students Receive Medals for Life-Saving Response

Military nursing highlighted during National Nurses' Week

Article
5/11/2021
Military health personnel checking patients vitals

Nurse facts by the numbers for 2021 Nurses’ Week

Army nurse recognized with national nursing honor

Article
5/10/2021
Military health personnel wearing face mask reviewing a patient's record

Army Lt. Col. DeAnna Hutchings was one of only 18 nurses from across the nation -- and the only military nurse -- to receive the 2021 Circle of Excellence award from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses for care of acutely and critically ill patients and their families.

Eielson nurse says technology, readiness integral to military nursing

Article
5/10/2021
Military health personnel checking the ears of a patient

Air Force 1st Lt. Katelyn Schoneweis, a clinical nurse at Eielson Medical Clinic at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, said technology like MHS GENESIS, working with the Army and her commander’s increased focus on readiness have already benefitted her early in her career.

Diversity, flexibility of Nurse Corps members makes them stand out

Article
5/7/2021
Military personnel speaking at a podium

Unified. Reliable. Ready. – National Nurses Week holds special significance after unforeseen events of the past year.

Daughter of Mexican immigrants excels as Navy nurse

Article
5/7/2021
Military health personnel posing for a picture

Navy registered nurse at the Naval Hospital Twentynine Palms (NHTP) Emergency Department at the Marine Corps Combat Development Command Twentynine Palms in California serves Marines and sailors alike.

Nurse and Tech Week: Air Force airmen are battle-tested and ready

Article
5/6/2021
12 COVID-19 patients aboard a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft

For the past year, Air Force nurses and medical technicians have found themselves on the front lines in the battle against the COVID-19 disease.

Page 1 of 2 , showing items 1 - 15
First < 1 2 > Last 
Refine your search
Last Updated: May 01, 2023
Follow us on Instagram Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Follow us on YouTube Sign up on GovDelivery