81st Medical Group wins 20 AETC awards Published Jan. 27, 2011 By Mr. Steve Pivnick KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- Members of the 81st Medical Group earned 15 individual and five team honors in the 2010 Air Education and Training Command Air Force Medical Service awards competition. Large dental clinic - 81st Dental Squadron. Commanded by Col. (Dr.) Nicholas Miniotis, the clinic was cited for leading a Panama dental readiness training (DENTRETE) mission in which 20 medics set up operations and treated patients in an austere environment. They treated 1,200 patients and completed 4,000 dental procedures plus 1,003 lab procedures. The staff also responded to humanitarian crises in Haiti and Chile by screening and clearing 100 81st MDG deployers. Outstanding junior clinical dentist of the Year - Dr. (Maj.) Jeffrey Brown, oral and maxillofacial surgeon. His nomintion noted he was "the No. 1 clinical provider among 40 dentists, treating 1,260 patients, completing 4,300 procedures and 120 intravenous sedations." He mentored 20 residents and guided oral maxillofacial surgery training with more than 420 staffing encounters and 250+ IV sedations. Outstanding dental officer -- Lt. Col. Andre Henriques, dental laboratory flight commander. He was recognized for leading the Panama DENTRETE. He mentored 20 residents, directing prosthodontic training and producing the civilian equivalent ofmore than $500,000 in balanced clinical, teaching and management duties. In addition, Colonel Henriques was selected as program director for the new advanced clinical program in implant dentistry. Critical care nurse--Capt. Patricia Williams, 81st Inpatient Operations Squadron critical care flight element leader. During her deployment in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, she transported 47 critical patients during 30 incidentfree aeromedical evacuation missions. As nursing critical care air transport team leader at Balad Air Base, Iraq, she served as AE liaison, streamlining 103 patient evacuations. Medical surgical nurse -- Capt. Reynel Garcia, clinical nurse with the 81st IPTS surgical inpatient flight. Captain Garcia was recognized for mentoring and being preceptor to 12 nurse transition program students, four civilian registered nurses and 37 Aerospace Medical Apprentice Phase II course students. He provided direct care to 437 patients and managed more than 800 cardiac, orthopedic, general surgery and ear, nose and throat patients and was credited with saving $7.3 million in referrals. Best inpatient facility patient safety program -- 81st IPTS. The unit "skillfully cared for 4,200 patients; precepted 240 registered nurses, technicians and students; and 'grew' 17 new physicians. They also saved $24 million in civilian referrals." The team also securely opened new inpatient services, including continuous renal replacement therapy, vascular surgery, gynecology oncology, infertility and cardiac intervention. Emergency clinical nurse --Maj. Suzanne Green, 81st Medical Operations Squadron emergency services nurse manager. Her nomination noted she had been handpicked to be project officer for The Joint Commission review and Health Services Inspection, garnering an "excellent" rating for the medical group.in addition, she spearheaded the largest 81st MDOS selfinspection program, coordinating the survey for seven flights of 450 personnel. Major Green also instructed 30 RNs in advanced trauma skills, honing staff wartime readiness by 30 percent and saving $12,000 in temporary duty funds. John C. Flanagan Senior Psychologist Award -- Maj. David Cordry, 81st MDOS mental health flight commander. His nomination noted he "excelled in an O-5 position in the dual role flight commander and element chief, leading a 50-member staff in the Air Force's second largest mental health flight." He directed outreach for the 81st Training Group's suicide prevention program, Wingman Day and stand-down facilitator training. Outstanding behavioral health team -- 81st MDOS mental health. Six members of the flight deployed in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom and supported three manning assists to augment patient care that saved the Air Force $35,000. The flight also saw 3,700 patients in mental health and more than 1,200 patients each in the behavioral health optimization program and alcohol and drug abuse prevention and treatment program. Easy beneficiary access saved $865,000 in network referrals. Chief Master Sgt. Anton Zembrod Diagnostic Imaging Technologist Award -- Staff Sgt. Casey Grizzard, noncommissioned officer in charge of radiography and fluoroscopy for the 81st Diagnostics and Therapeutics Squadron diagnostic imaging flight. She led the 34 staff members and nine students in the flight's largest element which conducts 2,200 exams monthly. She coordinated the workflow on $9.5 million worth of equipment, seeing 100 patients each day. She also led the mammography element during their NCOIC's absence, managing three staff members who served 700 patients. Outstanding health or medical physicist specialist -- Capt. Jason Shirah, 81st MDTS radiation safety officer. Among his accomplishments, Captain Shirah was the command's top choice to review a new Air Force instruction. He identified six issues which resulted in $160,000 in savings for the Air Force and averted a radiation oncology shutdown. He crafted the $1.8 million nuclear medicine clinic renovation and led the $12 million radiation oncology clinic revamp. The latter resulted in "$3.5 million in exceptional care delivered to 500 patients per month." Outstanding nutritional medicine civilian -- Rubyanna Gibson, 81st MDTS food service worker Ms. Gibson was recognized for optimizing creation of more than 250,000 meals. She was vital to the preparation of 18,000 inpatient meals and ensured diet compliance and patient satisfaction. She effectively communicated and fostered relations with four inpatient units and aided the setup and service of 10 theme and distinguished visitor meals. Outstanding company grade dietician -- 1st Lt. Justin Hyde, 81st MDTS clinical dietetics chief. While deployed, Lieutenant Hyde "drove nutrition operations for the (area of responsibility's) largest trauma center." The operation provided 150,000 meals, including 3,600 Halal meals sanctioned by Islamic law. The lieutenant also implemented a post-discharge phone consult for "at risk" patients that "affording clinical care to 40 potentially malnourished patients and executed a massive revision of inpatient therapeutic menus." Pharmacy team -- 81st MDTS pharmacy staff. The 93-member team led five geographically-separated units, Phase II, oncology and overseas contingency operations, dispensing $30 million in medications to 78,000 patients. The pharmacy achieved an "outstanding" rating from The Joint Commission and an "rxcellent" from the Health Services Inspection In addition, the pharmacy team completed the four-year, $2.9 million BX pharmacy, "an Air Force model." Olson/Wegner Outstanding Aerospace Medicine Award Airman -- Senior Airman John Reed, 81st AMDS aerospace medical technician. Airman Reed managed ambulance equipment valued at $455,000, built a sterile supply tracking tool and relabeled $60,000 in material to ensure the flight medicine clinic was 100 percent mission ready. He also led three medics for life-flight emergency transportation, stabilized the patient with oxygen to safely transport the patient to the aircraft. Olson/Wegner Outstanding Aerospace Medicine Award NCO ---Tech. Sgt. Matthew Wiese, 81st AMDS flight medicine clinic. He was NCO in charge of two operational teams who led 11 medical technicians and three flight surgeons. He also spearheaded the group's advanced trauma life support course program, creating a new course for 32 providers that provided $138,000 worth in local training and saved $86,000 in costs. Sergeant Wiese was nominated by the 81st MDG for the Lance P. Sijan Award and was handpicked as an Air Mobility Command Inspector General team member. Col. Cleveland L. Parker Award, senior NCO category -- Senior Master Sgt. Jason Devereaux, 81st Aerospace Medicine Squadron public health flight chief. He was a design consultant and inspector for the new Armed Forces Retirement Home dining facility and saved the facility $40,000 in yearly county fees. He managed Keesler food safety program, directing 262 food facility inspections which guaranteed the safety of $53.6 million worth of food. He oversaw reviews of the medical records of 622 deployers with a 99.9 percent accuracy rate. Outstanding biomedical equipment repair airman -- Senior Airman Aaron De L'etoile, 81st Medical Support Squadron biomedical equipment technician. He was cited for managing the medical group's scheduled maintenance for a month, overseeing completion of 680 work orders with a 97.8 percent rate -- 2.8 percent above the Air Force standard. He created 644 equipment data files and standardized 6,000 equipment records. He led maintenance on a $200,000 dermatology laser, eliminating patient down time and saving $10,000 in off-base referrals. Surgeon General's medical information services NCO --Tech. Sgt. Judy Khamphan, 81st MDSS medical information management flight NCO in charge. Sergeant Khamphan was cited for spearheading the Air Force trunking system, programming 47 radios, four stations and ambulances and bolstering emergency response to 11,500 people. She also orchestrated Defense Reutilization and Marketing Office transfers, redistributing 367 excess automated data processing equipment items that saved $62,000 and increased the warehouse footprint by 300 square feet. Outstanding resource management team -- 81st MDSS resource management flight. The team executed more than $85 million in the end-of-year closeouts, modified 14 contracts, deobligated and re-directed more than $2.1 million and funded 100 percent of the hospital's requirements. The flight also strengthened the more than $7 million reimbursement program and reenergized the uniform business office compliance program. The flight corrected an inefficient $3.2 million travel programs and eliminated a Defense Travel System training gap, resulting in 98 percent customer satisfaction. AETC winners now compete at Air Force level.