Care coordinators help wounded rehabilitate in many areas of life

Published Dec. 16, 2011
Defense Media Activity and 81st Training Wing Public Affairs

FORT MEADE, Md. -- When an Airman becomes seriously wounded, ill or injured, the little things have a tendency to fall through the cracks as they focus on recovery and rehabilitation. These little things, like paying the bills for instance, have the potential to turn into major problems for Airmen and their families if they're left unresolved.

That's when Air Force Recovery Care coordinators step in. They find service members who are wounded during war, injured in an accident or diagnosed with a serious illness and provide them with nonmedical support throughout their recovery, rehabilitation and re-integration stages. That help includes transportation, housing, finances, legal assistance and even child care.

Currently, there are 33 RCCs in the program located throughout the continental U.S. as well as one in Hawaii and Landstuhl, Germany, serving more than 1,100 wounded, ill or injured Airmen. They're strategically stationed at hospitals and other locations where high volume of wounded, ill or injured Airmen are being treated.

Keesler's recovery care coordinator is Dan Ransom, who assumed his duties in 2009 after retiring from the Air Force with 26 years of service. His background as a military training leader and in professional military education gave him the management skills that prepared him for the job.

Most coordinators are former first sergeants, command chiefs or colonels. The experience they gained during their time in the Air Force enables them to provide better service to Airmen because they understand how the system works.

When a coordinator finds an Airman who wants their assistance, the RCC completes a comprehensive recovery plan with the service member to establish goals and identify nonmedical areas where help is needed.

Mr. Ransom's job focuses primarily on the non-clinical needs of 64 wounded warriors in Mississippi and Alabama, including active duty, Reserve and National Guard members.

"I work closely with Donna Anderson, our wounded warrior nurse case manager, and a multidisciplinary team to ensure that a service member's care is complete, both medically and non-medically," he explained. "The collaborative effort between many Team Keesler agencies in assisting our wounded, injured or ill is phenomenal."

The mental health clinic is instrumental in providing post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury screening and counseling. The airman and family readiness center assists with Air Force Aid Society loans and financial counseling. Naomi Kraima, counselor for the Disabled American Veterans transition assistance program, provides disability information for members who are being medically retired or separated.

"A large number of service members are referred to us from their units," Mr. Ransom pointed out. "Keesler's first sergeants and chiefs group are exceptional in using our program. It's truly a collective effort to ensure today's warriors are taken care of completely."

The non-clinical needs of service members are great -- financial, legal and administrative.

"Sometimes when regulations state that something can't be done, it is my job to find someone that can do it," he stressed. "The needs of service members don't go away when they're told we can't do anything for them--they still have house payments, car payments, children to feed."

Tech. Sgt. Chris Powell, Defense Media Activity, and Susan Griggs, 81st Training Wing Public Affairs, contributed to this report.