Alert: Sudan: ‘Children should be safe everywhere’, says UNICEF, as fears grow for El Fasher

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Alert 7 October 2024

Sudan: 'Children should be safe everywhere', says UNICEF, as fears grow for El Fasher The UN aid coordination office, OCHA, voiced deep concern on Monday over the siege of El Fasher in Sudan's North Darfur, where continued clashes are putting the lives of hundreds of thousands of civilians in the region at risk. Read more

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DoD Announces Health Care Supplement Program Pilot for DOD Civilian Employees in Japan

View Online IMMEDIATE RELEASE DoD Announces Health Care Supplement Program Pilot for DOD Civilian Employees in Japan Oct. 7, 2024 The Department of Defense (DoD) today announced a one-year pilot program to provide no-cost supplemental health support services to DoD civilian employees serving in Japan after a yearlong effort to identify and address concerns regarding access to medical care. "The Department recognizes the significant contributions of our DoD civilian workforce around the world," said Ashish Vazirani, who is performing the duties of the Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness. "In keeping with Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III's commitment to taking care of all our people, we owe it to our civilians to facilitate access to health care no matter where they are. The support from this pilot program will help enhance the patient experience for the approximately 11,000 civilians stationed in Japan through the new pilot." This pilot is called the Pilot Health Insurance Enhancement for DoD Civilian Employees in Japan and will assist eligible civilian employees with health care navigation and upfront costs associated with accessing Japan's healthcare system. To be eligible, the employee must be enrolled in a participating health plan through the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) program. The enrollment window for eligible employees will be the Federal Benefits Open Season, which runs this year Nov. 11 through Dec. 9. Federal Benefits Open Season allows federal civilians to enroll in or change health care options. The services provided under this pilot will begin Jan. 1, 2025, when participants can use the services and access support through a call center. The call center will be open 24/7 and staffed with bilingual service representatives who will assist callers with identifying their needs, make appointments with provider offices, and issue payment guarantees up front. Dependents are not eligible for services during the pilot, which runs through Sept. 29, 2025. Employees working in Japan with the following military departments, defense agencies and DoD field activities are eligible for this supplemental coverage: Department of the Air Force Department of the Army Department of the Navy Defense Information Systems Agency Defense Logistics Agency Department of Defense Education Activity Defense Commissary Agency Defense Contract Management Agency Defense Finance and Accounting Service Defense Health Agency Defense Media Activity Defense Threat Reduction Agency National Security Agency Defense Intelligence Agency National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency "We are excited to offer this program," said Seileen Mullen, who is the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs. "This is a no-cost supplemental service, and we encourage civilian employees in Japan to use it." The Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs will oversee the pilot program and has awarded a $4.2 million contract to International SOS Government Services Inc., which is also the prime contractor for the TRICARE Overseas Program. The contract for this pilot is being funded by the military departments, defense agencies and DoD field activities that have civilian employees working in Japan. Active-duty service members and TRICARE Prime beneficiaries have prioritized access to health care in military hospitals and clinics based on current federal law and DoD policy. DoD civilians who are not TRICARE beneficiaries may use military health facilities on a space-available basis. Agreements with FEHB insurance carriers who currently provide coverage for DoD civilian employees in Japan will be established to provide direct billing agreements. Non-appropriated Fund (NAF) employees are eligible for this program if enrolled in an Aetna International plan. Additional details dedicated to this pilot program will be announced before Federal Benefits Open Season begins. This information will also be posted to web sites for military hospitals and clinics in Japan in their "Getting Care" section.

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Department of Defense Awards $50 Million in Research Equipment Grants to HBCUs and Minority-Serving Institutions

View Online IMMEDIATE RELEASE Department of Defense Awards $50 Million in Research Equipment Grants to HBCUs and Minority-Serving Institutions Oct. 7, 2024 The Department of Defense today announced awards totaling $50.1 million to 98 university researchers at historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and minority-serving institutions (MIs) for the acquisition of research and scientific equipment. The grants, which range up to $800,000 individually, will support 21 HBCUs and 49 MIs, including one tribal college, across 26 states and the District of Columbia. This year's awards continue the DoD HBCU/MI Research and Education Program's support of transformative research in critical defense technology areas. "Investing in the research and development capacity of our academic partners remains a top priority for the Department of Defense," said Mrs. Evelyn Kent, director of the DoD HBCU/MI Program and Outreach. "Equipping universities with relevant instrumentation and other equipment is imperative for advancing novel research aligned with defense science and technology priorities while fostering innovation at the institutions. These awards help enrich the curricula offered to scholars pursuing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics degrees and support the training of the next-generation workforce." Using a merit-based competition administered by the Army Research Office under policy and guidance from the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, the department selected the 98 winners from 152 proposals requesting $82 million in total funding. Proposals were evaluated by the Army Research Office, the Office of Naval Research, and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research. The list of awardees is available here. DoD has a longstanding relationship with HBCUs and MIs, which it regards as strategic, if under-utilized, assets for advancing fundamental science and building the nation's STEM talent pool — critical foundations for maintaining the United States' technology advantage against pacing global competitors. About USD(R&E) The Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (USD(R&E)) is the Chief Technology Officer of the Department of Defense. The USD(R&E) champions research, science, technology, engineering, and innovation to maintain the U.S. military's technological advantage. Learn more at www.cto.mil or visit us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/ousdre.

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Military Hospital Honors Four-Legged Service Members With Promotions

View Online Military Hospital Honors Four-Legged Service Members With Promotions Oct. 7, 2024 | By Lori Newman With a nose bop and paw salute, Brooke Army Medical Center promoted three of its five facility dogs during a special ceremony held on Oct. 3 in the Carolyn D. Putnam Auditorium.    During the ceremony, Budd, BAMC's first facility dog, was promoted to the rank of Army lieutenant colonel. Budd is a 4 1/2-year-old yellow English Labrador/Golden Retriever mix that weighs 92 pounds.    "You just have to spend a few minutes with , and you can understand why he is really the gold standard for a facility dog program and why he's very deserving of this promotion," said Army Col. Mark Stackle, BAMC commander.  Along with Budd, Quinn, a 2-year-old black Labrador, and Scout, a 2-year-old black Labrador/Golden Retriever mix, became BAMC's first enlisted furry service members. Quinn received the rank of Army sergeant first class, and Scout received the rank of Air Force staff sergeant.    Lt. Col. Budd's main mission at BAMC is to roam the halls with his primary handler, Jennifer Higgins, to calm, encourage, support and motivate the BAMC staff.    Quinn will work with the trauma service to provide support for both staff members and patients.    "The trauma mission is something that sets Brooke Army Medical Center apart, and that's not an easy job," said Stackle. "Patients oftentimes come in very, very critically injured, or worse and our trauma service is the professionals who each and every day go out and take care of those patients. So, I think it's important for us to recognize that and to support that mission."    Scout will focus his intention on supporting BAMC's education programs. The San Antonio Uniformed Services Health Education Consortium and Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences train more than 800 Army and Air Force residents, fellows and allied health professionals each year.    Scout provides "that extra layer of support and emotional comfort for these people who are going through a really stressful time in their training," the commander said.    BAMC Chief Medical Officer Col. Joseph Hudak explained how the BAMC Facility Dog Program came to fruition.    "This program was one of the few silver linings that came out of the COVID-19 pandemic," Hudak said. "It started when Ms. Higgins approached the BAMC CMO, Col. Sean Hipp, with the idea to bring a facility dog to BAMC to boost staff morale."    Hudak credited America's VetDogs, an organization that trains and places military facility dogs to provide animal assisted intervention to patients and staff members at military and Veterans Affairs medical centers, for providing BAMC with a total of five facility dogs.    "When you see these pups around the facility, you just can't help but smile and feel a little bit happier," Hudak said. "I know our staff and our patients truly value having their furry faces around on the good days and on those not-so-good days."    The facility dogs provide support throughout BAMC, the outlying clinics and other areas across Joint Base San Antonio.    "One staff member put it best a while ago when he said, 'This is the best program I have seen in the 13 years that I've been here at BAMC.'" Hudak said. "That's a powerful statement considering how many outstanding programs this organization has."

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