7th MDG enhances awareness of public health

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Kia Atkins
  • 7th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  The week of April 7-13 marks National Public Health Week here and the 7th Medical Group Public Health Office is celebrating by showcasing what Public Health does for Team Dyess.

"National Public Health Week is an observation that was started by the American Public Health Association to recognize how important public health is in the scheme of medical care. Public health is very important in preventing disease, illness and possibly even death," said Maj. Randi Hamm, 7th Aerospace Medicine Squadron public health flight commander. "For every dollar spent in preventative healthcare, it saves roughly $5.60 in future healthcare costs."

Public health consists of two main elements: community health and force health management. Each main element consists of many different sections, which encompass the broad spectrum that is public health.

Community health is the study and improvement of health characteristics of biological communities. The most commonly known program of the community health element is the facility inspection program. Public health personnel are responsible for ensuring all public and food facilities on base maintain cleanliness and compliance with Food and Drug Administration regulations, keeping Team Dyess healthy and safe from disease.

Some other sections of community health are the communicable disease program and entomology. The communicable disease program tracks and reports all infectious diseases and ensures patients are correctly treated and promptly receive follow-up care. Entomology focuses on insects and other pests that impact human health.

The force health management section of public health consists of maintaining the Individual Medical Readiness and Preventative Health Assessment programs for active duty members, ensuring that immunizations, blood work, evaluations and medical profiles are completed in a timely manner. This section of public health also includes the occupational health and deployment health programs.

The occupational health program ensures the health and safety of workers on base by assuring they are wearing the correct personal -protective equipment and receive their annual medical requirements such as hearing and eye exams. This program also maintains and ensures all pregnancy profiles are accurate and take the best interests of the expecting mother and unborn child into consideration.

Public health personnel that run the deployment health program have the important task of ensuring deployers are medically fit and continue to remain healthy while deployed and upon their return.

"I enjoy getting people medically cleared for their deployments," said Staff Sgt. Spencer Granger, 7th AMDS NCO in charge of deployment health. "Basically what I do is check their individual medical readiness and make sure that they complete anything they need to complete before their deployment. I make sure they are greened up (cleared to go), so that they don't have any issues downrange."

Although it consists of many different elements, the overall goal of public health is to protect the base populous and keep Airmen healthy and fit to fight.

"Public health is very diverse," said Senior Airman Christina Newman, 7th AMDS hearing conservation program manager. "When you come into our office we have our hands in everything medical-wise. We work with every medical section in the facility."

For more information on Public Health Week you can contact public health at (325) 696-5478.