NSAB Journal 7 June

Vol. 24 No. 23 www.bethesda.med.navy.mil June 7, 2012

InsideInside

Spiritual ConnectionEnhancingMedicalCare..............Pg. 3

Visiting NursesReinforcingmedicalteaching .......Pg. 4

Transition AcademyNew Faces ofInformationTechnology...Pg. 5

BUMEDNew address,samemission.........Pg. 6

By Mass CommunicationSpecialist 2nd Class

John K. HamiltonNSAB Public Affairs staff writer

Friday marked the beginning ofthe hurricane season. Naval SupportActivity Bethesda's (NSAB) Emer-gency Management, the FederalEmergency Management Agency(FEMA) and the National Oceanicand Atmospheric Administration(NOAA) want to make sure all serv-ice members and civilian staffs areready before the threat of severeweather.

Being prepared and having a planwill drastically reduce injury to self,damage to property or injury to oth-ers by having situational knowledgeand understanding the dangers thathazardous weather can pose," saidJarrod Greene, NSAB emergencymanagement specialist.

"The best time to gather suppliesis at the beginning of the season anddefinitely before [a hurricane] is onthe rise, because you probably won'thave the time to search for the sup-plies you need or shop for them dur-ing the event of an emergency," saidGreene. "When you hear there is apotential for a hurricane you shouldstart practicing then. The more youpractice, the easier it will be to iden-tify the areas you need to improve onor that you can prepare better for,"he added.

“A hurricane will not last for along time, but it’s the damage after-wards that will pose the greateststress. Having a plan in place beforedisaster strikes will enable you andyour family to better cope with thatstress,” said Greene.

FEMA says your plan should in-clude ways to communicate withfamily, emergency escape routes,utility shutoff procedures, vitalrecords, basic safety skills andknowing the escape plans for yourworkplace and children's school.

"Major concerns after a hurricaneare continued flooding and damageto property and or vehicles that canresult from moving water,” saidGreene. “Just six inches of water canstart moving a vehicle. You need tostay off the road as much as possible

to allow the emergency and utilityvehicles a safe way of fixing the is-sues that may have been caused bythe hurricane.”

According to NSAB instruction3440.1, the base’s destructive weath-er plan, there are five conditions ofreadiness (COR).

“Right now we’re in COR 5 whichmeans something may happen in thenext four days,” said Ronald Kunz,NSAB emergency manager. “Undereach condition we have a checklistand the list is broken down by re-sponsibility areas. Each commandhas a representative to the installa-tion emergency management work-ing group that will be notified imme-diately as we start tracking thestorm that is coming. They will beresponsible for their individual com-mands to start going through theirchecklist to make sure personnel aswell as their facilities are set andready to go in case a hurricane iscoming,” he added.

After a hurricane makes landfall,a period called the recovery phasebegins.

“If [the storm] is really bad thenwe need to have the facilities main-tenance and naval facilities com-mand come do a damage assessmentto make sure it’s safe for everyone to

return,” said Kunz. Then they repairany damages that may need to bedone. All the personnel have to be ac-counted for, and make sure everyoneis safe. If there are some issues wecan help with like the personnel

Hurricane Season Kicks Off

Courtesy photo

Aug. 24 will mark the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Andrew's devas-tating landfall in South Florida. On May 24, the National Oceanic andAtmospheric Administration (NOAA) released their forecast for theseason,predicting a near-normal season with nine to 15 named storms,four to eight hurricanes,and one to three major hurricanes of Category3 strength or higher on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale.

See HURRICANE page 8

Emergency KitRecommendations• Water (1 gallon per day, per

person for 3-7 days)• Three-day supply of non-per-

ishable food items• Battery powered or hand

crank radio (to stay up-to-the-minute on the weather situation)

• Flashlight with extra batter-ies

• First aid kit• Whistle (to signal for help)• Dust mask (to help filter con-

taminated air)• Personal cleaning supplies• Wrench or pliers (to turn off

utilities)• Can opener (if your kit con-

tains canned food items)• Local maps

2 Thursday, June 7, 2012 The Journal

Joint Commission President LecturePresident of The Joint Commission, Dr. Mark Chassin, will

speak on "Overcoming Obstacles to High ReliabilityHealthcare" on Friday, June 8 from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. inBuilding 10's Laurel Clark Memorial Auditorium. All staffare invited and encouraged to attend.

Upcoming Lean Six Sigma CoursesLean Six Sigma courses are scheduled over the next sev-

eral months at Walter Reed National Military MedicalCenter (WRNMMC). The Green Belt Course for Lean SixSigma is scheduled for next Monday through Friday, Aug. 6-8, and Oct. 29-Nov. 2. The five-day course is worth 40Continuing Education Units (CEU)/Continuing MedicalEducation (CME), and open to all military and civilianWRNMMC employees. The 15-day Black Belt Course, worth120 CEU/CMEs, is also scheduled for next week. To be eligi-ble for the Black Belt Course, participants must be currentGreen Belt practitioners with two completed projects. Formore information, contact Lt. John Gardner, a NationalCapital Area Regional Black Belt, at [email protected] or (301) 295-2037.

New Roots Music PerformanceWalter Reed Bethesda's Stages of Healing (SoH) next pres-

entation will be held Wednesday at noon in the courtyardnext to the Galley with featured performers Herb & Hanson,New Roots Music. Herb Manila (mandolin and guitar) andMichael Hanson (guitar) began performing at venues in2000, leaning heavily on their influences ranging from TheGrateful Dead and Bob Dylan, to Robert Johnson and BillMonroe. They released their first album in 2001, and incor-porate a variety of genres in their music, from blues, blue-grass, ballads, folk rock and more. Stages of Healing eventsprovide a respite for patients, families, visitors and staff atWalter Reed Bethesda. For more information, call Dr. MicahSickel at (301) 295-2492, or Sara Barrett at (301) 295-1083.

New Employee Assistance Program CoordinatorAmanda Maher is the new Walter Reed Bethesda

Employee Assistance Program (EAP) coordinator. Maher isavailable Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. inthe Occupational Health Clinic, Building 7, second floor,Room 2131. She can be reached at (301) 400-0077 during nor-mal business hours or (301) 461-6252 after business hours.

Bethesda NotebookBethesda Notebook

There is a clichéthat states, “A pes-simist is just an opti-mist … with experi-ence.” While worthy ofa small chuckle, thephrase does make apoint that our beliefsand attitudes can beshaped by events thathappen to us or oth-ers. With this in mind,I would like to spendthis week’s columndiscussing safety. In away, being safety conscious is beinga bit pessimistic. Rather than justassuming whatever it is you areabout to do will “be OK,” being safe-ty aware means you take a stepback and ask the question, “Whatcould go wrong?” While it soundssimple enough, based on the acci-dent reports I read each week, it isa question that sometimes goesunasked.

Now I bet you are thinking thatthis is going to turn into another lec-ture on safety like a thousand oth-ers you have heard before. Wellhopefully, that is not the case. Buteven if true, perhaps this one timethe message will sink in for some-one differently than before.

Becoming safety conscious, muchlike any other skill, can come withsimple practice. Start with purpose-fully asking yourself (use your innervoice to minimize strange looks),“what could go wrong?” before youbegin your next task, project or ad-venture. Once you make a habit ofasking yourself this one question,the world will begin to look very dif-ferent in terms of the risks you face.

Yes, it’s possible you will be per-ceived as a bit of an Eeyore by yourfriends if you say no thanks to some-thing everyone else is doing, but ifsomething in the back of your mindis telling you “watch out” you should

seriously consider lis-tening. We all makemistakes, but the onesthat typically hauntus are the ones whichafter something badhappens we say, “IKNEW that was a badidea, why didn’t I lis-ten to myself?”

Another caveat,even if you get good atasking yourself, “whatcould go wrong here?”when you add in alco-

hol to the mix, your chances of objec-tively assessing the situation godown even further. In these circum-stances, default to taking a pass onthe “fun” that something in the backof your mind has you thinking“Maybe this is not such a greatidea.”

Finally, even if you do all theright thinking, sometimes badthings can still happen. Make sureyou have the best safety net in placein case things don’t go according toplan. Ways of maximizing your safe-ty include wearing appropriate per-sonal protective equipment, work-ing or playing with another respon-sible adult and being doubly carefuland conservative if you have beendrinking alcohol.

So, please have fun this summer.Just have fun with a little bit moreof an eye towards the risks involvedin any activity, but especially thosethat involve high energy and the po-tential for injury. I would love to re-port on Labor Day 2012 that thepersonnel aboard Naval Support Ac-tivity Bethesda had no significantaccidents for the summer. The opti-mist in me says we can make that areality.

All Ahead FullCapt. Frederick (Fritz) KassNavalSupportActivityBethesdaCommanding Officer

Commander's Column

Published by offset every Thurs-day by Comprint Military Publica-tions, 9030 Comprint Court,Gaithersburg, Md. 20877, a pri-vate firm in no way connectedwith the U.S. Navy, under exclu-sive written contract with theWalter Reed National MilitaryMedical Center, Bethesda, Md. Thiscommercial enterprise newspaper is anauthorized publication for members of the mil-itary services. Contents of The Journal are notnecessarily the official views of, nor endorsedby, the U.S. Government, the Department ofDefense, or the Department of Navy. The ap-pearance of advertising in this publication, in-cluding inserts or supplements, does not con-stitute endorsement by the Department of De-fense or Comprint, Inc., of the products orservices advertised. Everything advertised inthis publication shall be made available forpurchase, use or patronage without regard to

race, color, religion, sex, nationalorigin, age, marital status, phys-ical handicap, political affiliation,or any other non-merit factor ofthe purchaser, user, or patron.Editorial content is edited, pre-pared and provided by the

Public Affairs Office, WalterReed National Military Medical

Center, Bethesda, Md. News copyshould be submitted to the Public Affairs Of-fice, Bldg. 1, 11th Floor, by noon one weekpreceding the desired publication date.News items are welcomed from all WRN-MMC complex sources. Inquiries aboutnews copy will be answered by calling (301)295-1803. Commercial advertising shouldbe placed with the publisher by telephoning(301) 921-2800. Publisher’s advertising of-fices are located at 9030 Comprint Court,Gaithersburg, Md. 20877. Classified adscan be placed by calling (301) 670-2505.

Naval Support Activity (NSA) Bethesda

Commanding Officer: Capt. Frederick (Fritz) Kass

Public Affairs Officer NSAB: Joseph MacriPublic Affairs Office NSAB: (301) 295-1803

Journal StaffStaff Writers MC2 John Hamilton

MCSN Dion DawsonSarah MarshallSharon Renee TaylorCat DeBinderKatie BradleyHelen Hocknell

Managing Editor MC1 Ardelle Purcell

WRNMMC Editor Bernard Little

Walter Reed National Military Medical CenterOffice of Media Relations (301) 295-5727

Fleet And Family Support Center (301) 319-4087

Family Ombudsman (443) 854-5167(410) 800-3787(240) 468-6386

Visit us on Facebook:Naval Support Activity Bethesda page:https://www.facebook.com/NSABethesda

Walter Reed National Medical Center page:http://www.facebook.com/pages/Walter-Reed-National-Military-Medical-Center/295857217111107

The Journal Thursday, June 7, 2012 3Thursday, June 7, 2012 3

By Sarah MarshallWRNMMC Journal

staff writer

Working in the ComplexWound and Limb Center,wound and ostomy clinicalnurses Sharon May andMaria PazAquino cover everyward of the medical center,caring for various patients,from infants in the NeonatalIntensive Care Unit towounded warriors in the trau-matic brain injury unit.

Prior to integration of theformer Walter Reed ArmyMedical Center (WRAMC)and the National Naval Med-ical Center (NNMC), Mayworked at WRAMC for about22 years, and Aquino atNNMC for about five years.Both served as bedside nursesfor several years before theydecided to specialize in ostomyand wound care.

Now working under thesame roof, the two nurses as-

sist all ostomy procedures atWalter Reed Bethesda,as wellas Fort Belvoir CommunityHospital. May explained thatan ostomy is a surgically cre-ated opening in the abdomenwhere waste is discharged. Ifa patient has been injured bytrauma, or disease, they mayneed a temporary or perma-nent ostomy. This is some-times confused with a stoma,the ureter or bowel itself, ex-tended and placed outside theabdomen, allowing waste toexit the body into a detachableand disposable bag, sheadded.

May went on to say, "Wetake care of newborn babies,teenagers ... there's no agerange."

There are various types ofostomies,and the length of theprocedure itself to create anostomy depends on the injuryor illness, May said. Havingan ostomy can be especiallydifficult to cope with, sheadded, especially for those

who are also dealing with theloss of a limb, or multiplelimbs.

"They feel different, emo-tionally and psychologically,"May said, of patients whohave an ostomy. She andAquino, in addition to educat-ing patients and loved onesabout the procedure, also con-sole patients as they adjust toa new lifestyle.

"Being a patient with [anostomy], it's difficult ... over-whelming," said Aquino.

"It's not an easy thing to gothrough ... there's an emotion-al component," May added,stating that she and Aquinoare there to offer support.

The two nurses said theybelieve no patient should losetheir quality of life simply be-cause they've had this proce-dure. "We're able to help them[disguise] it ...That's the beau-ty of it. Life is for living, andlife goes on ... We're very opti-mistic," May said.

Not only do they educate

patients and their families,the nurses also support otherstaff members preparing todo the surgery, instructingwhere to best place the osto-

my. In addition, the two saidthey're working on anewsletter to help keep pa-tients and staff informed

Wound Care Nurses Put Patients at Ease

Photo by Sarah Marshall

Wound and ostomy clinical nurses Maria PazAquino,left, and Sharon May, right, care for patients of allages. Both served as bedside nurses for several yearsprior to specializing in ostomy and wound care.

See NURSE page 8

By Sarah MarshallWRNMMC Public

Affairs staff writer

Military chaplains learnedhow to use research to en-hance their services,and to in-tegrate spirituality into healthcare during Navy Medicine’sannual Religious MinistryTeam Training Symposium,held at the National IntrepidCenter of Excellence that’s apart of Walter Reed Bethesdamedical center May 30through June 1.

For more than a decade,Navy Medicine has held thesymposium on both the eastand west coasts to help en-hance chaplains’ care in min-istry, said Chaplain (NavyCapt.) Sheila O’Mara, of NavyMedicine’s Bureau of Medicineand Surgery.

“Having this symposium forour chaplains is part of theirprofessional development,”said O’Mara. She added theevent allowed chaplains andproviders to come together,find a common language andtalk about the overall care ofthe patient. “We’ll be far moreeffective if we do it together.”

Attendees, including chap-lains from various medicaltreatment facilities, listened toa presentation by Dr. GeorgeFitchett,professor and director

of Research in the Departmentof Religion, Health and Hu-manValues at Rush Universi-ty Medical Center in Chicago.Since 1990,Fitchett has exam-ined the relationship betweenreligion and health in a num-ber of community and clinicalpopulations.

“I’m always excited to havea chance to talk about re-search, and help people learnand understand research”Fitchett said.

During his presentation,heprovided an overview of sever-al studies that have shownhow spirituality has helpedpatients through their disease.He also showed them how toread,analyze and report on re-search articles. An exampleused was a qualitative studyin which cancer patients usedprayer in their recovery, whileanother focused on the impactof chaplains visiting patientswith chronic disease.

Dr. Christina Puchalski, di-rector of the George Washing-ton Institute for Spiritualityand Health, in Washington,D.C., addressed the integra-tion of spiritual care intohealth care. An active clini-cian, board-certified in Inter-nal Medicine and PalliativeCare, Puchalski has taughtproviders over the last 20years how to effectively incor-

porate spiritual care into theirpractice using several diversemodels as the framework.

Today, there is a new mind-set in health care focusing onthe need for spiritual care, ex-plained Puchalski, statingstudies have indicated betterhealth care outcomes andcompliance among patientswhose values and beliefs arerespected.Spirituality has alsobeen associated with increasedsurvival rates, lower anxietyand depression, she added.

Spirituality should be con-sidered a “vital sign,” as anintegral part of patient-cen-tered health care system,Puchalski continued. She ex-

plained one particular modelthat’s being used, the biopsy-chosocial-spiritual model ofcare, which emphasizes theuse of spirituality in treat-ment in order to view the pa-tient as a “whole,” and bettermeet other needs, physically,socially and emotionally.

Chaplain (Lt. Cmdr.)LeRoy Mack, who traveledfrom the U.S. Naval HospitalNaples, Italy, to attend thesymposium, said the sympo-sium allows the chaplaincorps and service members,of all disciplines, to come to-gether.

Mack added he will takewhat he learned about using

evidence-based spiritual care,and share it with his col-leagues. “It’s a wonderful op-portunity to expand ourknowledge and perspective ofresearch,” he said.

At Walter Reed Bethesda,groups of professionals fromdiverse disciplines are avail-able to all patients, accordingto Chaplain (Lt.) KimberlyCain, of Pastoral Care. Chap-lains are on call 24/7 to visitpatients, families and staff.The department includes reli-gious program specialists, Eu-charistic lay leaders, brothersand priests, a rabbi, seminarystudents and a licensed pas-toral counselor,and representsfaith traditions, such asCatholic, Protestant, Hindu,Adventist, Anglican, Jewishand Islamic. Pastoral Carealso offers private meditationand prayer, daily mass andworship services and confiden-tial counseling.

Chaplains are a vital partof this process, visiting everynewly-admitted patientwithin 24 hours, includingthose who come in for out-patient procedures, re-sponding to calls for cardiacarrest, and meeting eachmedevac that arrives at themedical center, Cain said.For more information, call301-295-1510.

Chaplains, Providers Join to Enhance Patient Care

photo by Sarah Marshall

During Navy Medicine's annual Religious MinistryTeamTraining Symposium last week,Dr.Christina Puchalski,director of the George Washington Institute for Spiri-tuality and Health, in Washington, D.C., addressed theintegration of spiritual care into health care.

4 Thursday, June 7, 2012 The Journal4 Thursday, June 7, 2012

By Mass Communication Specialist 3rdClass Nathan Parde

NSAB Public Affairs staff writer

The Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society (NM-CRS) Visiting Nurse Combat Casualty AssistanceProgram is currently available to provide the sup-port needed for those stationed on Naval SupportActivity Bethesda (NSAB) and their families.

The visiting nurses provide ongoing emotionalsupport, health education, and resource informa-tion for patients and families, said Sue Wadding-ham, Registered Nurse, and a Combat CasualtyAssistance Program Visiting Nurse.

"It is a long-term commitment," said Wadding-ham. "We contact and engage with them initiallyas in-patients, working closely with the estab-lished support systems, but we are also able toprovide home visits and help integrate their careand return to civilian life."

United States Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Glen Sil-va received assistance from the visiting nurses af-ter he was injured while serving in Afghanistanin 2010.

"From when I was first injured and began to re-ceive medical treatment, the visiting nurses wouldhelp me deal with mental and emotional processesthat I was going through," said Silva. "They alsohelped me to understand how the medicationsthat I had been provided were affecting me."

Though they do not provide direct medical care,the visiting nurses reinforce the medical teachingthat a wounded service member has received by

continuing to point them to community resources,said Waddingham. They also can work with awounded member's extended family to help en-sure the best follow-up care is provided.

"After all, they are the ultimate and primarysupport system, who will stand by the member forthe long term, in a care-giver role," said Wadding-ham.

Silva said when he had to undergo numeroussurgical operations, the visiting nurses were able

to help care for his family."They helped with my daughter as I was going

through surgeries; they kept her company and an-swered any questions that she had. They treatedher like family," said Silva.

Registered nurses are available at no cost to theservice member or family members.They can pro-vide home visits or other care, regardless of loca-tion in the U.S., said Waddingham. Members canbe referred to the visiting nurse program throughmedical staff by self-referral, or by word-of-mouth.

Silva said he would like to see the program con-tinue to receive full funding, while being promotedand fully utilized.

"I think the visiting nurses are an asset that isnot used as often as they should be, because theyhave a large amount of resources available tothem," said Silva. "They are phenomenal peoplewho really care, have the means and resources,and are committed to long-term care and buildingindividual relationships."

The Visiting Nurse Combat Casualty Assis-tance Program was originally founded in 1922 andwill be celebrating its 90th anniversary this year.In 2006, it was adapted to respond to the needs ofthe combat wounded and experienced, whose liveswere changed by service in a combat zone, saidWaddingham.

For more information on the NSAB NMCRSvisiting nurse program, contact Waddingham at(703) 784-0630, or by e-mail at [email protected].

NMCRS Visiting Nurse Program Supports Sailors, Families

Photo courtesy of Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society

Combat Casualty AssistanceVisiting NurseWhitney Jezek-Power schedules appoint-ments with Marine Corps Staff Sgt. AndrewBourne to aid him with his memory andplanning skills.

1032201


By Helen HocknellNSAB Public Affairs staff writer

Army Reserve 1st Sgt. RobertWatson always had a knack for car-pentry projects and enjoyed tinker-ing with electronics as a kid grow-ing up in Washington, D.C., solearning to fix computers seemedlike a natural next step.

When the 49-year-old drill ser-geant was at Fort Bragg, N.C. recov-ering from injuries he sustainedwhile serving in Iraq, he heardabout a free information technology(IT) course offered through theWounded Warrior Program thatpiqued his interest. Watson provedto be a stellar student, and nowworks as a civilian contractor teach-ing those same courses at the Tran-sition Training Academy (TTA) atNaval Support Activity Bethesda(NSAB) and Fort Belvoir, Va.

The courses are geared towardwounded warriors and their familymembers, but are open to activeduty military and civilian staff onbase. They are designed to preparestudents to take certification examsshould they choose to pursue a ca-reer in IT.

“Information Technology is a broadfield – it’s not just about fixing com-puters anymore,” explained Watson.

“You can do anything with it – fromlearning how to make the newest ro-botic limb, to installing computer net-works, to cyber security.”

“It really opens a lot of doors,”said Anne Bloesl, military transi-tion and employment programmanager at NSAB’s Fleet and Fam-

ily Support Center. Bloesl firstheard about TTA courses offered atCamp Pendleton, Calif., and wasthe driving force behind bringingthe program to Bethesda. Thecourses, one introductory courseand another advanced computer re-pair class, run on Mondays andWednesdays for 10 and 18 weeks re-spectively. The courses are entirelyfree to students and offer the sametraining that would cost much moreat a technical school or communitycollege.

“The credentials service mem-bers have from their military train-ing don’t always translate into thecivilian sector, which can be a realchallenge once they’ve left the serv-ice and are looking for work,” saidBloesl. “These courses play a crucialrole in easing that transition byequipping students with mar-ketable job skills.”

The course material is designedto be accessible to wounded war-riors struggling with both physicaland mental injuries. Watson saidhis military background and per-sonal experience as a wounded war-rior in recovery help him under-stand the unique challenges facingmany of his students.

Transition Training Academy offers career skills, healing environment

photo by Helen Hocknell

Naval SupportActivity Bethesda Commander Capt.Frederick Kassgave remarks at the first Transition Training Academy graduationceremony on Monday, congratulating the students on their hardwork and encouraging them to spread the word about the pro-gram.The 10-week introductory course and the 18-week advancedcomputer repair classes are held Mondays and Wednesdays inBuilding 11. For more information about the program, contact In-structor Robert K. Watson at: [email protected] or visittta.woundedwarriorproject.org.

See TRANSITION page 7

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By Mass CommunicationSpecialist 3rd Class

Nathan PardeNSAB Public Affairs

staff writer

One of the challenges militaryfamilies face is transferring to a newlocation and the integration into newcommunities. Naval Support ActivityBethesda's (NSAB) school liaison of-ficer (SLO), Daniel Dunham, repre-sents the educational needs of mili-tary children in the Washington D.C.capital region.

"One of the biggest challenges thatmilitary children face is relocating,"said Dunham. "Most military chil-dren attend at least four to nine dif-ferent primary and secondaryschools in their educational years, soI try to ease the problems that comewith these transitions."

The SLO's primary function is toprovide transition support to fami-lies within the Department of De-fense with school-age children. TheSLO acts as the focal point of contactbetween the installation commander,parents, the local school administra-tion and the community at large.

"My job is to look after the interestof military kids in the communityand do my best to educate the com-munity with programs that willteach the [school] staff and adminis-trators about the unique needs ofmilitary children," said Dunham.

NSAB Fleet and Family relocationspecialist Frederick Sherris works inthe same office as Dunham and re-tired from the Navy as a commandmaster chief. He shared that in thepast, when he would receive a newset of orders, he would be able to tellhis wife where he was heading, butnot about the education system

there. The Navy created the SLO po-sition to fill in that gap for servicemembers in similar situations, saidSherris.

"The School Liaison Officer Pro-gram started in 2009 and I think itis one of the best initiatives that theNavy has come up with," said Sher-ris. "They now recognize the need tosupport an active duty service mem-ber's family as much as the actualservice member."

Sherris said that though Dunhamhas a soft-spoken demeanor, he is aprofessional who takes his job veryseriously.

"It is a pleasure to work with Mr.Dunham," said Sherris. "He is a gen-tleman in every sense of the word,

but also knows his job inside and out.He works minor miracles for thefamily members."

Since he was hired as an SLO lastyear, Dunham said he has focused onbuilding relationships with localschool administrators.

"Montgomery County has morethan 193 schools, and I try to touchbases with as many as I can," saidDunham. "For example, I have agood relationship with Bethesda El-ementary School, because we havewounded warrior families with kidsthat go there."

Dunham often speaks to school ad-ministrators about two main pro-grams that are contracted by the Mil-itary Child Education Coalition and

funded by the Navy to be offered free-of-charge to the schools. The Student2 Student (S2S) program trains civil-ian and military-connected highschool students to establish and sus-tain peer-based programs in theirschools to support children as theytransition to and from the school.

"It is a peer-to-peer transition pro-gram that takes two high school kidsand sends them to receive a few daysof specialized training in San Antonioor Dallas, Texas," said Dunham. "It isvery intensive, and teaches them towelcome kids and help them acclimateto the school culture that is unique totheir locale.They then create a club inthe school, which will become self-run.There is also a similar program, JS2S,for middle school students."

The second program that Dunhambrings to the schools is the InterstateCompact, which is an agreement be-tween 43 states to give school admin-istrators the flexibility to work withstudents who are transferring intotheir school system and give themcredit for their completed courses,said Dunham.

"For example, a student who tookhistory classes in Texas and thenmoves to Maryland may find thatthey have different requirements forhistory. This [progrma allows theschools to] look at the classes that hehas taken, and still allow him tograduate."

Dunham, who works with Sherristo support transferring service mem-bers, said he is ready and availableto assist with any school-related is-sues or questions that service mem-bers may have.

For more information, contactDunham by e-mail at [email protected] or at (301) 295-7849.

School Liaison Officer Assists with Transferring Student's Educational Needs

Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Nathan Parde

Naval Support Activity Bethesda's School Liaison Officer DanielDunham,right,and Fleet and Family relocation specialist FrederickSherris review a sponsor's information Monday.

By Shoshona Pilip-Florea,U.S. Navy Bureau of Medicine

and Surgery Public Affairs

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- U.S.Navy Bureau of Medicine and Sur-gery, the flagship command for all ofNavy and Marine Corps medicine,started relocating its staff May 30from Washington, D.C., to FallsChurch, Va., as part of the Base Re-alignment and Closure (BRAC) Actof 2005.

Vice Adm. Matt L. Nathan, U.S.Navy surgeon general and chief,BUMED, officially transferred hisflag June 1, with the rest of theBUMED staff completing theirmove Tuesday.

"BUMED is alive and strong,"said Nathan, at a symbolic"Change of Port" ceremony heldMay 3 at its former location inWashington, D.C. "It is a culmina-

tion of the men and women whoserve the Navy Medical Depart-ment, whom our Sailors, Marines,and their families are counting onto complete the mission. We aresimply about to shift colors and goto a new homeport."

BUMED has been located at "theHilltop" in the Foggy Bottom areahere for 70 years, but the campushas served a variety of U.S. Navyand Navy Medicine activities fornearly a century. The compoundholds significant Navy historicalvalue and houses the original NavalObservatory.

"It is with mixed emotions thatwe are leaving here," said RearAdm. Michael H. Mittelman, U.S.Navy deputy surgeon general. "It isalso with excitement that will bemoving to our new location. Thisplace will always hold a specialplace in our hearts. Our ethos will

not change, just where we sit."BUMED will be collocating with

its Army, Air Force, and TRICAREManagement Activity medicalcounterparts into a new facilitycalled the Defense Health Head-quarters, but all the services willmaintain their own missions andleadership structure.

In a May 9 email message to hisBUMED staff, Nathan emphasizedthat the mission goes on, despitethe move.

"Defense Health Headquartersis not an entity, it is simply a build-ing," said Nathan. "BUMED has along and proud tradition and aneight mile stretch of highway doesnot change that. An address is onlya geographic location. It is notwhat makes our command great-itis each and every one of you, yourdedication, your hard work, andyour commitment to our Sailors

and Marines to provide them thevery best in care and support."

The new address for BUMED is7700 Arlington Blvd, Falls Church,Va., 22042-5113.

As the Navy Surgeon General andChief, BUMED, Nathan leads 63,000Navy Medicine personnel that pro-vide healthcare support to the U.S.Navy, Marine Corps, their familiesand veterans in high operationaltempo environments, at expedi-tionary medical facilities, medicaltreatment facilities, hospitals, clinics,hospital ships and research unitsaround the world.

Updated information on how toreach BUMED personnel is availableat https://admin.med.navy.mil/Pages/ContactUs.aspx.

For more news from Navy Medi-cine, visit www.navy.mil/local/med-news/.

Navy Medicine Headquarters Has New Address


By Cat DeBinder,Dave Dickinson and

Bernard LittleWRNMMC Journal

staff writers

To draw attention to the 101Critical Days of Summer and en-courage patients, staff and visitorsto think safety at all times, WalterReed National Military MedicalCenter (WRNMMC) and NavalSupport Activity Bethesda (NSAB)hosted Summer Safety Day on May30.

The 101 Critical Days of Sum-mer lasts from Memorial Dayweekend to Labor Day weekend, aperiod during which vehicle andrecreational accidents typicallyspike due to increased outdoor ac-tivities, explained Sean P. O'Reilly,occupational safety and health spe-cialist at WRNMMC and Jim Ganz,NSAB safety officer. "This is whythe theme 'Work, Play, Live Safe!'was chosen for Summer Safety Day,they explained.

Although traffic is typically nolaughing matter, comedian SteveVerret made it so with a purposeduring his presentations concern-ing traffic safety on Summer SafetyDay.

Verret, an IMPROV comedianwith more than 10 years experienceteaching traffic safety, the laws,and safe driving practices, encour-aged people to use common sensewhen getting behind the wheel of avehicle or riding a motorcycle.

"A STOP sign means stop," Ver-ret said. "But I've seen a lot of peo-ple who think the sign means 'SlowTo Observe Police,'" he added, whileencouraging people to drive safelyand obey the rules of the road.

Verret said he enjoys interactingwith his audience. In discussingdistracted driving, he jokinglyasked the audience, "Don't you hateit when you see a woman puttingon her make-up while driving?

Don't you also hate it when you seea man shaving while driving? Andwhat about when you see a womanshaving while driving, don't youhate that, too?"

But in all seriousness, Verretsaid distracted driving, drinking,driving and speeding have resultedin injuries and the loss of lives formany service members.

"I love to do comedy shows [forthe military] to boost their moralebecause they're serving our countryand I love what they're doing," Ver-ret added. "So [what I do is] twofold- I get to make them happy andmaybe save their lives."

Also as part of Summer SafetyDay, cheerleaders from the Wash-ington Redskins football team wereon hand to teach and demonstrateproper stretching and exercisetechniques to help people avoid in-juries during their workouts andtraining.

Coping with summer heat wasanother topic addressed duringSummer Safety Day, the subject of

heat stress made a relevant topic.HM3 Jessica Embrey, from the

WRNMMC Preventative MedicineDepartment, gave an overview onheat stress. She discussed the dan-gers of heat stress, including heatedema, a condition of swelling ofthe hands and feet associated withheat exposure. She also addressedheat stroke, a serious medicalemergency that should be treatedimmediately.

Embrey went on to name addi-tional heat stress related condi-tions such as heat rash, sunburn,circulation failure, heat crampsand heat exhaustion.

Embrey continued stating, "Edu-cation about the dangers and warn-ing signs of heat stress should oc-cur at all levels. It can be a key fac-tor in heat injury prevention.Knowing the factors that influenceheat injury will help you protectyourself and others."

She also added that a person'sability to adapt to heat can dependon a number of factors, such as

weight and fitness. "It is more dif-ficult for someone who is over-weight and/or out of shape to accli-mate to the heat," she explained.

Additional factors include fa-tigue, food and alcohol, medica-tions, clothing and water replace-ment, she stated.

Embrey concluded by cautioningfolks to be aware of the dehydrat-ing effects of some medications andmake sure to replace any water lostthrough sweating.

Code White training was also apart of Summer Safety Day. CodeWhite is the emergency code whenthere is an active shooter on baseand it encourages staff to shelter inplace.

On June 14, WRNMMC conductsits first medical center-wide CodeWhite response drill, that will bean exercise scheduled to occur dur-ing normal working hours and willimpact all personnel, including pa-tients, visitors and staff, within themedical center buildings, saidChristopher Gillette, service chief

Summer Safety Day Focuses on a Safe Walter Reed Bethesda

photo by David A. Dickinson

Cheerleaders from theWashington Redskins football team,Talme-sha and Truly, teach and demonstrate proper stretching and exer-cise techniques to help Timothy Leathers and Joseph White avoidinjuries during their workouts and training.

photo by David A. Dickinson

SteveVerret,an Improv comedi-an with more than 10 experi-ence teaching traffic safety, laws,and safe driving practices, en-courage members of theWalterReed Bethesda community touse safe practices when takingto the roads either by car ormotorcycle, during his comedicpresentation in Memorial Audi-torium at Summer Safety DayMay 30 on base.

“I like to call us the ‘New Faces ofIT,’” said Watson. “Often when yousee someone who has a disability –whether physical or mental – youmake assumptions about whatthey’re capable of doing. But like Itold students in the last class, we’regoing to get the word out: Just be-cause I’m missing a few fingers ora leg, doesn’t mean I can’t be onthis table putting these wires to-gether. Maybe I have slight memo-ry loss due to a traumatic brain in-jury and can’t recall things asquickly, but I can still read through

a chart to check various aspects ofthe computer system I’m fixing.”

Watson said he works hard tocreate an interactive classroom dy-namic, so everyone’s learning andteaching simultaneously.

“I try to give each student achance to share their strengths andchallenge everyone to get better atthe things that don’t come as natu-rally – whether that’s a computerskill or a life skill,” said Watson. Headded the course has helped himwith his continued recovery fromPost Traumatic Stress. In 2005 and2006, Watson served with a specialoperations unit in Iraq helping totrain the Iraqi military.

“For the first few months, I sleptwith a gun by my bed,” recalledWatson. “By the time I got back to

the states, I’d been shot at enoughtimes that trusting strangers wasdifficult.” He said getting up infront of new students in a class-room setting has helped him ad-just. “It’s still with me, but meetingnew people through this class helpsremind me that not everyone is outto get me, and finding out thatsomeone trusts me as their teacher,hearing about their experiences…well, it lets us all know we’re notalone.”

“It helps that he’s been in theirshoes – or boots – so to speak,” saidBloesl. “He knows what they’re go-ing through, and can help accom-modate the demanding schedulepatients and non-medical assis-tants have to juggle.”

Elcy Shootes, a non-medical as-

sistant whose husband is a wound-ed warrior, said it was challengingto balance the coursework with herother responsibilities.

“It wasn’t always easy,” saidShootes. “Sometimes, I’d have torun from class to a medical ap-pointment and back, but Mr. Wat-son was always there to help mecatch up,” explained Shootes.

Watson said that aside fromequipping students with practicalskills applicable in today’s job mar-ket, it can also be a key confidence-booster for wounded warriorswho’ve had their life turned upsidedown by an injury. “It makes peoplerealize, ‘Hey, I’ve faced a lot of ad-versity, but look what I can do now,’”explained Watson.

TRANSITIONTRANSITIONContinued from 5

See SUMMER page 8

8 Thursday, June 7, 2012 The Journal

about the latest developments in wound care,they're involved in research efforts, and they helporganize a three-day, bi-annual training confer-ence at the medical center, open to Department ofDefense personnel, who practice wound care in-ternationally.

"We're excited about the things we're initiat-ing," said May.

The Complex Wound and Limb Center's divi-sion officer, Lt. Cmdr. Stuart Hitchcock, expressedhis appreciation for their efforts and dedication.

"It is essential that we have highly trained pro-fessionals like RN (registered nurse) Aquino andRN May involved in the process, to help these in-dividuals understand and cope with the conse-quences of this sometimes misunderstood proce-

dure," according to Hitchcock.For some patients, the stigma associated with

the ostomy can be a significant psychosocial issuethat could further challenge their adjustment andrecovery, he stated. "With their over 50 years ofcombined experience, RN Aquino and RN Mayhave demonstrated consistent success in amelio-rating this as evidenced by the positive feedbackI have received from the hospital leadership, thepatients' family members and the patients them-selves as they adapt to their new lifestyle," Hitch-cock explained.

May and Aquino said they couldn't imagine do-ing anything else - nothing compares to havingsuch an impact on an individual's life.

"We love what we do ... I can be a resource forthem, [and] I can let them know that life does goon," said May. "It makes you feel good when [pa-tients] say, 'Thank you so much, that one littlething made a difference.'"

8 Thursday, June 7, 2012

NURSENURSEContinued from 3

stayed here and didn’t evacuate we treat them lo-cally. If for some reason we had to evacuate thenFleet and Family Services would set up an emer-gency family assistance center.

The Navy Family Accountability and AssessmentSystem (NFAAS), an event-based system used bythe Navy following a disaster or other “event,” helpsdetermine the location and condition of familymembers. It’s mandatory for military personnel toupdate their personal contact information in thesystem quarterly.

“We are able to check on the status of your safetythrough the use of NFAAS, so making sure it is upto date will only make you more prepared for thehurricane season,” said Greene.

For tips, status of severe weather and current in-formation the NSAB emergency management hasa Facebook page. You can also refer to the FEMAwebsite at www.ready.gov for instructional videoson how to prepare before, during and after severeweather.

HURRICANEHURRICANEContinued from 1

of Emergency Management at WRNMMC. It'sslated to last approximately 15 minutes, butthere should be no movement throughout thehospital during that time, and all staff and de-partments should "shelter-in-place," he added.Visitors will be asked to remain where they are,or may be escorted to a secure location. Staff, pa-tients and visitors attempting to enter the hospitalduring the exercise will be asked to remain wherethey are until the facility is secured.

Melissa H. Knapp, program manager for Emer-gency Management, Plans,Training and Exercisesat WRNMMC, encouraged staff to review the or-ange emergency guide book in their areas. Thebook includes Code White shelter-in-place proce-dures, such as: moving all personnel and visitorsfrom lobbies and general waiting areas into interi-or spaces; assigning patient-care providers torooms based on patient acuity level; closing alldoors and locking and/or barricading them whenpossible; turning off all lights, closing blinds, andturning off computer screens; silencing cell phones;dispersing personnel as much as possible so theyare not huddled together; and remaining hiddenuntil the all clear is given.

She added that during the Code White drill, theonly people who should be seen are the 200-plusevaluators and controllers for the exercise. "Theywant to see staff protecting patients and visitors.They want to see communications from staff to cus-tomers concerning the emergency.They want to seethat doors are closed, people are hiding, it's quiet,and the hospital appears as if it has shut down,"she explained.

For more information about the June 14 CodeWhite exercise, call Christopher Gillette at (301)295-3115 or Melissa Knapp at (301) 319-4906.

For more information NSAB safety, contactJim Ganz at [email protected]. For infor-mation concerning WRNMMC occupational safe-ty and health, contact Sean P. O'Reilly at (301)295-6634.

SUMMERSUMMERContinued from 7

For more news from other bases around the Washington, D.C. area,

visit www.dcmilitary.com.1031946


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