february 2012 examiner

By Dan Barber Public Affairs OfficerRobert E. Bush Naval Hospital

Commander Lisa Morrisrecently reported to theRobert E. Bush Naval

Hospital from Naval HospitalGuam where she served as theHead, Quality Management,Command Risk Manager andDirector of Branch Clinics.

Morris hails from Horsham,Pa. where she attended andgraduated from Horsham HighSchool before heading off toNorthern Colorado Universitywhere she graduated with aBachelors Degree in Nursing in1991.

Before leaving Colorado shewas introduced to the UnitedStates Navy in her junior yearby some very savvy NavyRecruiters. “The BDCP

(Bachelor Degree CompletionProgram) recruiters came to theUniversity of Northern Coloradoin my junior year and asked us,who would like to take a trip toSan Diego, so I raised my handwithout knowing what I wasgetting into..” Morris said. “Thiswas in the 89-90 time-framewhen they took us to BalboaNaval Hospital. It was on thewater and it was new and bigand beautiful.”

Morris was impressed with allthe modern equipment she sawon her trip to the Naval MedicalCenter in San Diego. She said“they had bedside monitors andthey (the recruiters) said thiswas what a Naval Hospitallooked like. Of course it wasmuch bigger and better than anyother hospital that I’d ever seen.I was talking to the Navy andthe Air Force at the time, but the

THE EXAMINER

Volume 20, No. 2 February 2012C

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Did you know?...

Robert E. Bush Naval Hospital

“Serving with Pride and Professionalism since 1993”

You have the right toexpress your concernsabout patient safety and

quality of care.There are several avenues opento you:* Through the ICE website.* The Hospital’s CustomerRelations Officer at 760-830-2475, or any of the CustomerRelations representatives in thehospital’s clinics, or directly tothe Joint Commission via: E-mail at [email protected]: 630-792-5636

The Joint CommissionOak Renaissance BoulevardOakbrook Terrace, IL 60181

To report Fraud, Waste andAbuse contact one of thebelow offices by calling:

Naval Hospital: 760-830-2764Combat Center: 760-830-7749NavMedWest: 1-877-479-3832Medical IG: 1-800-637-6175DoD IG: 1-800-424-9098

http://www.med.navy.mil/sites/nhtp/pages/default.aspx

An Award Winning Publication

Patients seen in December -- 10,399Appointment No Shows in December -- 649

Wow, in December we dropped down to 5.9 percent of patientno shows for appointments. We can continue this downwardtrend by keeping the appointments we make, or cancel inenough time for someone else to use the slot... This no showpercentage dropped almost a full percentage point since the lastreport!

To make an appointment call -- 760-830-2752To cancel an appointment call -- 760-830-2369

Naval Hospital Welcomes New Director of Medical Services

By Dan BarberPublic Affairs OfficerRobert E. Bush Naval Hospital

The Robert E. Bush Naval Hospital was recently surveyed by theJoint Commission and the Medical Inspector General of theNavy.

By undergoing these surveys the hospital seeks to earn the Jointcommission’s accreditation to show patients that this hospital meetsstrict standard of care to its patients.

Founded in 1951, The Joint Commission seeks to continuouslyimprove the safety and quality of care provided to the public throughthe provision of health care accreditation and related services thatsupport performance improvement in health care organizations.

The Joint Commission evaluates and accredits more than 15,000health care organizations and programs in the United States, includingmore than 8,000 hospitals and home care organizations, and morethan 6,800 other health care organizations that provide long term care,assisted living, behavioral health care, laboratory and ambulatory care

Hospital Completes Joint CommissionMedical Inspector General Survey

Continued on page 7

Continued on page 7

By Martha Hunt, MA CAMFHealth Promotion and WellnessRobert E. Bush Naval Hospital

The leading preventablecause of death and dis-ability in the U.S. is

tobacco use. According to the Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) nearly 60 percent of alldeaths of Americans age 45 to64 are tobacco related and thatthree of the top four leadingcauses of death in that agegroup are heart attack, cancerand chronic lower respiratorydiseases -- all directly linked totobacco use.

Tobacco use is a greater riskfactor for heart attack than being

overweight. In fact, you wouldhave to be 150 pounds over-weight in order to have the samehealth risks as one pack or canof dip a day habit. As few as 3cigarettes per day doubles yourrisk of heart attack and light cig-arettes do not reduce your riskof heart disease, cancer or anyother tobacco related disease.

What are the links betweenheart and cardiovascular dis-eases and tobacco?

Tobacco use is directly relatedto aortic aneurysm. Anyone overage 65 who has ever smokedshould be screened for aorticaneurysm.

Hypertension is also directlyrelated to tobacco use. Peoplewho use tobacco and caffeine

together have more than doublethe risk of high blood pressure -- i.e. your coffee and cig in themorning could be killing you.

Tobacco also leads to athero-sclerosis (hardening of the arter-ies), changes in the blood pres-sure in the legs leading to legpain, coronary heart disease,phlebitis and sudden death(especially in men).

As to women and tobacco use- women who smoke and takeoral contraceptives have a twen-ty five times higher risk ofstroke and fifty times higher riskof heart attack. Men and womenboth who are in their thirties andwho use tobacco are five timesmore likely to have a heartattack than a non-tobacco user.

Babies born to tobacco usershave abnormally high bloodpressure for the first 6 monthsof life and are more likely to beborn with heart defects - evenfrom second hand smoke around

the mother. Tobacco causes lowbirth weight babies which thenincreases the risk of that babyhaving high blood pressure andbeing pre-diabetic by their teensand early twenties.

When a mother smokes or isexposed to second hand smoke,her children grow up to be atrisk for: being obese, havinghigh blood pressure and havingpermanent damage to their cir-culatory system which canincrease risks of heart diseaseand stroke when they grow up.Women who breastfeed and usetobacco increase their baby’srisk of both atherosclerosis andcirculatory system damage

The Surgeon General’s Report“The Health Consequences ofInvoluntary Exposure toTobacco Smoke” reports thatsecond hand smoke is a leadingcause of disease, including lungcancer and coronary heart dis-ease, in otherwise healthy non-smokers. Exposure to any sec-ond hand smoke dramaticallyincreases the risk of heart dis-

ease, stroke, atherosclerosis andfaster blood clotting.

Second hand smoke inCalifornia causes 5,500 heartdisease deaths every year while151 Americans die every dayfrom second hand smoke (SHS)across the nation. Exposure toSHS for as little as 30 minutesdoubles the risk of heart attack,stroke and damage to the entirecardiovascular system of a non-smoker. We also now know thatSHS sets kids up for adult heartdisease as young as age 2.

Since SHS laws have beenenacted, ER heart attack admis-sion rates have dropped. In thefirst year that NYC enactedsmoke free laws: 4,000 heartattacks were prevented, saving$56.3 million in health carecosts and 1,000 lives saved.

Where can you get help fortobacco cessation? The tobaccocessation class is no longermandatory in order to access themedications. Contact HealthPromotion and Wellness at (760)830-2814 for more information.

2 -- The Examiner -- February 2012

Published by Hi-Desert Publishing, a private firm in no way connected with the Department of Defense, the UnitedStates Marine Corps, United States Navy or Naval Hospital, Twentynine Palms under exclusive written contract withthe Marine Air Ground Task Force Training Command. The appearance of advertising in this publication, includinginserts or supplements, does not constitute endorsement by the Department of Defense, the United States MarineCorps, the United States Navy or Hi-Desert Publishing of the products or services advertised. Everything advertisedin this publication shall be made available for purchase, use, or patronage without regard to race, color, religion, sex,national origin, age, marital status, physical handicap, political affiliation, or any other non-merit factor of the pur-chaser, user or patron. If a violation or rejection of this equal opportunity policy by an advertiser is confirmed, thepublisher shall refuse to print advertising from that source until the violation is corrected. Editorial content is preparedby the Public Affairs Office, Naval Hospital, Twentynine Palms, Calif.

Commanding OfficerCaptain Ann Bobeck, MSC, USN

Executive OfficerCaptain Cynthia Gantt, NC, USN

Command Master ChiefHMCM (SW/FMF) Rodney Ruth, USN

Public Affairs Officer/EditorDan Barber

Command OmbudsmanMichelle Lawson

Cell Phone (801) 928-4387

The Examiner welcomes your comments and suggestions concerning the publication. Deadline for submission ofarticles is the 15th of each month for the following month’s edition. Any format is welcome, however, the preferredmethod of submission is by e-mail or by computer disk.

How to reach us...Commanding Officer Naval HospitalPublic Affairs OfficeBox 788250 MAGTFTCTwentynine Palms, CA 92278-8250Com: (760) 830-2362DSN: 230-2362FAX: (760) 830-2385E-mail: [email protected] Publishing Company56445 Twentynine Palms HighwayYucca Valley, CA 92284Com: (760) 365-3315FAX: (760) 365-8686

February is heart health month

February is ‘Lose the Chew’ Month

By Martha Hunt, MA, CAMFHealth Promotions CoordinatorRobert E. Bush Naval Hospital

Who uses spit tobacco? The Marines have the highest smoke-less rate of any branch of the military with 33 percent ofactive duty Marines using smokeless tobacco. In fact,

according to the 2008 DoD Survey of Health Related Behaviors, theMarines have the highest rate of tobacco use, regardless of the type oftobacco product.

Why is spit tobacco use increasing? Some of the reasons includeincreased smoking restriction in schools, public places and worksites.Smokeless tobacco use is also increasing due to the introduction ofmilder and sweeter brands that appeal to younger tobacco users andwomen.

A lot of Marines and Sailors get hooked before they know the factsabout dip and chew. They don’t know spit tobacco: is highly addic-tive, doesn’t help performance and is not a safe alternative to ciga-rettes. Sometimes people switch to dip to stop smoking, not realizingthat dip actually has five times more nicotine than cigarettes.

What are some of the dangers of smokeless tobacco? Let’s start withreadiness. Tobacco use increases heat stress and dehydration. DoDand VA research has shown that tobacco use doubles your risk ofPTSD when exposed to a traumatic event such as combat or assaultand can mask underlying issues like depression or anxiety.

Tobacco use makes you more prone to infection if you are woundedand doubles the time it takes for broken bones to heal. Many surgeonswill not treat a patient who uses tobacco because of poor healing andrisk of infections. It also makes you a target whether you are smokingor dipping. Regarding heat signature, a lit butt can be seen at twomiles and a spit puddle can be seen for 15 minutes after you spit intothe sand making you easy to track.

One can of smokeless tobacco has the same amount of nicotine asfive packs of cigarettes. Also, one can of smokeless tobacco containsa lethal dose of nicotine if a child or animal eats it.

Over 50 percent of smokeless tobacco users develop pre-cancerousmouth sores within 3 1/2 years of use. According to the Centers forDisease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are 300,000 new casesof oral cancer in the US every year and half of all oral cancer is fatalwithin five years. Smokeless tobacco users are five times more likelyto lose all their teeth, have receding gums and tooth decay because ofthe sand and grit in the tobacco as well as the addition of sugar. Thehealth risks of dip also include: increased heart rate, heart disease,

Continued on page 7


The hospital staff wantsyou to understand thatanytime you have an

immediate life-threatening med-ical problem you should call911.

If you wake up one morningfeeling ill, you can call 830-2752 to possibly obtain a sameday appointment. Every effortwill be made to get you anappointment with your PrimaryCare Provider on your assignedMedical Home (MedHome)team.

If this isn’t possible you maybe assigned to another provideron your provider’s team or withany other available provider.

If you feel you should be seenin the Emergency MedicineDepartment for care you will be

seen, however, upon checking inat the EMD window, you will betriaged by an EmergencyMedicine Nurse within a rela-tively short time, depending onhow many patients are waitingto be triaged.

If the Nurse determines thatyou have an urgent need formedical care you will be admit-ted to the EMD where you willbe evaluated by military orcivilian contract physician. Theywill order diagnostic testing todetermine what treatment youmay require. This usually takesan extended amount of time,depending on the lab tests andradiological studies the EMDphysician orders.

If the triage Nurse feels thatyou can safely wait to be seenby an EMD physician you willbe asked to wait outside theEMD waiting area until a physi-cian is available to see you.

The Naval Hospital

Emergency MedicineDepartment should never beviewed as a walk-in clinic.

Patients are never seen on afirst come first served basis.Patients may have to wait for anextended period of time to beentaken care of by a physician,who is in most cases, is trainedin emergency medicine.

A family medicine trainedNurse Practitioner or Physicianis the person of choice to seekcare for most everyday illnesses.In most cases, after extendedwaiting to be seen and thenmore waiting for test results, theemergency room doctor willprovide some medications orsimple treatments and ask youto follow up with your primarycare provider in a day or two.

When this occurs you shouldcall (760) 830-2752 to make theappointment or request theappointment through your RelayHealth account at Naval

Hospital 29 Online. If there isunderlying symptoms the ERdoctor missed, your FamilyMedicine or Pediatric providerswill most likely be able to pickup on them.

If your symptoms are notsevere enough to prompt youseeking an appointment or avisit to the hospital’s EmergencyMedicine Department, the NavalHospital offers an Over-the-Counter (OTC) medication dis-pensing program for your con-venience. OTC medications maybe obtained for family membersbetween the ages of two and 18only by a parent or guardian.Patients who are not eligible toreceive OTC medications arepregnant or breast-feedingmothers, children less than twoyears old, and those who arecurrently in flight status or inthe Personal ReliabilityProgram.

All patients must have a validmilitary identification card intheir possession at the time ofdispensing.

Each family member will beeligible to receive a maximumof four different items in athree-month period. These med-ications will be entered intoeach person’s computer pre-scription record to screen forallergies, overlap medicationsand duplications.

A request form must be com-pleted which includes a briefquestion-and-answer assessmentof your medical conditions andcurrent medications you are tak-ing. You will receive a handoutdiscussing the proper use,dosages, cautions and sideeffects associated with the med-

ications you request and receive.If your medical condition doesnot improve or if it worsenswithin 48 hours, you shouldseek advice from a medical pro-fessional.

This program is designed tooffer access to many commoncough and cold, sore throat,fever, headache, stomach upsetand minor gynecological condi-tions that are listed below:

* Acetaminophen (Tylenol)325mg tablets & elixir

* Ibuprofen (Motrin) 200mgtablets & suspension

* Diphenhydramine (Benadryl)capsules & elixir

* Pseudoephedrine (Sudafed)tablets & syrup

* Triprolidine w/ pseu-doephedrine (Actifed) tablets &elixir

* Guaifenesin (Robitussin)syrup

* Guaifenesin w/ dex-tromethorphan (Robitussin DM)syrup

* Saline nasal spray/drops* Cepacol throat lozenges* Maalox (regular) 5 ounce

bottle* Clotrimazole (Gyne-

Lotrimin) 1 percent vaginalcream (not for the patient’s firstyeast infection and only oneissue every 6 months)

If you have a question to askof a medical provider, you cancall 830-2752 to leave a mes-sage. Or you can contact anymember of your Medical HomeTeam by logging on to yourRelay Health account throughthe Naval Hospital 29 Online athttps://app.relayhealth.com/Registration.aspx

The Examiner -- February 2012 -- 3

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How Do You use Your Medical Benefits?

By Dan BarberPublic Affairs OfficerRobert E. Bush Naval Hospital

The Robert E. Bush NavalHospital offers “MedicalHome Port” to enrolled

patients.The Medical Home Port model

allows patients enrolled atRobert E. Bush Naval Hospital,to see the same team ofproviders each time they comein for medical appointments.

The goal for this system is toallow you to see your personalPrimary Care Manager (PCM)as often as possible. However,if they are not available, anotherprovider on the same team willsee you. Only when no mem-bers of your health care teamare unavailable, will staffattempt to get you in to see anyavailable primary care providerregardless of team assignment.

Your team of healthcare pro-fessionals is made up of nurses,clerks, and hospital corpsmenthat are dedicated to providingtheir patients with the best pos-sible care. You should be able toget to know your team as wellas they can get to know you.

According to a recent article inthe Los Angeles Times newspa-per, Four physician groups... theAmerican Academy of FamilyPhysicians, the AmericanAcademy of Pediatrics, theAmerican College of Physiciansand the American OsteopathicAssn., believe this method ofpatient care, known as patient-centered medical homes is pro-viding patients with more accessto primary care and allowlonger appointments.

Medical Home Ports add con-tinuity of care for patients evenwhen your active duty providerdeploys. The combination ofboth civilian and military teammembers cultivates stability forthe teams and patients whenmilitary members are trans-ferred or deployed.

In addition to assigningpatients to one of the teamshere, Naval HospitalTwentynine Palms has estab-lished “Naval Hospital 29Online” which is powered as asecure messaging program byRelay HealthTM... contractedthrough Navy Medicine.

Naval Hospital 29 Online is asecure computer based programwhich provides a more conven-

ient method of communicationsbetween you and your health-care teams, allowing patients tosecurely communicate, via e-mail.

Naval Hospital 29 Onlineallows patients to request theirlab results; request a medicationrefill; access health care infor-mation and allows them to cre-ate their own health care recordto help manage their own care,all from the comfort of home.A feature of this new communi-cations concept that is provingvery popular, patients are able torequest appointments throughthe Naval Hospital 29 Onlinelink on the hospital’s web site.

The phone number to call forappointments is still (760) 830-2752, you will be directed bythe operator of your assignedteam. Look for continuedimprovement processes to helpus help you.

New Model of Health Care Delivery andCommunications Improve Patient Satisfaction

...Medical Home Portsadd continuity of care forpatients even when youractive duty providerdeploys...


Super Stars...

HM2 Nicole Gacayan,Preventive Med. Dept., receivesa Navy and Marine CorpsCommendation Medal.

Lieutenant Cali Scott, a Nurse Corps Officer assigned to theOB/GYN Clinic, takes the oath at her recent promotion ceremony toher current rank as a Lieutenant. HM1 Janette Holmes, assigned to the hospital’s command suite,

receives a gold star in lieu of her fourth Navy and Marine CorpsCommendation Medal after being selected as the command’s SeniorSailor of the Year for 2011.

Lt. Joshua Blackburn,Pharmacy Dept., receives agold star in lieu of his secondNavy and Marine CorpsCommendation Medal.

HM3 Joshua Culp, assigned tothe Blue Team, is frocked tohis current rank as a ThirdClass Petty Officer.

HM1 Henry Forcadilla, Leading Petty Officer in the RadiologyDept., receives a command coin and recognition, for his hard workand outstanding achievements for his department and this com-mand, from Captain Ann Bobeck, Commanding Officer, NavalHospital Twentynine Palms at the recognition luncheon for theRadiology Department staff. Each month the command hosts theseluncheons to honor the hard work of the staff and allows the com-manding officer and department staff to have a two-way conversa-tion about how to improve the working conditions for the staff andin turn look for ways to improve care to patients.

HM2 Timothy Hurtado,assigned to the hospital’s MainOperating Room, is frocked tohis current rank as a SecondClass Petty Officer.

Cmdr. Lisa Morris, Directorfor Medical Services, receives aMeritorious Service Medalfrom Commander NavyMedicine West for her work ather former command at U.S.Naval Hospital Guam.


Craig Palmer, CIO

Hospital’s Information ManagementDepartment Strives to “Provide theBest in IT” to Hospital Staff...

In the Spotlight...

“We’ve been really busy on the IT pro-fessional certifications trail,” saidTim Smith.

The below professional certifications recentlyobtained by some of the IMD staff, are required forthe Robert E. Bush Naval Hospital InformationManagement Department personnel, as members ofthe Information Assurance Workforce, tasked withimplementing Defense-in-depth strategy for thecommand.

Mr. Craig Palmer (CIO) and Mr. Tim Smith(IAM) obtained their Global InformationAssurance Certification - (GIAC) for SecurityLeadership (GSLC); Phil Breault (COR) obtained

his Contracting Officer Representative (COR) cer-tification with a Mission Focus; Mr. RobertCarbajal (Lead SA) received a Microsoft CertifiedSystems Engineer (MCSE) certification; Mr.Richard Watson (SA) earned the MicrosoftCertified Systems Administrator (MCSA) certifica-tion; Mr. John Talbert (CTO) and Mr. James Cox(NetAdmin) both obtained their Cisco CertifiedNetwork Associate (CCNA) certifications.

According to Palmer, the staff in the InformationManagement Department would not be able tolegally support many of the command’s sensitivesystems without them constantly updating theirvarious certifications.

Philip Breault, COR

Richard ‘Rick’ Watson, (SA)

Robert ‘Rob’ Carbajal (Lead SA)

Tim Smith (IAM)

John Talbert, (CTO) James Cox, (NetAdmin)


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Naval Hospital Twentynine Palms Communicates with Face Book, Twitter and Health Blog


Did you know the Robert E. Bush Naval Hospitalhas been communicating with patients, staff andthe outside world with the social media sites of

Facebook, Health Blog and Twitter since June 2009, thefirst command in Navy Medicine to do so.

By using these channels of communications the hospitalhas increased the visibility of its various programs, clin-ics and events and at the same time opening up channelsto allow nearly instant two way communications withcustomers.

Information that the hospital posts on the social mediasites mostly deals with health promotions and health edu-cation and is beneficial to anyone who reads them.

Also, any special events that might be beneficial topatients or staff will be posted.

We also enjoy sharing our good news by posting photosof our events, promotion and awards ceremonies.

The hospital’s web site complies with all policies andlaws regarding the privacy of service members, retireesand families. Also, no personal information will be col-lected by Naval Hospital Twentynine Palms or the U.S.Navy during the operation of this site. Nor will any per-sonal health information be shared on our unsecure webpages.

Each of these avenues of communications allows any-one to post comments on articles that are published onthe hospital’s blog or Facebook. The sites are monitoredcontinuously and questions or comments will beanswered if its appropriate to do so.

These communications channels should not be used to“air dirty laundry” or circumvent the normal chain of

command. The hospital staff will not offer personal opin-ions on, or enter into debates about, our superiors, thegovernment officials or bodies listed in Article 88 of theUniform Code of Military Justice, or partisan politicalissues. Commenter’s will be similarly moderated, as thissite is continually monitored and in the case of inappro-priate comments they will be immediately removed.

The hospital employs a full-time Customer RelationsOfficer (CRO) assigned to help beneficiaries with issuesrelating to their care, and if appropriate the CRO willfacilitate a positive outcome for patients.

To view the Robert E. Bush Naval Hospital web site orto follow us on any of our social media sites visit:

https://www.med.navy.mil/sites/nhtp/Pages/default.aspxhttp://www.facebook.com/pages/Naval-Hospital-

Twentynine-Palms/83701100741http://robertebushnavalhospital.blogspot.com/https://twitter.com/NH29Palms

DoD Website Connects Military KidsBy Elaine SanchezAmerican Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Jan. 24, 2012 - A new Defense Department website is connectingmilitary children -- whether it’s across town or across the world -- who are dealingwith a loved one’s deployment.

The website, Military Kids Connect, offers military children an online communitywhere they can learn about deployments, recognize and share feelings, and developcoping skills.

Psychologists from the DoD’s National Center for Telehealth and Technology devel-oped the site to build on military kids’ strength and resilience, especially as they dealwith the unique stressors of military life.

“We felt by connecting military kids with each other, through providing peer-to-peersupport, they'd be able to build on the resilience they have already and learn new cop-ing skills to deal with deployments,” explained Kelly Blasko, a psychologist from thecenter, dubbed T2.

The site features tools for all stages of the deployment cycle -- from predeploymentthrough reintegration.

To help prepare kids for an impending separation, the site includes an interactivemap that offers information on numerous deployment locations. The aim here is to‘give them positive information, rather than the negative information they hear on thephone or on the news,” Blasko said.

“We tried to focus on the fact they get increased responsibility at home [during adeployment], as well as new routines, because their parent is gone,” she said. “We

developed activities around that.”The post-deployment section deals heavily with the reconnection process upon the

service member’s return, Blasko added.While the sections share a common theme, site developers customized information

and activities to best suit children’s age-specific needs. They created tracks for threedifferent age groups: 6 to 8, 9 to 12 and 13 to 17.

“We wanted to develop content around the different challenges that these kids faceduring the different phases of deployment,” Blasko explained.

Kids react to deployment-related stress in different ways, she noted. Teens may iso-late more, act out, and may even get involved with drugs and alcohol. Tweens oftenrely on their parents for feedback and acknowledgement, and when a parent is absent,that can create a void. And younger children may regress due to anxiety, she added.

“The focus really is on the kids and providing them with coping skills for the differ-ent challenges they face,” she said.

Blasko said they came up with the idea for the site after noting a marked gap inresources for military kids dealing with deployments. T2 offers a deployment websitecalled afterdeployment.org for troops, veterans and their families, with a module forparents helping children with deployments. But that wasn’t enough, she said.

“We realized that helping children with deployment was actually larger, and thatparticular module didn’t really address the issues that military children face,” sheadded.

Experts believed a site dedicated to aiding kids through the deployment cycle“would be an incredible contribution to help kids with this challenging time,” shesaid. To gain ideas from a military kid’s perspective, they hosted a series of focusgroups with children 9 to 17 about what they’d like to see on the site.

Continued on page 8


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Navy’s duty stations were most-ly on the water and I like thewater.” Morris didn’t commentthat most of the Air Force com-mands are in the Midwest.

After graduating from college,she was commissioned anEnsign in the Nurse Corpsunder the Bachelor DegreeCompletion Program. Sheattended Officer IndoctrinationSchool in Newport RhodeIsland and received orders toher first duty station at NavalHospital Orlando, Florida.

Since that time Morris sawduty at Naval Hospital GreatLakes, Ill; Naval HospitalRoosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico;Naval Medical CenterPortsmouth, Va.; Naval HospitalJacksonville, Fla., where shewas selected for deployment toGuantanamo Bay, Cuba as theDirector for Nursing Services aspart of Joint Task Force GTMO.

Morris stated that her mostrewarding experience to datewas while working as a ClinicalNurse Manager for PlasticSurgery and Reconstruction atNaval Medical CenterPortsmouth.

While there she was a member

of the team that provided carefor treatment of craniofacialanomalies, and initiated the onlyNavy approved BreastReconstruction Study. “I workedwith patients who were under-going facial cranial reconstruc-tion and breast cancer patientswith reconstruction. This type ofsurgery can be life changing forthe patients.”

In her leadership role hereMorris said, “I would like tobring Team SteppsTM to thedirectorate. I can really see thevalue and I can see where it’sneeded. My philosophy is that Itreat everyone the same it’salways a team effort, I listen toeveryone, I take input fromeveryone. I listen to the Chiefs,I listen to the officers and I lis-ten to the HNs. I think as aleader you always have to bewilling to listen and now thatI’m in the position of leadershipI don’t feel like I’m in charge ofanybody, I feel that I am work-ing for everybody.”

Morris is married to RonaldMorris and they have threedaughters. One daughter is stillliving in Florida, where she isworking as a nanny and teaches

gymnastics. The other two chil-dren attend high school and ele-mentary school in TwentyninePalms. Her youngest daughterand husband are involved in theTwentynine Palms Park andRecreation Youth Basketballprogram.

When not busy with work,Morris enjoys swimming andmost outdoor activities.

While here in TwentyninePalms the Morris family willmost likely be exploring most ofthe Joshua Tree National Park.“I am afraid of heights, but I amworking on that by scramblingover boulders at the Joshua TreePark,” said Morris.

Morris just completed therequirements for a MastersDegree in Business from theUniversity of Phoenix. Shepointed out that she did most ofthe course work for thisadvanced degree while assignedto U.S. Naval Hospital Guam,but completed the final assign-ment here.

Morris has earned theMeritorious Service Medal,Joint Services CommendationMedal, the Navy CommendationMedal with 2 gold stars and theNavy Achievement Medal with2 gold stars as well as variousunit citations.

services. An independent, not for- profit organiza-tion, The Joint Commission is the nation’s oldestand largest standards-setting and accrediting bodyin health care.

Captain Ann Bobeck, Commanding Officer,Naval Hospital Twentynine Palms, stated, “Bygoing through the Joint Commission accreditation,we are demonstrating that we’re willing to do morethan the minimum to meet government regulationsand ensure quality and a safe patient environment.This command has been successful in providingthat care since it opened its doors to patients inJuly 1993.”

Bobeck added, “I am extremely proud of the staffof this hospital in how willing they were to meetwith the surveyors and to share how they care for

patients. Everyone did an extraordinary job duringthe survey, and I am very proud to serve as com-manding officer of this hospital.”

The Joint Commission conducted a short-notice,on-site evaluation of Naval Hospital TwentyninePalms during the second week of January.

“We sought accreditation for our organizationbecause we want to demonstrate our commitmentto our patients’ safety and quality care,” says MaryEllen Hogan, Joint Commission Coordinator forthe Naval Hospital. “We view obtaining JointCommission accreditation as another step towardachieving health care excellence.”

Hogan spoke of her pride in a staff whose mem-bers ask what needs to be done to be accredited byThe Joint Commission. “In addition, they appreci-ate the educational aspect of the survey and theopportunity to interact with the team of surveyors.”

Survey...Continued from page 1

New Director...Continued from page 1

Life’s Lesson...

...Always avoid being the squeaky wheel, and always be the source oflubricant for other squeaky wheels...

stroke, high blood pressure,peptic ulcer disease, low birthweight babies and other repro-ductive disorders such as infer-tility and impotency.

With regards to oral cancer,check your mouth often and seeyour dentist regularly. Examinethe spots where you hold thetobacco. See your doctor or den-tist right away if you have: asore that bleeds easily and does-n’t heal, a lump or thickeninganywhere in your mouth or

neck, soreness or swelling thatdoesn’t go away, a white lumpor patch in the mouth, pro-longed sore throat, difficultychewing, difficulty swallowing,feeling that something is stuckin the throat, or difficulty mov-ing the tongue or jaw.

Where can you go for tobaccocessation help? The NavalHospital Health Promotion andWellness program offers one onone counseling and unit standdowns. Call Health Promotionsat 830-2814.

Lose the Chew...Continued from page 2

“One of the things they feltwas missing was an online mili-tary kids community,” Blaskosaid. “We developed an onlinesocial network forum where[teens and tweens] can postcomments and get replies --where they can share thingsabout deployment.”

To further the dialogue, thesite features videos with mili-tary kids and their parents dis-cussing situations they’ve dealtwith and the coping skillsthey’ve employed.

In one video story, a soldiertalks with her three daughtersabout their feelings when shedeployed to Afghanistan. Theydiscussed how they felt whenshe left and their experienceswhile she was gone.

“I felt kind of sad at first,” oneof her daughters said, “but Iknew she was helping otherpeople, so it kind of eased awaymy pain inside.”

Other popular add-ons includesections where students can cre-ate scrapbooks, participate ininstructional and videovignettes, and in interactivegames that wrap around thedeployment cycle.

One of the site’s most-popularfeatures is a section where kidscan select the weather and timefrom among the six most com-mon deployment locations.Once selected, the informationalways shows up on their homepage. This enables the kids tofeel a connection with a parentdeployed, for example, toAfghanistan, Blasko noted.

As kids progress through thesite, they can earn passport

stamps in a virtual passport bycompleting games and activities.

While the site is geared for theyounger generation, adultsshouldn’t hesitate to log on,Blasko said. A parent moduleexplains behavioral changesthey should keep an eye out forand parenting strategies theycan employ to help their kidsthrough tough times.

The site also features a modulefor educators to raise awarenessof military children’s challengesand to help educators recognizein-school behaviors that mayindicate deployment-relatedanxiety.

Blasko acknowledged con-cerns regarding Internet safetyfor the online kids community.Developers kept this in mindthroughout the process, she said,and have exceeded securityrequirements. For example, par-ents must give permission forchildren to use the messageboards.

“We have been working reallyhard to provide a safe onlinecommunity for these kids,” shesaid.

With the site’s first iterationunder way, experts already areforging the path ahead. For thenext version, they’d like tofocus on three areas, Blaskosaid. First, they’d like toimprove the online parent-childinteraction, perhaps by havingparents provide a stamp ofacknowledgement when theirchild is on the site. They’re alsohoping to engage deployed par-ents more by offering a gamethe deployed parent and childcan play together.

Next, they’d like to focus onpost-deployment, which is oftenthe most difficult time of thedeployment cycle, Blasko noted.

“So many changes occur dur-ing deployment for the kids andparents,” she explained. “Whenthey come home, just gettingback to the family routine getsvery difficult and even more dif-ficult if there's been post-trau-matic stress disorder or some

type of problem that resultsfrom deployment.”

Finally, they’d like to enhancethe site’s teen content. “We real-ly think it is certainly an at-riskpopulation, and [we want to] besure we give them as manyskills to deal with anxiety aspossible,” she said.

Blasko said the project hasbeen rewarding both profession-ally and personally. “I reallyadmire military kids and thestrength that they have given thedifferent challenges they face,”

she added. “It really is an honorto serve them some way throughthe website and connectingthem with other kids, and par-ents.”

One of the nice things aboutthe website, she noted, is that itteaches coping skills now.“They can carry that throughtheir whole life and deal withthings that come up that wecan’t even anticipate,” she said

The sites URL is: MilitaryKids Connect <https://www.mil-itarykidsconnect.org/>


5X3VIP

Recently the some of the leaders from the Naval Hospital visited the DeWert Branch Clinic Bridgeport.In the photo from left to right are Lt.Cmdr. Chris Joas; Frank Jacobelli; Capt. Maureen Pennington,SNE; HMCM Rodney Ruth, CMC; Capt. Ann Bobeck, CO; Capt. Cynthia Gantt, XO; HM3 Joseph Lee,and in front is HN Jeffrey Fleming and HM3 Timothy Putney

On the Road...

DoD Website Connects Military Kids...Continued from page 6

february 2012 examiner

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