February 2005 Frontline - Commissioned Officers Association

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CALL FOR AWARDS NOMINATIONS Mabel May Wagner Award This award, established in 1979, is open to all professional nurses in the PHS who are engaged in clinical nursing practice. The award consists of an engraved plaque and $1000 in cash. The award is presented annually to a professional nurse in the Public Health Service (Commissioned Corps and Civil Service) who: • Exemplifies resourcefulness and dedication in helping to accomplish the mission of the Public Health Services; • Demonstrates professional and technical skills and competence raising the quality of nursing; • Displays evidence of exceptional ability to apply nursing standards of practice; • Remains involved in continuing education as a participant, organizer or sponsor of it; • Is of such excellence as to merit Public Health Service recognition. Nominations: Nominations may be made by an HHS employee or employee where the nurse officer is detailed, in the form of a letter (limited to two pages) containing: • name, title and grade of the nominee; • work experience and educational background of the nominee; • a brief description of the nominee’s present duties and responsibilities including the scope of work; • a narrative statement of how the person meets the criteria for the award including a description of the specific accomplishments and/or contributions on which the nomination is based as well as exploring current practice vs. lifetime achievement. The achievements for which the nurse is being recognized should be within the last three years. • Must state, in writing, that the individual is in good standing and has an active RN license on file (for Commissioned Corps officers in must be on file with DCP); and • an endorsement by the nominee’s supervisor (responsible for ensuring the candidate’s good standing and work performance) and the final verification (for the recommended award recipient) will be by the Chief Nurse Officer (who will check with DCP to ensure that there are no outstanding actions and that an active license is on file) • Award nominations should be limited to two pages. A Message from the Medical Affairs Branch On behalf of the Medical Affairs Branch (MAB), I would like to thank all PHS Commissioned Corps officers for your admirable contributions put forth while serving in the Public Health Service (PHS). The MAB staff recognizes and appreciates your unrelenting efforts to serve our country and devotes to put forth the same level of energy and commitment while tending to your healthcare and administrative needs. Furthermore, we would like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude to all of the wonderful family members for their sacrifices and pledge our unwavering support to them alike. I would also like to assure you that the MAB is continuously looking for ways to optimize the quality of services rendered to our customers. We work closely with the supportive leadership teams of the Program Support Center (PSC) and the PHS to align objectives in favor of the population we serve and contribute to the mission of these (and other) military and government agencies. In order to review, coordinate and make determination(s) related to your medical affairs, it is paramount that all documentation, medical evidence, non-medical assessments, etc. are submitted to the MAB in a complete and timely fashion. Any variation of such will most likely delay progress and can hinder the ability to make fully informed decisions in an expeditious manner. Please be advised that it is highly encouraged for all healthcare beneficiaries to maintain copies of health related documents for their personal records. On the rare instance that a document is misplaced, lost in transition, etc. you may be called upon to produce such an item(s) if the need should arise. Meticulous record keeping on our end and yours will provide a “checks and balances” system that will virtually eliminate the possibility of un-retrievable medical documentation. Most importantly, I would like to stress the fact that “We are here to serve you!” If you need assistance, have questions, suggestions or concerns, please feel free to contact us at your earliest convenience during normal business hours at the contact information listed below. Last, but certainly not least, we would like to thank the Commissioned Officer’s Association (COA) for affording us the opportunity to provide guidance and communicate through this newsletter. The COA truly plays a vital role in the success of today’s Public Health Service. Very Respectfully, Russell J. Garisto, CHE Chief, Medical Affairs Branch Phone: 301-594-6300 or 1-800-368-2777 ext 0 Fax: 301-594-2973 or 1-800-733-1303 6 COMMISSIONED OFFICERS ASSOCIATION
The deadline for receipt of nominations for the 25th annual Mabel May Wagner Nursing Award is March 14, 2005. Please send nominations via email to Carrie Bright at cbright@coausphs.org. Lucille Woodville Award This award was established in the Public Health Service’s (PHS) centennial year as a memorial to the professional career of Lucille Woodville, who began her illustrious career in the Indian Health Service (IHS) in 1956. As part of her work in IHS, Ms. Woodville established the first Nurse Midwifery Service in Bethel, Alaska. She retired in 1973, after serving as Assistant Chief (1964- 1971) and Chief (1971-1973) of the Maternal Child Health Branch, Division of Indian Health, Health Resources Services Administration, of the PHS. This award honors a nurse midwife or a maternal/child health nurse whose work has resulted in significant contribution to the health and well-being of mothers and newborns. Each nominee must demonstrate outstanding contributions in improving maternal/child health. This contribution may be the commitment of their time and skills in the clinical setting, or may be in the design, implementation and/or management of innovative maternal/child health programs. All registered nurses, both Civil Service and Commissioned Corps, are eligible for the award. Any employer or employee of the PHS or Associate of a PHS contract or grant program may nominate a PHS nurse for this award. The nomination should clearly describe what the nurse accomplished, e.g., the identified problem, the intervention strategy, and the results. The impact on the individual client and/or the impact on the health care delivery system should also be described. All nominations must be endorsed and approved by the nominee’s first-line supervisor. The Nomination Deadline is March 7, 2005. Address nominations to the Lucille Woodville Award Nomination Committee, COA; 8201 Corporate Drive, Suite 200, Landover, MD 20785. COA Membership Continues to Grow: Seeks to Set All-Time High COA is pleased to announce that total membership came in at 7,139 as of January 1, 2005 – one of its largest totals achieved in many years. While total active duty Corps strength continues to hover around 5900 to 6000, COA has been steadily increasing its membership over the last three years. For the historical context, COA records indicate the largest membership total was reached in June, 1981 with a total of 7,149 members. As of January 1st, 2004, COA was officially representing 6,992 members. In one year alone, the Association has grown by 147 members and stands only 11 members away from reaching its largest membership total in COA’s history. The Association is hopeful that its recent successes, in representing Corps’ legislative initiatives, help encourage new members to sign on. From securing a fair and balanced annual pay raise to ensuring that Corps officers deployed to combat areas are properly recognized for their service, COA has and will continue to fight for the muchdeserved benefits of all Corps officers. Additionally, COA has and will continue to be a strong and constant voice in representing the best interests of Corps officers during transformation. The increase in COA membership should only serve as encouragement for new members to sign on as well. While at this time, Commissioned Corps’ structure and processes are key issues, there are a number of “stable” issues to join. Every year, COA holds an annual meeting where experienced and novice public health professionals gather to network with others, lecture on key public health issues and discuss some of the hot topics of the Commissioned Corps. This year’s conference, held in Philadelphia, PA - the birthplace of the USPHS, promises to be the best yet. With the addition of numerous sponsors and vendors as well as the International Global Health Summit, highlighted by a preview of the Surgeon General’s Report on Global Health, the Annual Conference is a must for all active, inactive, and retired Corps officers and public health professionals. Other benefits of joining COA include retirement seminars, insurance programs, Frontline, local branch membership and scholarship programs for the children and spouses of COA members. Last year, COA, in conjunction with the Commissioned Officers Foundation awarded a total of $8,500 to nine scholarship winners. We hope to build upon this number in 2005 with the help of corporate and branch sponsorships. Numerous additional benefits are provided to COA members. Please visit the COA webpage to view your member benefits and to encourage new members to join as well. Recruitment of new members into COA only helps to strengthen the voice that protects each Commissioned Corps officer. All membership questions can be answered by contacting Trish Hoffman at 301-731-9080 and by email at thoffman@coausphs.org. COA FRONTLINE • FEBRUARY 2005 7
Page 1 and 2: C O M M I S S I O N E D O F F I C E
Page 3 and 4: The Annual Physical Fitness Test ag
Page 5: “Three and Freeze” By Jerry Far
Page 9 and 10: COA FRONTLINE • FEBRUARY 2005 9
Page 11 and 12: 2005 Public Health Professional Con
Page 13 and 14: The Scientist Professional Advisory
Page 15 and 16: The Officer demonstrates profession
Page 17 and 18: PHS Pharmacists Fill Many Roles Dur
Page 19 and 20: Florida, and several of Florida’s
Page 21 and 22: Commissioned Corps Physical Therapi
Page 23 and 24: CAPT Gregory J. Glahn (Ret.) CAPT A
Page 25 and 26: funded. This all relates back to th
Page 27 and 28: Commissioned Corps brings to public
Page 29: Photocaption Beans Cafe Photo 29 CO

February 2005 Frontline - Commissioned Officers Association

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