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The Spam Scam
By Douglas H Stutz
NHB Public Affairs
To the mild amazement (and annoyance) of many Naval Hospital Bremerton computer users, they continue to be notified via electronic mail that they’ve won a handful of sizable national lotteries across several continents. They’ve also attracted, on a consistent basis, a whole slew of would be suitors who are frenetically clambering for their services to help transfer, smuggle, and arrange the movement of long lost funds.
But before anyone starts counting untold millions of naira from Nigeria or roubles from Russia, they best think again. Welcome to the spam scam.
Naval Hospital Bremerton receives on average 165,000 e-mails a week, and about 52 percent of those are spam, unsolicited or undesired bulk electronic messages that are specifically used for advertising and various con-games. “Our filtering process has certain criteria where each message coming in is given a weight, such as a ‘certainly spam,’ or ‘probably spam,’ or ‘maybe spam,” explained Jerry Hall, Management Information Department exchange administrator. “We know all about the spams, as well as emails that have objectionable material. Most spam attempts get dumped outright, but with 400 spams an hour at times, and some explosions of up to 1000 an hour, some will get through.”
The spam scam is actually a just a modern-day twist of an old con that has been around for almost 500 years, known as ‘the Spanish prisoner’ fraud. In this con-game, a person is targeted and related a sob story on how a well-meaning well-heeled individual has been kidnapped and help is needed to pay the ransom. Once the rescue takes place, the person expects they will be rewarded handsomely for their good intentions. So far, no one on the Iberian Peninsula has given up any euros.
Another widespread ploy being used in the spam scam game is the bogus lottery. A person receives an email telling them they’ve just won a huge amount of money, but before they collect this unexpected largess, they need to give up an administrative fee before collecting, or ‘simply’ send their personal banking information and the money will be deposited for them. This ploy falls under the ‘a fool and his money are soon parted’ category.
The U.S. Department of State Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs calls these spam
Shaken but not stirred
By Douglas H Stutz
NHB Public Affairs
Brace yourself. That’s what Naval Hospital Bremerton is doing.
NHB is currently in the midst of a unique seismic retrofit project, which will vastly improve the structural ability of the facility to withstand a large earthquake in the future.
Many scientists contend it’s just a matter of time for a Richter-scale rattling earthquake to hammer the Puget Sound region, which is situated near several seismic faults.
Preparing for the inevitable is not an enviable assignment, yet it is a vital task the hospital and assembled project team is undertaking.
“We are the first Navy medical facility to undergo this type of seismic retrofit project,” stated Russ Kent, NHB Facility Manager. “Our hospital has to be operational immediately after an earthquake and we are retrofitting it to stringent criteria to be better able to withstand a sizable quake in the future.”
According to Kent, seismic retrofitting is the actual modification of the existing hospital structure to make the building more resistant to seismic activity and ground motion, due to earthquakes. Not if, but when, such a quake happens, Naval Hospital Bremerton could very well be called upon to immediately render assistance to upwards of 250,000 people, on top of the already 60,000 eligible beneficiaries that are provided important healthcare services.
“Being one of only two hospitals in Kitsap County,” explained Kent, “we’re obviously concerned about being able to provide adequate response capability if we experience any strong seismic tremor. Our hospital has to be able to function and be operational. We’re indispensable. Others can evacuate, like schools. But buildings like hospitals, fire departments and police stations need to remain functional.”
The actual concept of undertaking a ‘Seismic Retrofitting’ as a project began in 2000. When the Navy and a design team were just starting to consider options to make the building more safe, they got a true indication of what was needed when the Nisqually quake of 2001 happened. That quake, which measured a very strong 6.8 on the Richter scale, gave the design team, as well as every one in the hospital at that time, a forewarning of just what it was like to experience a sizable seismic shaking.
“We did experience damage and inconvenience when the Nisqually quake hit,” related Kent. “That event helped to accelerate the need for a much more secure and stable structure. Our hospital
building itself is quite strong and flexible.
Son provokes mother to quit for life
Great American Smokeout winning essay relates how 6-year-old convinced mother to quit smoking
By MC1(SW) Fletcher Gibson
NHB Public Affairs
Four years ago, a very stern 1st grader confronted his mother about her smoking. That moment lead to this year’s “How I Quit” essay contest winner as the mother, Denise Bauer, recalled the event that lead her to quit smoking for good.
Held in honor of the Great American Smokeout, the essay contest called for entrants to relate how they quit smoking. It was the mother/son connection that made Bauer’s entry stand out as the winner.
“She did it not for herself but for her son,” said Janet Mano, the Naval Hospital Bremerton health educator who managed the contest. “That’s pretty neat.”
Bauer said she had tried quitting before, a cold-turkey attempt that lasted two years before starting up again. But that was before she’d had a son to challenge her smoking in an otherwise drug-free home.
“When he said that, I thought ‘I’m busted,’” said Bauer. “How can you argue with logic like that?”
“We went to an assembly at school and DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) came in and talked about drugs,” said her son, Mathew, remembering the events that inspired the confrontation. “They told us that every cigarette takes away a few minutes of your life.”
NHB Health Benefits Advisor recognized for excellence in customer education
By MC1(SW) Fletcher Gibson
NHB Public Affairs
During the two years John Bushong was the health benefits advisor for Naval Hospital Bremerton, he educated hundreds of retirees and beneficiaries on their health care options. His efforts in education and promotions didn’t go unnoticed either, as Bushong recently received an Award for Excellence from Delta Dental, the TRICARE Retiree Dental Program.
“We want all retirees to know they have a dental plan, and John made a point of educating them,” said Joe Montoya, the marketing representative for Delta Dental and the man who nominated Bushong for the award.
Montoya selected Bushong from the nearly 650 contacts he has in his region, including all military services and even reserve components. Nation-wide, only seven people received the Award for Excellence.
Bushong said his motivation comes from
Giving a gift of safety this holiday season
By MC1(SW) Fletcher Gibson
NHB Public Affairs
Naval Hospital Bremerton took a proactive approach to holiday safety last week with a series of stand-downs to educate its staff members on alcohol awareness and road safety.
The two-hour stand-down was organized by the command Drug and Alcohol Prevention Advisor, Chief Culinary Specialist Nathaniel Payne, and was designed to specifically give younger sailors the tools to make the right choices.
“We just wanted to give them the information that this is the most dangerous time of the year,” he said.
He explained to the assembled staff members that during the season, in spite of inclement weather, the roads become filled with holiday
shoppers and school breaks put a lot of inexperienced drivers on the roadways.
“Cook it all up in a pot and you get a recipe for disaster,” he said. “With the addition of alcohol, the risks have shot up through the roof.”
Trooper Brian George of the Washington State Highway Patrol was on hand to share his experiences in the hazards of the road. He shared stories, statistics and images of aggressive driving, road rage and driving under the influence.
According to George, there were three times as many deaths on the roadways as there were murders in Washington. With nearly 60% of those involving alcohol, George really worked to leave an impression on the dangers of drinking and driving.
“Imagine me having to go to your home
Naval Hospital Bremerton to offer easy access to flu vaccines for all beneficiaries
By MC1(SW) Fletcher Gibson
NHB Public Affairs
The North American flu season is here and Naval Hospital Bremerton will be helping its beneficiaries face it with free vaccinations for active duty, dependants and retirees starting November 4th at the NHB Health and Education Center at NBK-Bangor.
The center will be open for vaccinations through November 19th with the exception of Veteran’s Day weekend (November 10th through the 12th).
While some segments of the hospital’s beneficiaries are considered more at-risk for catching influenza; like the elderly, asthmatics, or others with weaker immune systems, these vaccinations are open to all. Special attention will be paid to those more at-risk members in the form of special mailings inviting them to this opportunity.
Like past flu vaccines, this one is comprised of three strains of the virus to help the body recognize and fend off the more common or dangerous breeds as chosen by the Center for Disease Control.
“There are usually about a dozen strains floating around the world,” said Lt. Mary Graves of the NHB Health and Education Center. “The three the CDC chooses are different from year to year, so last year’s vaccine won’t work this year and this year’s won’t work next year.”
The majority of the vaccinations will be in the form of a nasal spray that offers a quicker and more painless method of vaccination over the traditional injectable kind. What makes the nasal mist so much more effective is that it’s comprised of weakened yet live viruses.
“It’s called a ‘cold-adaptive strain’ so it can only survive in upper respiratory system,” said Graves. “Real flu gets all the way down to your lower respiratorysystem.”
Through the eyes (and ears) of a child
by MC1(SW) Fletcher Gibson
NHB Public Affairs
Seven staff members from Naval Hospital Bremerton made the journey to neighboring Jackson Park Elementary School last Friday to help administer the state-mandated vision and hearing testing for the students there. The NHB volunteers slightly outnumbered the number of available school district testers and were key in rounding up students, keeping them organized, and administering the tests.
“Some schools we go to have absolutely no volunteers and it’s a real scramble,” said Diane Reichel, a health services nurse for Central Kitsap School District.
Throughout the morning, the volunteers would see a parade of the nearly 320 students schooled at Jackson Park. The children ranged from kindergarten to 6th grade, and the volunteers even assisted with a special session for the school’s special education students.
The different age groups called for different approaches to testing, especially in the eye chart tests. While reading letters across a row was fine forthe older students, younger students were tested on identifying which way an
Red Cross volunteers honored for their service at Naval Hospital Bremerton
By Douglas H Stutz
NHB Public Affairs
The American Red Cross (ARC) hospital services volunteers were recognized for their timely commitments and many contributions with a appreciation ceremony yesterday hosted by Captain Catherine Wilson, NHB Commanding Officer.
“Our Red Cross volunteers contribute in ways we don’t even realize,” commented Capt. Wilson. “They touch our lives all over the world with their deeds and service. They are truly a force multiplier. They help make our facility a warm, gracious and inviting environment. So many of our beneficiaries and visitors mention the positive impact of our volunteers. I couldn’t be more proud and thank them all from the bottom of my heart.”
They are a dedicated, diverse and devoted group. They are all an integral part of the workforce at Naval Hospital Bremerton (NHB), through none of them wears a Navy uniform. Many have in the past, and some might in the future, yet they all currently answer the call of duty as volunteers. They are considered to be just as valuable a part of the workforce as the military, civil service and contract staff members.
According to Ms Julia Pickering, retired Navy commander, Nurse Corps, and current hospital ARC chairperson, from January to June of this year, the volunteers donated over 13,000 hours, which well exceed a six figure dollar amount in actualized labor dollars, especially considering that several of the volunteers are medical, dental and nurse providers.
“Their faithful service makes my job a pleasure to fulfill,” said Ms Pickering, who worked in a ARC volunteer status for over 10 years. ‘I’m a Navy nurse, and the military is my life. I thoroughly enjoy being able to help out.”
For the past three months, upwards of 54 volunteers have donated 3,394 hours of their time as doctors, nurses, outpatient and inpatient record assistants, patient advisors, customer service representatives, and varied departments such as health promotion, Dermatology, Mental Health, Pediatric, Orthopedic, OB/GYN, Labor/Delivery, Ophthalmology, Urology, Dental, Ambulatory Procedure, Pharmacy,
NHB Volunteers make a clean impact
by Douglas H Stutz
NHB Public Affairs
The distance of approximately 1.5 miles can be a blur in a vehicle motoring along the highway. A mile and a half even goes by quickly to those military personnel engaging in the run portion of the Navy's Physical Readiness Training program. But the same distance takes on a whole new perspective when it's being covered step-by-step, engaged in picking up discared litter.
Naval Hospital Bremerton conducted their quarterly participation in the "Adopt a Highway" cleanup efforts, in conjunction with the Washington State Department of Transportation Saturday, Sept. 30.
"I like to do this project because it's fun, there's a fellowship and conversation," said Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Juden Ramos, Naval Hospital Bremerton Fleet Hospital staff. "This is such a great way to support our community. Washington state has a policy of 'clean and green,' which is exactly what we're trying to do along our stretch of highway.
After a mandatory safety brief, over a dozen volunteers fanned out and spent the next few hours gathering as much trash and refuse as they could along the roadway. There were rusted cans, styrofoam containers, fast food containers, bottles, bits and pieces of furniture, automotive parts, even the carcasses of a dead racoon and deer, which were considered hazardous material and not to be touched.
"Common sense rules always apply," stated HM1 Chris Phillips. "We even picked up as much as we could of what looked like someon's long-lost homework that was strewn all over a lengthy area of the road."
"We once found three TV sets all in one spot," remembered Ramos. "We couldn't figure out why someone would discard one, let alone three. Maybe it was after a Seahawks loss."
Naval Hospital Bremerton represents Navy in Joint Task Force Pacific Guard
By MC1(SW) Fletcher Gibson
NHB Public Affairs
Five staff members from Naval Hospital Bremerton participated in the joint military operation Pacific Guard September 21st-24th to help assist with multiple humanitarian crises which struck the small Pacific nation of Tierra del Oro earlier that week.
Kind of.
Pacific Guard was a training exercise in humanitarian relief planning and inter-service teamwork based around the fictitious sub-continent of Pacifica, last seen as the hotspot in the Cobra Gold exercise. While, on paper, Pacifica and Tierra del Oro lie between Hawaii and Japan, the exercise itself was conducted from Ft. Lewis. All four branches of the military were involved, with the Navy being represented by staff members from NHB.
“They were looking for joint cooperation so we could learn to gel together and work better in the field,” said Lt. Cmdr. Doug Heilman, who attended the exercise as the co-chair of the hospital’s emergency management committee.
As the Navy’s representatives to the exercise, Heilman and the other NHB staff members were there to help coordinate the Navy resources “in the area” in the relief planning of the two disaster scenarios.
According to the scenarios, the participants were split into groups to deal with both a pandemic flu epidemic AND a nuclear power steam leak. The purpose
Surgical Tech Week nets scrubs a week’s worth of pampering
By MC1(SW) Fletcher Gibson
NHB Public Affairs
September 18th through the 22nd was Surgical Technician Week around the world and Naval Hospital Bremerton’s perioperative department made sure their scrubs got the entire week.
Not content with just a cake cutting or a single lunch, the nurses and surgeons treated their surgical techs to a full week of food, gifts and even back massages courtesy of the Ambulatory Procedure crew.
“Each day, each nurse sponsored a different tech,” said Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Whitney Heitstuman, one of the surgical techs one the receiving end of the royal treatment. “They provided lunch for us and a small gift to show their appreciation.”
The week-long celebration gave the staff a chance to recognize the work of not just the dozen techs who work in the perioperative department, but also those that work in the outlying specialty clinics like dental, ophthalmology, and eurology who scrub in for specialist surgeries in their fields.
“It gives us an opportunity to realize how much we really need them, even if we don’t say it every day or after every case,” said Lt. Cmdr. Carlos Quezada, an OB surgeon at the hospital.
On the surface, it’s easy to peg the techs as the person who hands the scalpel to the surgeon on the TV shows, but a surgical tech’s work runs a little deeper than just echoing “scalpel” when called for.
Quezada called them the “guardians of sterility” and their job really begins before the surgery begins as they ensure each item, each person, and the
Finding new mobility through man's best friend
Cerebral hypoplasia is a rare genetic neurological disorder that can produce a number of effects on the human brain . In Alex Carion, son of Lt. Brian Carion of Naval Branch Health Clinic Bangor, the disorder produces a lack of balance and difficulty with speech. It also produced a new best friend: a 21 month old golden retriever named ‘Falcon’.
Falcon is a Canine Assistant who recently joined the Carion home to help 14 year old Alex regain some of his lost balance and maneuverability. And while a canine assistant can cost upwards of $15,000 and carry a 5-year waiting list, Alex and his family found that their membership in the Navy family provided for them.
“It was like winning the lottery for our family to get Falcon,” said Lt. Carion.
Falcon came to the Carion home courtesy of Canine Assistants, a company based out of Atlanta which specializes in training canine aids and which gains a large portion of its funding from the Combined Federal Campaign. Thanks in part to sponsorship from the Defense Commissary Agency and Milk-Bone, the cost was waived and the family’s military status sped them through the waiting list in only two years.
“We were fortunate to be on the list for a very short time,” said Kellie Carion, Alex’ mother. “When they found out we were military, it was almost instantaneous.”
Falcon was matched to Alex through a number of personality questionnaires, much like those at dating services. Alex’ mother and father, his sister Addie, and even his grandmother and therapist filled out questionnaires giving their profile of Alex’ personality.
Alex met Falcon for the first time in August when the family went to Atlanta for training and initial bonding with the dog at a special Canine Assistant camp. After two weeks there, they were able to bring him home, where the bonding continued into September.
“We can’t touch the dog for the first six
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scams “Advance fee frauds,” deliberate confidence tricks in which someone is bilked into sending their money in the hope of realizing a much larger gain.
They are also known as the Nigerian Letter or ‘419’ fraud, so named because that’s a Nigerian criminal code that it violates. Other popular spam scams have a person needing to transfer large sums of money from an inheritance, but they’ve fallen out of favor with the local authorities; or have stumbled on a lost cache of cash and need outside assistance in getting it out the country.
“These spammers are quick,” said Hall. “They can stand up a server, load up their computer, put their message in, then blast it out to the world, and then turn off their computer. Although no filter is perfect, and some spam gets through, we catch all the emails that have any virus or worm, and you can bet there are a lot of them also.”
Hall notes that by using e-mail spams and instant messaging to try and establish initial contacts, millions of private citizens either at home or at work can be targeted, and overall the cost to the spam scammers is relatively low.
“One thing people don’t realize is that this spamming really works,” noted Hall. “The actual cost of doing it is infinitesimal. They can send out an email to millions in a very short period of time. And there are those who reply, or are intrigued, then find out too late it’s a scam or some phishing scheme that has a criminal intent.”
According to the U.S. Secret Service financial crimes division, the Nigerian spam scam is hugely successful. Records show that over $100 million in confirmed losses have happened in one recent 15 month period. And that's just the ones that were reported. Although the actual success rate of spam scams is hard to guess, it’s been estimated that some experienced 419 scammers get one or two interested replies for every thousand messages, and can bring in a few thousand dollars per month.
These unwanted solicitations to most are just a nuisance. Even so, Hall cautions everyone not to reply to any, even if you just want to vent and tell the spam scammers to buzz off. “People sending the spam out hope someone will respond, for then they will know they got a real address,” he said.
But are we forever to fall prey to opening email and finding an assorted arrangement of odd-ball monetary requests? Not so, says Hall. “The security servers we have in place ‘all talk’ to one another. Our server will look at another to see if anyone else has been bothered by a spam and will then engage in traffic blocking,” said Hall. “And an easy and simple solution to block any spam coming in is to change your email address.”
There’s also an exception to every attempt at deception, and one that doesn’t include figuring out the exchange rate for British pound sterling. Find the delete button on the keyboard and apply accordingly.
If anyone feels like they have been victim to some type of spam scam, they can call local Naval Criminal Investigative Service at 476-3650; or if reporting a fraudulent business proposal, U.S. Secret Service Financial Crimes Division (202) 435–5850.
We had no structural damage. But even with the tremor about 30 miles away and deep below the earth’s surface, the ground motions, and intensity of the seismic shaking caused significant nonstructural damage, especially at the upper floors. Rigid materials such as drywall, window panes and piping do not perform well when suddenly required to bend.”
The current project, with design and construction overseen by Naval Facilities Engineering Command Northwest, has proceeded along a timeline that has tried to make the impact on current care as minimal as possible.
“One of the key concepts about doing this retrofitting is that we just can’t shut down the hospital,” explained Gary Hays, project superintendent for MARPAC Construction LLC the prime contractor for the project. “In that aspect, we’re trying to limit the impact as much as we can in surgically installing the dampers. By adding these dampers to an already flexible building, it makes it better equipped to withstand any future seismic activity.”
“What we’re doing with this upgrade is essentially giving us built-in insurance and a solid investment for the future,” Kent noted. “This project is $4.5 million, which is far less than the projected $80 million replacement cost for the hospital. What we’re doing now is really a fraction of the cost compared to replacing the building if we were to suffer extreme damage due to a major earthquake.”
The actual upgrading is being accomplished by installing 88 viscous seismic dampers in various engineered locations throughout the hospital structure. The dampers are a product of Taylor Devices Inc., and provide a maintenance-free design, as well as shock and vibration technology to enable the facility to maintain functionality after a design seismic event (a 500 year earthquake).
“We have been actively involved with the Navy for years in providing our production hardware line such as dampers for carrier-based aircraft arresting gears, hydro-pneumatic mounts for Naval guns, and shock isolators for using on the deck of a ship, such as with a Close In Weapon System (CIWS),” said B. Craig Keller, Taylor Devices Inc. manufacturer’s representative. “The dampers we’re using here are compact and designed to provide a large reduction in stress by dissipating energy from the building itself.”
The dampers follow the same principle as shock absorbers on an automobile that make a ride on a rocky road a bit more even and smooth.
“The dampers themselves are designed to lessen any displacement and reduce building drift and sway,” commented Hays. “The retrofit will effectively diminish damage to vital medical equipment, as well as to the overall internal and external structure. For example, there should be little damage to the stairwells, extensively used after a quake to exit the building.”
Along with minimizing such concerns as construction noise and the temporary relocation of services, the seismic renovation is being conducted using strict guidelines necessary for a hospital setting. “We’re very sensitive to infection control requirement,” explained Kent. “Keeping our environment as clean as we can is a priority.”
Whether a Gregorian calendar or a geologic time line is used, trying to divine exactly when and where any future rumbling might happen is almost impossible. But having a bracing pound of prevention isn’t.
Photo by MC1(SW) Fletcher Gibson
Denise Bauer (center) and her son Mathew (left) receive their 1st Place Certificate for her ‘How I Quit’ essay contest entry from NHB health educator and contest manager Janet Mano. Bauer’s essay related how a challenging question from her son lead to her giving up cigarettes.
With the image of Mathew’s comedically serious face fresh in her mind, Bauer signed up for the next available smokingcessation class at the Naval Hospital where she was stationed in Iceland. Despite the stress of an overseas duty station and the misfortune of a death in the family, Bauer quit smoking that very month. She said she used every single smoking cessation aid the hospital’s program had to offer, items and techniques she hadn’t used in her last attempt to quit.
Four years later, Bauer is still smoke-free. As far as Mathew is concerned, he said he was just glad to have his mom back inside with him rather than spending all her time smoking on the porch.
being a retiree himself. He remembers leaving the navy after 26 years and not knowing where to go next for health care.
“It’s important for people to understand their benefits when they retire,” Bushong said. “When you retire, you can’t just go to sick call and get that cavity filled.”
“Who at 40, when they retire, is going to think ‘in 25 years I’ll need to understand Medicare’?” he added.
To that end, Bushong put a lot of work into making sure each of his customers understood their options. He said he continued to learn during his time as the health benefits advisor, learning the process of doctor billing and civilian referrals, for example, to help himself be that much more useful to his beneficiaries.
“John went above and beyond, putting in a lot of extra hours dealing with everybody’s needs,” said Montoya.
The only down note to this award is that Bushong won’t be eligible to receive one next year. He has just recently accepted a promotion within the hospital and now works in Referral Management where he continues to help the hospital’s beneficiaries make the most of the health resources available to them.
Photo by MC1(SW) Fletcher Gibson
Trooper Brian George of the Washington State Patrol demonstrates a “horizontal gaze nystagmus” sobriety test on a volunteer staff member at last week’s alcohol awareness and road safety stand-down. Stand-downs were held at the main hospital and its clinics to prepare the staff members for the hazards of the upcoming holiday season.
and tell your family you’re never coming back,” he said to the assembly. “It can happen within moments of you making a wrong choice.”
Capt. Catherine Wilson, NHB’s commanding officer, echoed George’s sentiment of making the right choice.
“The one second of a choice, and you’re the only one with that choice, can forever alter not only your career, but your reputation or, heaven forbid, take your life,” she said.
Helping the staff members make the right choice has been the focus of the command’s alcohol awareness policy since the beginning of this year. Payne said that this time last year saw an average of two DUIs a month from members of NHB. Since beginning training sessions like this stand-down early this year, the command has only seen one in the past 10 months.
Stand-downs were held at the hospital’s outlying clinics and Payne said he plans on having more before the kick off of the holiday season.
Photo by MC1(SW) Fletcher Gibson
A sailor at the Trident Training Facility at NBK-Bangor takes a shot of the nasal-spray influenza vaccine during a recent vaccination of active duty at the Subase. The mist is a faster, painless alternative to the traditional injected vaccine.
Even then, the viruses in the mist are only partial viruses. The vaccine is created using only the most recognizable ‘parts’ for your body to learn from, said Graves.
“Once it enters your body, your body begins to recognize parts of these strains,” she said, “so when it encounters the full strength out in town, your body already recognizes it and knows how to deal with it.”
“In injections [using dead strains], the mechanism doesn’t work as quickly,” she added.
Everyone getting a vaccination will be recorded in the Navy’s electronic medical record system, so there’s no need to bring a medical record with you. However, Graves said parents are welcome to bring their children’s shot records and those can be filled out on the spot.
For more information about this flu vaccine opportunity, please call the Health and Education Clinic at (360) 315-4469
Photo by MC1(SW) Fletcher Gibson
With one eye covered by Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Ronald Alinger, a young student indicates which way the symbol is pointing on the distant eye chart. In the background, Master-at-Arms 1st Class Sherman Copeland makes sure his patient is clear on which way is up and down for when it’s her turn to identify the symbols.
‘E’ symbol was pointing. The youngest children need only identify simple shapes like a house or umbrella.
While the majority of the NHB volunteers were corpsmen, a few of them came from non-medical positions.
“I may not know anything about medical testing,” said Master-at-Arms 1st Class Sherman Copeland, “but I sure know how to play with some kids.”
Photo by Douglas H Stutz
Julia Pickering, retired Navy commander, Nurse Corps, and current chief of American Red Cross volunteer efforts at Naval Hospital Bremerton, is surprised by the hospital's commanding officer, Captain Catherine Wilson, with a CO's coin of excellence, for her over 10 years of stellar volunteer service to the hospital.
Laboratory, Quality Management and Referral Management.
All volunteers must go through a thorough background check, interview, orientation, and if they are doctors and nurses, must show proof their credentials are up to date. They are then matched with suitable positions to their skills.
“We have Red Cross volunteers in almost every clinic in the hospital,” said Lt. Cmdr. Patricia Taylor, Head, Population Health, and NHB liaison with the Red Cross. “So many of them put in a lot of hours to complete tasks that might not get done in such a timely manner.”
Taylor states that the Red Cross volunteers do more than help to make up man-hours lost due to approximately 10-12 percent of NHB’s staff being forward deployed overseas to support the on-going Global War on Terrorism effort. “They all add personality, energy and enthusiasm that are such a benefit for all of us,” she said. “One aspect that stands out the most is that they are all dedicated to the positions they hold. A lot of them are retirees, and they enjoy being a vital part of the Navy/military family here.”
With a little help from her Poulsbo neighbor and close friend Katie Burton, Erica Nelson became a volunteer, and has been doing so for five years. “I like the people here,” said Nelson, who assists in handling, filing and shifting records. “I also like the fact that I’m helping out. It’s not too difficult, and can be time-consuming, but what we do is worth it.”
“We are thankful for the positive energy, the transforming care – just the good work – these volunteers and indeed American Red Cross does, here at Naval Hospital Bremerton and throughout the world,” said Cmdr Michael Greenwalt, Naval Hospital Bremerton Chaplain.
Photo by Douglas H Stutz
More than just a sign of the times ... Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Chris Phillips, along with a dozen other volunteers, participated in Naval Hospital Bremerton's Highway Cleanup along Highway 3 near Bremerton Airport.
Along with NHB, there are several highway stretches outside Naval Base Kitsap - Bangor and Naval Base Kitsap - Bremerton that also benefit from Navy participation.
Overall, there are about 1400 volunteer groups which are actively involved in
WSDOT's Adopt-a-Highway program, covering well over 5000 shoulder miles that get cleaned up.
According to Ramos and Phillips, over 50 large trash bags were filled by NHB volunteers. Those bags will add to the annual total of approximately 600 tons of litter that are removed from Washington roads every year. That tonnage total equals over 38 million aluminum cans, that NHB volunteers are trying to ensure don't end up some type of pollution-blur on our landscape.
Pacific Guard was to work on the planning stage of relief efforts, so the four day exercise focused on gathering assets and finding the best way to use them. ‘Control cells’ acted as the eyes and ears of the relief planners, answering their questions and presenting the situations.
“The whole intent of the exercise, your mission, was to aid the host nation with these events,” said Heilman. “It was all the negotiating and liaison-ing that would go on in the scenarios.”
“We had to analyze the mission then come up with three different COAs (courses of action),” added Senior Chief Hospital Corpsman Martin Aquino, the leading chief petty officer for NHB’s operational readiness department.
Aquino said they’d then present those plans to a board for analysis and critique.
The planning included every stage of the relief effort from providing assets to withdrawing from the country.
“We just helped the host nation get back on its feet so we can take the military forces out and concentrate them on other things,” said Aquino.
The relief planning, though, was only half of the exercise. This was also an opportunity for the different military services to practice communicating and working together. Heilman said he’d had limited experience in working with other services like this before Pacific Guard and learned a lot from the experience.
Heilman said he hopes in the future more members of NHB’s staff would get the opportunity to experience it as well.
“It would be very helpful for the fleet hospital staff to attend one of these,” he said.
“These are things any operational readiness department needs to be in tune with,” said Aquino.
Photo by HM1 David Menendez
HM3 Chris Burks (left) hands a "needle driver" to Dr. Eric Thomas (right) while HM3 Amed Elnahry holds the retractor during a laparoscopic surgery. Burks and Elnahry are just two of the surgical techs on the receiving end of last week's celebrity treatment during Surgical Tech Week.
room itself is clean. They also maintain the sharpest watch on events during the case to identify anything or anyone that breaks sterility of the room.
And while they pass and receive the equipment to the surgeons, the simple act of picking up a clamp can reflect a lot of training and experience.
“You need to know what’s going on,” said Heitstuman. “The more I know, the easier it is to anticipate what the surgeon needs next.”
“It’s almost like we don’t have to ask for the equipment,” added Quezada. “They know what the next step is.”
This can lead to an environment where it becomes even harder to recognize the efforts of a skilled tech. Surgical Tech Week gives the doctors and nurses a chance to acknowledge a group whose skill, training, and flexibility works to keep them unobtrusive.
“It’s nice to have a cake cutting ceremony, but nothing says your appreciated like a lot of good food over the whole week,” said Quezada.
Photo by HM1 David Menendez
Alex Carion (right) gets some face time in with Falcon, his new Canine Assistant, as Alex’s father, Lt. Brian Carion, watches them both. Falcon is trained to help Alex cope with the lack of balance that comes with his cerebral hypoplasia.
weeks,” said Brian. “Alex has to do everything.”
“They call it ‘umbilical chord training’,” explained Kellie. “The dog is actually leashed to Alex for six weeks.”
As that bonding period comes to a close in mid-September, Alex’s parents applaud the care giving he’s given to his new companion.
“Alex has really stepped up to the plate taking care of him.”
With the extra stability that comes from having a friend to lean on, Kellie said Alex has already come a long way from the child that used to hang on to her purse strap whenever they went out. Now she said she sees a future when Alex and Falcon will be going to the mall on their own and enjoying their freedom.
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