NOAA

Members of the National Hurricane Center (NHC) gave a presentation to emergency managers from various government organizations throughout South Louisiana and Mississippi at the Lakefront Airport in New Orleans, La., during their Hurricane Awareness Tour (HAT) May 2, 2023, to showcase the services they offer during hurricane season and throughout the year.

Col. Cullen Jones, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District commander, and several district staff and Emergency Operation Center personnel, attended the meeting to learn the latest tracking information and other services offered by the NHC, and to meet with emergency management staff from other organizations.

During the HAT, members of the U.S. Air Force Reserve “Hurricane Hunters” and the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration visited the New Orleans Lakefront Airport to promote hurricane awareness prior to this year’s hurricane season.

The Hurricane Hunters fly into storm systems in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico gathering storm data, which the National Hurricane Center (NHC) uses in its storm forecasting models to help determine what areas hurricanes and other systems may affect. The aircraft the Hurricane Hunters use to fly into weather systems is the WC-130J aircraft, while NOAA flies the WP-3D Orion to gather weather information.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District, is dedicated to playing its part in helping to promote hurricane awareness and partner with various federal, state, and local partners as the 2023 hurricane season draws near.

For more information on how to prepare for this year’s upcoming hurricane season, visit getagameplan.org.

By Bernard S. Little

WRNMMC Command Communications

The Integrated Disability Evaluation System (IDES) at Walter Reed, a Medical Board Division of Patient Administration (PAD), has consistently ranked high for its accuracy, consistency, and duty performance metrics when audited by an independent reviewer.

IDES is a joint initiative by the Department of Defense (DOD) and Veterans Affairs (VA) that seeks to make the disability evaluation process “seamless, simple, fast and fair,” according to officials at the Defense Health Agency (DHA).

“Under this system, which is a collaborative process, VA-appointed providers perform compensation and pension (C&P) exams to VA standards for disability rating determination, and DOD providers document retention eligibility based on administrative review of existing medical records and C&P exam findings,” explained Dr. Mario F. Golle, Jr., IDES director at Walter Reed.

In addition to working to reduce the overall time it takes for service members to progress through the IDES process, other goals for the system include use of a single examination process that meets the needs of both VA and DOD. Golle said this process enhances the transparency of both the military disability evaluation system (DES) and VA claims processes for wounded, ill, and injured service members.

He added that the DOD’s IDES Quality Assurance Program (QAP) looks to standardize requirements for the military DES, as well as monitor decisions of Medical Evaluation Boards (MEBs) and Physical Evaluation Boards (PEBs). In addition, the QAP works to ensure that MEBs, PEBs, and Physical Evaluation Board Liaison Officers (PEBLOs) properly perform their duties.

The QAP MEB audit report provides a consolidated quarterly update on the performance of the respective services – Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force – in the National Capital Region (NCR) from monthly audits of all individual military medical treatment facilities (MTFs), according to Golle.

“The monthly report provides detailed findings regarding the QAP audit of NCR cases, looking at common challenges or best practices, and recommendations for consideration. The standard goal is 90 percent for accuracy, consistency, and duty performance metrics. Walter Reed MEB Division has consistently exceeded all metrics, scoring 100 percent in fiscal year (FY) 2022,” Golle shared.

“From the report, the NCR Medical Evaluation Board Case Review (MCR) accuracy and consistency quality scores for IDES were once again perfect in the fourth quarter of FY 22; the MCR accuracy remains at 100 percent; and the MCR consistency has been at or near 100 percent since the third quarter of FY 2018,” Golle said. “The NCR [Market] (Walter Reed and Fort Belvoir, Virginia) has consistently taken the lead and maintained such scores since QAPs inception in July of 2017, for the past 21 quarters, always outperforming all other services,” he added.

“Walter Reed’s IDES team is comprised of civilian personnel who work tirelessly and seamlessly to guide service members through the [Integrated Disability Evaluation System] process. PEBLOs guide service members through the entire IDES process to ensure they are aware of their options and the many decisions they, or their families, need to make. The MEB physicians are responsible for coordinating medical information into a coherent package that enables the Physical Disability Agencies to determine whether a service member is fit for continued service in the military,” Golle shared.

“Our IDES office is designated to process boards by geographic locations. We hold medical boards for all Soldiers, Sailors and Marines assigned to Walter Reed. This includes Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, other organizations on the Naval Support Activity Bethesda campus, and other local Army members in Maryland and the District of Columbia. The MEB Division at Walter Reed also manages MEBs for all Sailors and Marines assigned to Fort Meade [Maryland] and those assigned to Joint Base Anacostia Bolling [D.C.], Joint Base Andrews [Maryland], Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall [Virginia], and Fort McNair [D.C.],” Golle continued.

“WRNMMC’s MEB Division also assists other MTFs with tele-NARSUMs (Narrative Summaries) when facilities have staff shortages and are unable to meet timelines. In addition, the division covers all National Oceanographic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) MEBs, provides administrative assistance to the Coast Guard MEBs and PEBs, and maintains a webpage to assist clinics as a one-stop resource for procedures, contact information, and forms for Coast Guard, Public Health Service, and Air Force MEB referrals,” Golle said.

SUITLAND, Md. — Commander R. D. Travis Wendt, USN relieved Commander Casey J. Gon, USN as Commanding Officer of the U.S. National Ice Center (USNIC) during a change of command ceremony, April 28.

Commanding Officers of USNIC also dually serve as Director of the agency.

Subordinate to U.S. Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command (Naval Oceanography)—USNIC is comprised of the U.S. Navy, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and United States Coast Guard (USCG).

During the ceremony, Gon praised the USNIC workforce-family.

“Their work is revered globally and leveraged by every other ice service in the world,” Gon said. “My small but mighty team created partnerships with industry testing: new technologies; new ways of gathering information; and exporting data to obtain a competitive advantage….we rose to challenges and exceeded expectations.”

Gon emphasized to Wendt the high-level of capability held by the USNIC workforce.

“You inherit a team with a heightened sense of readiness, a team that is ready, capable, and willing to continue to push the limits of supporting operations in, on, or near the ice,” Gon said.

Gon has served as the Director of USNIC since July 2021, overseeing its team of approximately 50 civilian and uniformed personnel. Under his leadership, the Center produced 50,000 snow and ice products and continued to modernize its systems and processes to better support the Fleet and various operational customers.

USNIC boosted its external visibility, participating in numerous community outreach events, professional conferences, and media engagements.

“I challenged the team to kick the doors open, welcome everyone, talk to everyone and anyone who would listen, and tell them what we do, and we executed this vision brilliantly,” said Gon.

Presiding officer of the ceremony was Captain Mark Murnane, USN, Commander, Fleet Weather Center, Norfolk.

“Today we honor the impressive accomplishments…of the USNIC…For at least the next few minutes of today’s ceremony, we are all Sailors, and part of the broader Navy family that is dedicated to keeping our forces safe and secure…due to the dedication and ingenuity of this great team,” Murnane said.

Reflecting upon Gon’s time in leadership, Murnane said: “I know you led with character, excellence, and respect…your team [USNIC] did all this with a character-based focus on what right looks like and what the future of the USNIC needs to bring to the fight. I know you have turned over a Command ready for the challenges ahead, and better for the experience of your leadership….job well done.”

Gon will now serve as Operations Officer, Naval Oceanography at NASA Stennis Space Center, Mississippi.

Wendt recently served as Fleet Oceanographer for U.S. Second Fleet in Norfolk, VA.

“It is clear to me that I have big shoes to fill, and I am excited to work with the amazing team, I pledge to give USNIC my best – each and every day to support our efforts and enable success.”

Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command directs and oversees more than 2,500 globally-distributed military and civilian personnel who collect, process, and exploit environmental information to assist Fleet and Joint Commanders in all warfare areas to make better decisions faster than the adversary.

GULF COAST — The Hurricane Awareness Tour for 2023 returned to the Gulf Coast region during National Hurricane Preparedness Week.

The HAT and National Hurricane Preparedness Week is important for getting information out to the public in order to gain preparedness tips and learn what to do to before storms happen.

“The whole point of the tour is to raise awareness about the upcoming hurricane season,” said Dr. Michael Brennan, NOAA’s National Hurricane Center director. “This helps us at the NHC emphasize the importance of the hurricane mission and talk about how important the collected data is to our forecasters and to get warnings out to the people to keep them safe.”

During the HAT, emergency managers and media were given the opportunity to tour the hurricane hunting aircraft and meet crew members of the Air Force Reserve’s 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron WC-130J Super Hercules and the NOAA WP-3D Orion.

The tours of the hurricane hunting aircraft, U.S. Coast Guard equipment, and other public safety equipment and vehicles attracted hundreds of visitors each day, from emergency managers, media members, plus school and public tours with the purpose of encouraging hurricane preparedness before the season starts.

“Having the aircraft and crews here for the tour is a huge draw,” said Brennan. “It is a great way to get people’s attention, because it puts a human face, a name, and a real person on the whole hurricane program, seeing the brave men and women who are flying right into the storm to collect the data.”

This year’s scheduled tour was along the Gulf Coast region starting at Ellington Field in Houston, Texas, Lakefront Airport in New Orleans, Louisiana., Jackson Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport in Jackson, Mississippi, the Tallahassee International Airport in Tallahassee, Florida. and the Florida Keys Marathon International Airport, Marathon. However, the final stop for the HAT in Marathon was cancelled due to an aircraft part failure.

Accompanied by NHC hurricane experts and National Weather Service storm specialists, Brennan highlighted the preparedness message.

“This is Hurricane Awareness week so let’s use this week to get ready, to spread the word to let everybody know that there are resources. Working together we can be prepared for hurricane season,” said Brennan.

Brennan said the HAT increases the trust they have with the information that the NHC puts out, seeing the real person behind the information that comes through the aircraft to the hurricane center and knowing there is a human being working on that forecast helps.

“I think it makes it more real and personable, and hopefully more trustworthy,” he said.

He spoke of how NOAA, FEMA, and local agencies are working to get people away from hurricanes, and yet the Hurricane Hunters fly right into storms to get the needed data to save lives.

“It is such a selfless mission, to fly into a storm and it is a key part of the hurricane program, and we have a great partnership,” said Brennan. “I would like to thank everybody for what they do.”

Providing the best weather data was reinforced by Lt. Col. Tobi Baker, 53rd WRS aerial reconnaissance weather officer, who gave interviews and tours of the WC-130J aircraft throughout the HAT explaining the job of the weather officer, the data collected, and how important that data is for the NHC to use in forecasting.

“After we get the call to fly a storm, we will spend anywhere from six-to-eight hours in a storm,” said Baker. “We fly an alpha pattern, which resembles an “X” pattern crossing from outside, through the eyewall into the eye, and back out the opposite side, gathering the best data available, then sending that data back to the NHC for the forecasters to keep the public informed with the most up-to-date information.”

While Baker has worked the HAT before and is used to having to do multiple interviews in a single day and speak with hundreds of people, this was the first time for Capt. Kyle McElhaney, 53rd WRS navigator, who said that it was great.

“It was a little overwhelming at first, but after the trial by fire-hose it got better,” McElhaney said laughing. “It was awesome to talk to people and I was really excited to be there. It was neat to step back and see what we do through other people’s eyes. It rekindled the wonder and aww, also the reason why we are out there, to collect the data to narrow that cone of uncertainty.”

Both Baker and McElhaney reminded people to pay attention to the warnings and to listen to their local government officials about evacuations and use the resources available for preparedness.

Keeping an eye on the weather using sites like hurricanes.gov and weather.gov provided by the national weather service for a local weather outlook is important, but the primary message of the Hurricane Awareness Tour was preparedness.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency regional administrators, Gracia Szczech, Region Four, and Tony Robinson, Region Six, encouraged everyone to sign up for emergency alerts using the applications available from the FEMA website and the FEMA app. These apps will help people better understand what is needed in their emergency kits, and how to keep themselves and their loved ones safe.

For tips on how to be ready for serious weather more information can be found on websites at Ready.gov, FEMA.gov, and NOAA.gov. There are also downloadable apps that are helpful to prepare yourself and your loved ones.

By DeCA Corporate Communications

FORT GREGG-ADAMS, Va. – Meteorologists are literally running out of names to tag the number of severe storms that have occurred over the past three years.

Although the hurricane forecast for 2023 is expected to be slightly lower than last year, the Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) advises its patrons to be ready for the unexpected and use their benefit to save money on their emergency supplies, said Marine Sgt. Maj. Michael R. Saucedo, senior enlisted advisor to the DeCA director.

“It’s too late to wonder what you have on hand for an emergency when the hurricane has shut everything down,” Saucedo said. “However, if you take the time to create a disaster plan before the storm hits then you can use your commissary benefit to help you save at least 25 percent on your supplies.”

From April through Oct. 31, DeCA’s severe weather promotional package includes discounts on the following items: beef jerky and other assorted meat snacks, soup and chili mixes, canned goods, powdered milk, cereals, batteries, airtight bags, weather-ready flashlights, tape (all-weather, heavy-duty shipping and duct), first aid kits, lighters, matches, lanterns, candles, hand sanitizer and anti-bacterial wipes. Specific items may vary from store to store.

The North Atlantic hurricane season is June 1 to Nov. 30 and covers the North Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. Tornado season is April to July.

The Accuweather forecast for 2023 calls for 11-15 named storms, four to eight of which will be hurricanes, with one to three of the hurricanes potentially being category 3 or higher (winds exceeding 111 mph). The weather service also forecasts a below average season of about 1,055 to 1,200 tornadoes hitting the United States during 2023.

Whether it’s Mother Nature or a manmade crisis, emergency preparedness officials encourage prior planning with a disaster supply kit that includes the following items:

• Water – at least one gallon daily, per person (three-day supply for evacuation, two-week supply for home)

• Nonperishable foods – canned meats, fruits, vegetables, dried fruits, nuts, raisins, cereal, crackers, cookies, energy bars, granola, peanut butter, and foods for infants and the elderly (three-day supply for evacuation, two-week supply for home)

• Paper goods – writing paper, paper plates, paper towels and toilet paper

• Writing utensils – pens, pencils (manual pencil sharpeners), markers

• Cooking items – pots, pans, baking sheets, cooking utensils, charcoal, a grill and a manual can opener

• First-aid kit – including bandages, medicines and prescription medications

• Cleaning materials – bleach, sanitizing spray, and hand and laundry soap

• Toiletries – personal hygiene items and moist wipes

• Pet care items – food, water, muzzle, leash, carrier, medications, medical records, and identification and immunization tags

• Lighting accessories – flashlights, batteries, candles and matches

• Battery-powered or hand-crank radio (NOAA Weather Radio, if possible)

• Duct tape, scissors

• Multipurpose tool

• Copies of personal documents (medication list and pertinent medical information, proof of address, deed/lease to home, passports, birth certificates and insurance policies)

• Cell phone with chargers

• Family and emergency contact information

• Extra cash

• Emergency blanket

• Maps of the area

• Blankets or sleeping bags

For more information about disaster preparedness, go to the DeCA website (https://commissaries.com/our-agency/disaster-preparedness) for lists of resources.

-DeCA-

About DeCA: The Defense Commissary Agency operates a worldwide chain of commissaries providing groceries to military personnel, retirees and their families in a safe and secure shopping environment. Commissaries provide a military benefit, saving authorized patrons thousands of dollars annually on their purchases compared to similar products at commercial retailers. The discounted prices include a 5-percent surcharge, which covers the costs of building new commissaries and modernizing existing ones. A core military family support element, and a valued part of military pay and benefits, commissaries contribute to family readiness, enhance the quality of life for America’s military and their families, and help recruit and retain the best and brightest men and women to serve their country.

While hurricane seasons are unpredictable, U.S. Army North trains to maintain its proficiency and readiness to support our civilian federal agencies and Americans for the upcoming hurricane season. More than 150 military and civilian partners joined U.S. Army North – in person and virtually – for a Hurricane Rehearsal of Concept Drill at the Army Medical Center of Excellence ROC Drill Facility at Joint Base San Antonio – Fort Sam Houston on May 24.

“Each of us here today has a significant role to play when disaster strikes in our backyards,” said Lt. Gen. John R. Evans, Jr., U.S. Army North commander. “We assemble like this each year, not only to bring together our capabilities and experience during natural disasters, but so that the day of execution isn’t our first time working together.”

The primary purpose of the rehearsal synchronized local, state and federal response efforts in preparation for the 2023 hurricane season which lasts for six months from June 1 to November 30.

The rehearsal worked through three sequential hurricanes along the Atlantic and Gulf coastal regions. This was the first time the ROC Drill included three hurricanes and participants embraced the challenge of responding to multiple hurricanes simultaneously.

“We all hope disaster never strikes, but it’s our job to train for the worst possible scenarios to ensure we’re ready to answer the call to serve the American people when they need us most,” said Evans during opening comments to the rehearsal participants.

In preparation for the upcoming hurricane season, the Department of Defense coordinates with local, state, and federal authorities in any whole-of-government response efforts requested by the lead federal agency and approved by the Secretary of Defense.

“Coming together for this rehearsal helps identify gaps and seams in our plans and coordination,” said FEMA Region 6 Administrator, Tony Robinson. “In addition to the whole community effort of local, state, and federal partners, we encourage residents in the risk areas to look at their preparedness plans.”

The mock scenario enabled U.S. Army North, joint military services, U.S. federal agencies and other participants to synchronize communication, staffing and logistical efforts if the U.S. or its territories were hit by a hurricane.

“We begin hurricane season planning a year out because of the unique challenges we face, and the ROC drill is an important opportunity for us to synchronize our local efforts with federal and Department of Defense partners,” said U.S. Army National Guard Maj. Gen. Kodjo Knox-Limbacker, the adjutant general of the Virgin Islands National Guard.

Since 2005, U.S. Army North, U.S. Northern Command’s Joint Force Land Component Command has supported more than 40 tropical storms and hurricanes including Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Harvey, Irma, Maria, and Dorian.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released updated 2023 hurricane season projections, predicting “near-normal hurricane activity” this year. “The upcoming Atlantic hurricane season is expected to be less active than recent years, due to competing factors — some that suppress storm development and some that fuel it — driving this year’s overall forecast for a near-normal season.” Storm names selected for this year are: Arlene, Bret, Cindy, Don, Emily, Franklin, Gert, Harold, Idalia, Jose, Katia, Lee, Margot, Nigel, Ophelia, Phillipe, Rina, Sean, Tammy, Vince, and Whitney. (updated 3:50 PM 5/25/2023)

For additional information, contact the U.S. Army North (Fifth Army) and JFLCC public affairs office at 210-247-8852 or [email protected]; for imagery, visit: https://www.dvidshub.net/unit/ARNORTH.

WASHINGTON — Typhoon Mawar, a Category 4 storm, hit the U.S. territory of Guam May 24 bringing torrential rain, strong winds and leaving thousands without power, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

In the days before landfall, President Joe Biden declared an emergency and ordered federal assistance to supplement local response efforts. The Army National Guard, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and active-duty units began preparing for recovery operations.

“It’s our duty to protect people and property, whether that be [in the U.S.] or overseas,” said Brig. Gen. Jonathan Beddall, vice director of the National Guard Bureau’s Joint Operations Center. “We offer highly trained and tested personnel capable of responding anywhere they’re needed.”

After the storm hit, utilities were lost, homes were damaged or destroyed and some families had to live in refugee shelters.

The members of the Guam National Guard immediately assisted with response efforts. They helped the island’s more than 150,000 citizens by clearing roads, removing debris, directing traffic and helping to restore power.

The National Guard Bureau, Hawaii National Guard, U.S. Army Pacific and Army Reserve personnel were all brought in to assist in the recovery.

“We are appreciative of the work we’ve already accomplished with our territorial and federal partners, and I’m happy to announce that more relief is on the way,” Guam Governor Lou Leon Guerrero said in a statement May 29. “As our community continues making progress towards recovery in the wake of Typhoon Mawar, I’ve been assured that Guam will be provided with every necessary resource for a complete and speedy recovery.”

Back in the U.S., the Army is preparing for the hurricane season, June 1- Nov. 30, and the wildfire season, which typically runs from the summer into fall depending on the region of the country.

U.S. Army North held their annual Hurricane Rehearsal of Concept Drill at Joint Base San Antonio – Fort Sam Houston May 24. The training helps synchronize active-duty military support efforts with federal, state, territorial and local partners to ensure seamless support in the event of a hurricane response mission.

The scenario for this year featured three sequential hurricanes along the Atlantic and Gulf Coast regions. The theoretical storms ranged in intensity and impacted multiple areas over a short period of time.

This rehearsal allowed U.S. Army North, joint military services, U.S. federal agencies and other participating organizations to game plan potential recovery efforts for the hurricane season.

“You want to build those friendships and relationships prior to the event happening, which is so critical, because then you really can work through getting after the need at hand,” said Maj. Gen. William Prendergast IV, deputy commander of U.S. Army North and Task Force 51 commander.

The task force is a deployable command post embedded within U.S. Army North designed to assist local, state, and federal responders with disasters. It has 30 assigned service members and can add additional Soldiers if needed.

The team can operate in rigorous environments with less than 24 hours notification when a federal agency requests support.

They can drop into a disaster area and operate on their own without taking resources away from the community in crisis, Prendergast said. They respond to various incidents including wildfires, earthquakes and hurricanes.

Last year, there were 14 named storms, of which two intensified into major hurricanes reaching wind speeds of 111 mph or greater, Hurricane Ian and Hurricane Fiona.

According to the NOAA, 156 people lost their lives during Hurricane Ian, and it became the third costliest storm in U.S. history, causing $114 billion in damages.

The NOAA predicted near-normal hurricane activity this year, which would match last season.

There were also almost 69,000 wildfires in the U.S. last year as reported by the National Interagency Fire Center. These fires burned more than 7.5 million acres.

One of the many roles of the National Guard is providing aid and helping combat hurricanes and wildfires. At the end of May, 357 members were supporting wildfire response efforts in California and Colorado.

“We live and work in these communities,” Beddall said during a media roundtable May 23. “So, we’re invested in every response in order to make ourselves a little bit better, so that we can meet the needs that need to be met.”

Each year, the National Guard gathers with state leaders to discuss weather projections. Here, they line up potential response options in case help is requested.

More than 8,000 National Guard Soldiers are currently engaged in domestic operation missions supporting local communities throughout the country.

“As we officially begin hurricane season and expect wildfires to ravage this summer, we can only predict that the number of [National Guard] Soldiers called to action nationwide will also grow as the seasons unfold,” Beddall said. “We’re committed to serve our communities for as long as we’re needed.”

Deployment of MHS GENESIS, the Military Health System’s new electronic health record, is complete at military hospitals and clinics in the continental United States, and now sights are set on transitioning overseas this fall.

When fully deployed, MHS GENESIS will provide DOD’s 9.6 million beneficiaries and 205,000 medical providers with a single, integrated health record across the continuum of care. Features of MHS GENESIS include:

• A modern patient portal that serves as the patient’s “dashboard” to see and manage appointments, send secure messages, complete pre-visit questionaries, and view clinical notes and lab and test results

• Faster and better management of chronic, complex, and time-sensitive health conditions

• A unique health library giving patients the ability to search for almost anything they would like to know about their health

• Business tools that allow hospitals and clinics to accurately collect patient information at the start of a visit

“With the go-live at Wright-Patterson [Air Force Base], our final wave in the continental United States, [worldwide] deployment is now 86% complete,” said Holly Joers, program executive officer for the Defense Healthcare Management Systems.

This Wright-Patterson wave covered 6,800 clinicians and providers in military hospitals and clinics across Ohio, Virginia, Maryland, Indiana, Texas, and Kentucky.

MHS GENESIS also went live within the Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA Corps.

“This is the first time we’ve gone live simultaneously with another federal agency inside our DOD command center. We talk about expanding our federal partnerships, and this is a great example of that,” said Joers.

The deployment and implementation of MHS GENESIS across all military hospitals and clinics throughout the United States was on-time and on-budget. It’s an important milestone for the Defense Health Agency, and one step closer to the agency’s goal of providing a standardized and integrated health information system for all beneficiaries.

“I’m proud of the fact that we stayed true to our schedule and within budget,” said U.S Air Force Col. Thomas Cantilina, MHS GENESIS deputy functional champion.

Limited fielding for the initial operational capability of MHS GENESIS began in February 2017 at four sites in the Pacific Northwest. Since initial deployment, MHS GENESIS has undergone multiple upgrades, stabilization and adoption changes, and thousands of configuration changes. In September 2019, incremental deployment began and continued through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lessons learned from previous go-live waves improved efforts during the final deployment. “We succeeded thanks to the commitment of our health care teams, military, civilians, and contractors who adopted a can-do attitude every step of the way,” said Cantilina.

The DHA actively looked for feedback from users and stakeholders. These insights and suggestions were incorporated into the deployment strategy and helped identify and address potential issues in advance. The result was smoother transitions and better user experiences, according to Joers.

DHA also learned early in the process that it was necessary for all users, including health care providers and support staff, to get comprehensive MHS GENESIS training to do their jobs.

Joers called the Pay-It-Forward program, a peer-to-peer support program that bolstered an already strong training program, a “game-changer.” Active MHS GENESIS users volunteer about a week of their time to train their peers in the hospitals and clinics going through deployment. This program builds user confidence and speeds adoption, which maximizes benefits and minimizes any potential disruptions to patients or providers.

MHS GENESIS provides enhanced continuity of care, improved coordination among providers, and better access to medical records both patients and health care professionals, according to Joers. It also provides a new patient portal. She suggests beneficiaries learn about the patient portal and take advantage of the many features it offers.

The next MHS GENESIS deployment wave includes overseas military hospitals and clinics. It will deploy at several bases in Europe in September 2023, to include Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany and Royal Air Force Lakenheath in the United Kingdom. And bases in Guam, South Korea, and Japan will follow in October.

The DOD and the Department of Veterans Affairs will also complete a synchronous deployment of MHS GENESIS at the James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center located in North Chicago, Illinois, in March 2024.

Joers said, “Successful deployment of the federal electronic health record at Lovell FHCC is foundational to future joint sharing sites. By ensuring the departments can work together as a single unit without technology being a barrier, Lovell FHCC becomes a model for how we can do this across DOD, VA, and the broader health care industry.”

MHS GENESIS will continue to evolve to improve user experience and offer greater access to data to improve decision-making. The plan is to leverage emerging technologies and innovations to enhance the system’s functionality, and make it even more intuitive, efficient, and responsive to the needs of users.

“Now that we are close to having the MHS GENESIS baseline out, it’s time to pivot,” said Joers. “I’m excited with our progress, but this is only the end of the beginning.”