journal 072315

Vol. 27 No. 29 www.cnic.navy.mil/bethesda/ July 23, 2015

By Sarah MarshallWRNMMC Public

Affairs staff writer

After walking thehalls of Walter Reed Na-tional Military MedicalCenter (WRNMMC) lastweek, meeting patients,staff and volunteers,American Red CrossPresident Gail McGov-ern expressed that thevisit was “inspirational.”“The joy you bring, it’s

palpable. You just feel itall around … It’s incred-ible,” McGovern said toa group of Red Cross vol-unteers during her visitto the nation’s medicalcenter July 15. She toldvolunteers what theydo each day is “remark-able,” and “people are sograteful for what you’redoing.”Evidence of that, Mc-

Govern said, was in howpatients and staff re-peatedly stopped her asshe walked the halls –they saw the bright RedCross pin on her suitjacket and wanted tosay thanks, sharing howthe organization and itsvolunteers have helpedthem.“It’s truly amazing

what you’re doing everyday,” McGovern said tothe volunteers. “I knowyou absorb a lot of sad-ness, and you’re dolingout a huge amount ofcomfort … From the bot-tom of my heart, I wantto tell you how gratefulI am, on behalf of themen and women in theArmed Forces. I wantto tell you how gratefulthey are.”After meeting with

hospital leadership, Mc-Govern went with vol-unteers as they pusheda “Comfort Cart” to the

inpatient wards. RedCross volunteers takethe cart to the wards ev-ery day, including week-ends, delivering itemspatients may have runout of, forgot to pack, orsimply need for comfort.The carts are stockedwith an array of blan-kets, snacks, books andmovies, as well as toi-letries. In Fiscal Year(FY) 2015, volunteersdelivered more than34,000 items to patientsand families recoveringat WRNMMC, in largepart through the Com-fort Cart program.Koby Langley, Red

Cross senior vice presi-dent, and Linda Mathes,chief executive officerfor the Red Cross in the

National Capital Regionaccompanied McGovern.The group visited staffand patients throughoutthe Department of Re-habilitation, includingOccupational Therapy,Physical Therapy, andthe Gait Lab – all attest-ing to the daily supportthey receive from theRed Cross.Army Col. Matthew

St. Laurent, chief ofOccupational Therapy,explained to the RedCross president thatvolunteers constantlytake initiative, mak-ing staff members’ jobseasier. They open their“kind hearts” and giveup their time to be here,he said.“We couldn’t do what

we do without them,” St.Laurent said.Volunteers, includ-

ing Marian Chirichella,also expressed what itmeans to them to giveback, and support themedical center’s missionof extraordinary patientcare. The Comfort Cartchairwoman began vol-unteering at the formerWalter Reed Army Medi-cal Center in 2003, andhas helped manage theComfort Cart ever since,in addition to support-ing the Chaplain’s Of-fice.Volunteering is an

“opportunity to servethose who serve us,”Chirichella said. Shehopes to bring the pa-tients a sense of normal-

cy when entering theirroom, she said, bringinga smile instead of medi-cine.“I hope to be bringing

a little bit of joy,” the vol-unteer said. “Items webring make them morecomfortable … blankets,baggy clothing, enter-tainment … items eitherthey have forgotten, orthey’re here for a pro-longed amount of time,and they’ve run out.”Chirichella added

she appreciated the RedCross president’s visit,stating she is “genuine,”and “full of love.”Marin Reynes, senior

station manager for theRed Cross at WRNMMC,shared similar senti-ments.

“It’s always wonderfulwhen we get a chance toshare the impact our vol-unteers make each andevery day,” Reynes said.“Gail had a chance to seea small snapshot of howinstrumental our morethan 600 volunteers arein the care of patientsand families. She heardfirsthand from recipi-ents of our services andfrom staff, who couldn’tdo what they do withoutRed Cross support … in[Gail’s] words, the visitwas truly inspirational.”Red Cross volunteers

provided more than68,000 hours of serviceat Walter Reed Bethesdain FY 2015, equivalentto an estimated valueof more than $1.8 mil-lion, Reynes added. Vol-unteers contribute closeto 6,000 hours monthly,supporting a variety ofactivities for patients,family members andcare providers. Volun-teers include civiliansand active duty mem-bers, administrators anddoctors who practice tothe full extent of theircredentials. They vol-unteer at the NationalIntrepid Center of Ex-cellence, and greet eachwounded, ill and injuredservice member who ar-rives via medical evacu-ation. Additionally, dur-ing the summer, approx-imately 75 youth volun-teers serve throughoutthe medical center.To become a Red Cross

volunteer at WRNMMC,call 301-295-1538 orstop by the Red Crossoffice in Building 8, Sec-ond Floor, Room 2189between 8 a.m. and 4p.m. Monday throughFriday.

American Red Cross President Visits WRNMMC

Photo by Sarah Marshall

Red Cross President Gail McGovern (second from left), visited Walter Reed National Mili-tary Medical Center (WRNMMC) volunteers, patients and staff last week, thanking themfor their service and dedication. McGovern, and Red Cross Senior Vice President KobyLangley (far right), are pictured above with volunteers Marian Chirichella (far left), andDr. Inge Guen. During the visit, McGovern and Langley delivered Comfort Cart items topatients on the wards.

2 Thursday, July 23, 2015 The Journal

Published by offset every Thurs-day by Comprint Military Publi-cations, 9030 Comprint Court,Gaithersburg, Md. 20877, aprivate firm in no way con-nected with the U.S. Navy,under exclusive written con-tract with Naval Support ActivityBethesda, Md. This commercialenterprise newspaper is an autho-rized publication for members of themilitary services. Contents of The Journalare not necessarily the official views of, norendorsed by, the U.S. Government, the De-partment of Defense, or the Department ofthe Navy. The appearance of advertising inthis publication, including inserts or supple-ments, does not constitute endorsement bythe Department of Defense or Comprint,Inc., of the products or services advertised.Everything advertised in this publicationshall be made available for purchase, useor patronage without regard to race, color,

religion, sex, national origin,age, marital status, physicalhandicap, political affiliationor any other non-merit fac-tor of the purchaser, user,or patron. Editorial contentis edited, prepared and pro-vided by the Public AffairsOffice, Naval Support Activ-

ity Bethesda, Md. News copyshould be submitted to the Pub-

lic Affairs Office, Building 17, first floor,across from PSD, by noon one week pre-ceding the desired publication date. Newsitems are welcomed from all installationsources. Inquiries about news copy will beanswered by calling 301-295-1803. Com-mercial advertising should be placed withthe publisher by calling 301-921-2800.Publisher’s advertising offices are locatedat 9030 Comprint Court, Gaithersburg, Md.20877. Classified ads can be placed bycalling 301-670-1700.

Naval Support Activity (NSA) BethesdaCommanding Officer: Capt. Marvin L. JonesPublic Affairs Officer: Ronald D. InmanPublic Affairs Office: 301-295-1803

Journal StaffManaging Editor MC3 Hank GettysWRNMMC Editor Bernard Little

Staff Writers MC1 Christopher KruckeAndrew DamstedtSarah MarshallSharon Renee TaylorJoseph Nieves

NSABethesdaFleet And Family Support Center 301-319-4087

Walter Reed National Military Medical CenterOffice of Media Relations 301-295-5727

NSAB Emergency Information Line 301-295-6246

NSAB OmbudsmanMichelle Herrera 240-370-5421

NSAB Chaplain’s Office 301-319-4443/4706

Sexual Assault ResponseCoordinator Hotline 301-442-2053

Visit us on Facebook:Naval Support Activity Bethesda page:https://www.facebook.com/NSABethesda

Walter Reed National Medical Center page:http://www.facebook.com/pages/Walter-Reed-National-Military-Medical-Center/295857217111107

Uniformed Services University of the HealthSciences page:http://www.facebook.com/pages/Uniformed-Services-University-of-the-Health-Sciences/96338890888?fref=ts

SAPR interACT PerformanceAn interACT Performance in support

of the Navy’s Sexual Assault Preventionand Response program is scheduled forJuly 24 in the Memorial Auditorium atWRNMMC. Two sessions are scheduledfor 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. interACT is a na-tionally renowned social justice perfor-mance troupe based out of CaliforniaState University, Long Beach. Since itsbirth in 2000, the troupe has reachedthousands of audience members throughits “proactive” (highest level of audienceinvolvement) shows. During perfor-mances audience members are literallyinvited on stage to become active partici-pants, rather than passive observers. Theperformances allow audience members asafe space to rehearse assertive commu-nication strategies and inspire social andpolitical change.

Program for Patients with Can-cer and their Families

The cancer support group’s quarterlyguest speaker program will be Aug. 6from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Dr. Stephen Lewis, ra-diation oncologist at Walter Reed Nation-al Military Medical Center (WRNMMC),will discuss “Cancer 101: UnderstandingEmerging Therapies in 2015.” The pre-sentation will be at WRNMMC in theAmerica Building, second floor, Room2525. It will also be shown at Fort Bel-voir Community Hospital via video tele-conference (in the Oaks Pavilion, firstfloor, Room 332). Military ID is requiredfor base access to Walter Reed. For thosewithout a military ID, call the ProstateCenter at 301-319-2900 at least fourbusiness days prior to event for base ac-cess. For more information, contact re-tired Col. Jane Hudak at 301-319-2918,or at [email protected].

BethesdaNotebookGreetings! My wife Lillian and

I are simply delighted to be join-ing the Naval Support ActivityBethesda Team and we eagerlylook forward to working with allof you in supporting the criticallyimportant missions of the tenantorganizations on this installation.Reporting fresh from a tour ofduty as Commanding Officer (CO),Naval Health Clinic Charleston(NHCC) at Joint Base Charleston,S. C., we’re even more excited to beliving in an area that has a profes-sional hockey team. Yes, I know itis baseball season, but I’m writing about hockeybecause I very recently gained a whole new per-spective, understanding and appreciation for thegame.This was due in large part to my ExecutiveOfficer at NHCC, a former Walter Reed NationalMilitary Medical Center staff member,Navy Capt.Rosemary Malone. Captain Malone wholeheart-edly is a consummate die-hard Washington Capi-tals fan. During hockey season, our first conver-sation of the day was always about the Capitalsand my favorite team, the Chicago Blackhawks.My passion for the game was stimulated evenfurther on New Year’s Eve when my friend, U.S.Air Force Col. Jeffrey “Pep” Devore, the installa-tion commander at Joint Base Charleston, invitedme to my very first live hockey game.Although itwas merely the local semi-pro team in Charleston- the Carolina Stingrays, the thrill of sitting frontrow,watching the game close-up and pounding onthe glass was exhilarating!

Colonel Devore (Pep) enlightened me with hispersonal conviction as he told me, “EverythingI wanted to know about leadership I learned bywatching a hockey game.” In his stark comparisonsbetween hockey and leadership, he made referenc-es to the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team that wonthe gold medal, beating a superior Soviet Unionteam in a game that was dubbed the “Miracle onIce.” I was fascinated at how he related the leader-ship challenges and strategy lessons that the 1980team faced with the challenges we face today as anation and as military service components.

Check out the associations in the way Pepbroke it down:

The Team“A hockey team puts six players

on the ice at once; three forwards,two defenders and one goalie. Thethree forwards are like our youngofficers and enlisted folks.They arethe ones who attack the oppositiongoal and who are on the front lineof the mission. They are your scor-ers who control the tempo and arethe most technically talented onthe team.

“Next you have the defenders.They are the senior officers and se-nior enlisted who keep the action in

front of them. They deflect the opposition attackand look to exploit mismatches on the offensiveend. These are your directors and departmentheads, your Chief Petty Officers and senior NCOs.

“And then there is the goalie - The CO; theCommander; the last person who guards the linebetween success and failure; the one who is ac-countable for the net - for the mission. Letting agoal go by the CO is tough, because normally a bigred light goes off, a fog horn sounds and 15,000people stand up and scream. Regardless of the is-sue, it is the CO who is ultimately responsible andaccountable for keeping the puck out of the netand keeping the goals against average as close tozero as possible.

Keeping a Balance“During a game (mission) the same folks don’t

stay out on the ice the whole time - they rotateplayers through shifts to keep fresh legs on theice at all times. Each shift has a balance of speed,skill, and expertise. The 1980 U.S. Hockey Teamdid not have this balance in its early stages, theyhad to work on it constantly through training andpractice. We in the military also do that with ourpersonnel. We put certain shifts out during hightempo periods and adjust our shifts and composi-tion based on the tasks (mission sets) we are en-countering. When the strategy of the other teamchanges, we also adjust to adapt to the strategyand refocus our efforts.

Commander’s Column

See COMMANDER page 4

Capt. Marvin L. JonesNSAB Commanding Officer

The Journal Thursday, July 23, 2015 3

By AndrewDamstedt

NSAB Public Affairsstaff writer

Twenty-five years ago,an idea to build tempo-rary housing at majormilitary medical centerswas formed – and a yearlater, the Fisher HouseFoundation opened itsfirst house on what is nowNaval Support ActivityBethesda (NSAB).

Fast forward to 2015and there are five houseson the installation thatprovide a place for mili-tary families to stay whenthey’re receiving care atWalter Reed NationalMilitary Medical Centeror the National IntrepidCenter of Excellence.

The foundation held a25th anniversary celebra-tion July 15, opening itsdoors by providing toursof two of its houses andexplaining the mission ofthe organization to peo-ple who came to the openhouse.

The houses on base arealmost always full, saidFisher House ManagerKen Merritt, with an av-erage 98.5 percent occu-pancy rate year round.

“When one familychecks out, we’re check-

ing another one in,” hesaid.

Including the five hous-es on NSAB, there are 65houses nationwide thatprovide lodging for mili-tary families when a fam-ily member is receivingmedical care, and FisherHouse managers fromacross the country came tosee the first Fisher Househere as part of the 25thanniversary celebration.

The open house at-tracted visitors from allover the base and Merrittand other Fisher Houseemployees shared how theFisher House can help pa-tients and their families.To stay at a Fisher House,a provider has to recom-mend the service and afamily is only eligible ifthey live at least 40 milesaway from the location,and have no local accom-modations.

The houses are con-structed and donated tothe Navy by the founda-tion and serve as tempo-rary housing for familiesof active duty, reserves,retired and veteran pa-tients. On NSAB, the fivehouses have a total of 73rooms and there can beup to 250 occupants in allfive houses, Merritt said.

Each house has com-

mon rooms, such as a din-ing room, a kitchen anda living room, which areoften a gathering placefor the families. Therooms and hallways aredecorated with photos ofWashington, D.C. land-marks as well as otherpaintings. Some housesalso have playrooms filledwith children’s books,toys and games.

Retired Army Col.Gloria Harris was at thecelebration and has beenstaying at Fisher HouseV since she had kidneytransplant surgery.

“When I first came in,the families that werehere welcomed me andtold me all the littlethings that I needed todo to make me feel verycomfortable here,” saidHarris, who came to themedical center from Ohio.“We have to pass that on,so as new families comein, we do the very samething for them. We helpthem out in any way thatwe can.”

Another Fisher HouseV occupant, Army reserveChaplain (Capt.) AndrewHendon agreed, saying

his stay with his wife andtwo children has been“seamless.”

“It’s not a hassle, youwould think that whenyou first come here andyou’re having to sharespace with other people,”said Hendon, who alsohad a kidney transplantoperation. “It’s the oppo-site of what I was expect-ing it to be. One, the Fish-er House by far is like ahome away from home;the staff that works heremakes it very warm anda safe environment foreveryone. We have plenty

of space in there, it’s notlike it’s a tight quarter.”

Hendon, who came tothe medical center fromFort Eustis, Va., said eachfamily has different situ-ations, but they all cometogether to support andhelp each other out.

Harris, who’s had dif-ferent family memberswith her during her stay,said she tells friends backhome that it’s like stayingin a five-star hotel.

“I love the kitchen,” shesaid. “I’m a cook, so I’min there cooking all thetime.”

Fisher House Celebrates 25th Anniversary at First House

Photo by Andrew Damstedt

Fisher House managers from around the nation gather on Naval Support Activity Bethesdato celebrate the foundation’s 25th anniversary July 15. To celebrate, the Fisher Houseopened its doors to provide tours of two of its houses and explained the mission of theorganization to people who came to the open house.

By Bernard S. LittleWRNMMC Public


Walter Reed NationalMilitary Medical Cen-ter (WRNMMC) officialshosted two town hallmeetings July 14 to dis-cuss construction projectsimpacting the hospital,emergency preparednessand staff training.

The town halls also of-fered staff the opportuni-ty to engage in construc-tive dialogue about withWRNMMC leadership re-garding issues. A numberof questions attendeesasked during the morningtown hall concerned the

recent Office of PersonnelManagement (OPM) cy-bersecurity incidents.

OPM recently discov-ered two separate butrelated cybersecurity in-cidents impacting data offederal government em-ployees, contractors, andothers. In April, OPMdiscovered the personneldata of 4.2 million cur-rent and former federalgovernment employeeshad been stolen. Affectedinformation included fullnames, birth dates, homeaddresses and Social Se-curity Numbers (SSNs).Those affected shouldhave already receivednotification regarding

this breach, OPM officialssaid.

Last month, while in-vestigating the April in-cident, OPM discoveredthat additional informa-tion had been compro-mised, including back-ground investigation re-cords of current, former,and prospective federalemployees and contrac-tors. OPM and the inter-agency incident responseteam have determinedsensitive information, in-cluding SSNs of 21.5 mil-lion individuals, was sto-len from the backgroundinvestigation databases.This includes 19.7 millionindividuals who applied

for a background inves-tigation, and 1.8 millionnon-applicants, primarilyspouses or co-habitants ofapplicants. Some recordsalso include findings frominterviews conducted by

background investiga-tors and approximately1.1 million fingerprints.Usernames and pass-words information thatapplicants used to fillout their background in-

vestigation forms werealso stolen. Notificationsfor those affected by thisbreach have not yet be-gun, according to OPM.

“Since the investiga-tion is ongoing, addition-al exposures may come tolight and if this occurs,OPM will conduct ad-ditional notifications asnecessary,” stated NavyLt. Cmdr. Holly Lee, dep-uty comptroller-budget atWRNMMC in an email toWRNMMC staff on July16.

“Current [and] formerfederal employees, [aswell as] contractors mayverify if they have beenimpacted by calling CSIDat 1-844-777-2743 be-tween 7 a.m. and 10 p.m.(CST), Monday throughFriday, and 8 a.m. to 8

Construction, Code White, Training Top Town Hall Discussion

Photo by Bernard S. Little

Maj. Gen. (Dr.) Jeffrey B. Clark, WalterReed National Military Medical Center(WRNMMC) director, discusses a numberof issues with WRNMMC staff during a townhall meeting July 17.

Staff Members Also Voice ConcernRegarding OPM Breach of Information

See TOWN HALL page 6

1050346


By AndrewDamstedt

NSAB Public Affairsstaff writer

Naval Support ActivityBethesda (NSAB) policewill be joined by local lawenforcement as part of aNational Night Out cam-paign Aug. 4 at the instal-lation.The event will be out-

side the USOWarrior andFamily Center at Bethes-da from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.Tuesday, Aug. 4, wherelocal law enforcement

will display fire, policeand incident commandvehicles, and have canineand explosive ordnancedisposal demonstrations,according to Master-at-Arms 2nd Class ColleenDibble, NSAB crime pre-vention officer.This is the first time

that a National NightOut event has been heldon NSAB. The annualcampaign, which has a32-year history, seeks topromote police-communi-ty partnerships to makeneighborhoods safe, ac-

cording to the NationalAssociation of TownWatch, the organizationthat started the cam-paign.The NSAB Police De-

partment is sponsoringthe National Night Outevent on base. Free foodwill be provided by localBethesda restaurantsand there will be severalgiveaways throughout thethree-hour event, Dibblesaid.Anyone with base ac-

cess is encouraged tocome to the event.

NSAB Police to Host‘National Night Out’ Event

The Power Play“In hockey, if a player commits an ille-

gal play they are often sent to the penaltybox for a few minutes and the other teamgets to play with a man advantage duringthat time - also known as a power play.The power play allows the team with theman advantage to attack the oppositionnet. They are able to pass easily and findmore shooting lanes since the opposition isa man down. As a leader, you are alwayslooking for power play opportunities ...achance to light up the opposition red light.We see this in how we effectively allocateand use resources to ensure our militaryorganizations have the training, skills andequipment they need to do their mission.If we can overwhelm the mission or issue,chances are a good result will happen.”The other perspective of the power play

is when you are forced to play with lessthan the normal six players on the ice.Thisis because one of the players committeda penalty and it hurts the team. Playinga man down does not set you up to suc-ceed, it forces the rest of the team to workharder to make up for the lost players skilland expertise. It also does not allow formany offensive opportunities as the teamis reacting to the tempo rather than dic-tating it with a team at full strength. Themilitary is no different.We have to have all

our players out on the ice. When someonegets a DUI or has discipline problems thatresult in missed work time, the organiza-tion has to try and compensate. In a dayof reduced military budgets and manning,organizations are constantly looking forways to have an efficient and lean organi-zation. Going a man down undermines anorganization’s ability to perform. Leadersmust ensure they are doing as much asthey can to mitigate discipline issues likeDUI, etc ... or face the fact that the goalsagainst average will increase.

The WinIn 1980, 20 men overcame incredible

odds to win an Olympic gold medal. Theydid it as a team. Success was never guar-anteed and they had to fight for every sec-ond of every game. Seven months prior,the U.S. Coach, Herb Brooks, was beingquestioned by the U.S. Olympic Commit-tee about not picking the best players forthe team. His response was simple, yetprofound. He stated, “I don’t need the bestplayers, I need the right players.”As leaders we don’t always get to pick

our teams. And, we often have to wadethrough vague guidance based on the ever-changing environments we work in. But,by leading and uniting your people, amaz-ing things can happen.The take away: Shape your team to

have the “right” players so that everyone’srole is covered down. You never know - inthe end, those folks just might create an-other “miracle.” As NSAB CommandingOfficer, I look forward to achieving those“miracles” with you!

COMMANDERContinued from pg. 2

1051495

By Bernard S. LittleWRNMMC Public


Navy Lt. Candy An-derson says she be-came a nurse to makea difference in people’slives.“This was something

instilled in me by myparents,” said theMedical Intensive CareUnit (MICU) nurse atWalter Reed NationalMilitary Medical Cen-ter (WRNMMC). “I al-ways watched my momtaking care of peoplein the community, andI guess I just pickedthat up.”Anderson, who calls

Jacksonvil le, Fla. ,home, added she’s al-ways had a passionfor medicine as well,“and nursing was morepractical [for her] thanbecoming a physician.Also, as a nurse, I getto spend more timewith the patient, whichworks out to be mostbeneficial in that way.”It’s Anderson’s car-

ing nature and pas-sion for medicinewhich earned herWRNMMC’s MayDAISY Award for Ex-traordinary Nursing,recently presented toher by the Director-ate of Nursing Ser-vices leadership teamat WRNMMC. Shewas nominated for theaward by the family ofa patient who wishedto remain anonymous.“This nurse kept

[the patient] well-informed about whatwould be happening,and her bedside man-ner put [the patient]at ease. [The patient]felt [Lt. Anderson] wasthe best nurse she in-teracted with duringher stay in the unit. Asthe patient’s motheris a nurse, she under-stands the difficultiesnurses face daily. Ifthe unit could clonethis nurse, or at leastreplicate her level ofcommitment, the unit’slevel of care would beelevated from excep-tional to outstanding.Thank you for yourwarm, caring profes-sionalism.”In addition to im-

pacting the lives of pa-tients at WRNMMC,Anderson served as anintensive care unit/op-erating room nurse ina Level-3 facility in Af-ghanistan, where themost severely wound-ed were treated duringOperation EnduringFreedom.And e r s o n wa s

among the more than50 nominees for theMay DAISY Award atWRNMMC. In additionto the individual nomi-nees, the entire staffsof 3 Center, 4 Center,MICU and the SurgicalIntensive Care Unitwere nominated for theDAISY Award.DAISY is an acro-

nym for Diseases At-tacking the ImmuneSystem, and the award,as well as the DAISYFoundation was estab-lished by Bonnie andMark Barnes followingthe death of Mark’sson, Patrick, from anautoimmune disease(Idiopathic Thrombo-cytopenia Purpura) atthe age of 33 in 1999,explained Army Col.Joy Napper, assistantdirector of nursing ser-vices at WRNMMC.Appreciative of the

“extraordinary” nurs-ing care Patrick re-ceived during hishospitalization, “TheBarnes family wasvery passionate aboutmaking this a nurse-centric award,” Nap-per said. She added the

award is recognized bythe American Organi-zation of Nurse Execu-tives and the AmericanNursing CredentialingCenter’s Magnet Cer-tification Committee,“because it stands outas recognizing nursesfor the extraordinarycare they give.”Each DAISY Award

winner receives a ser-pentine stone sculp-ture hand carved byartists of the Shonatribe in Zimbabwe. Thestone sculpture, called“The Healer’s Touch,”is representative of thespecial relationshipnurses have with theirpatients, Napper said.Jo an Lo epke r-

Duncan, a cardiol-ogy service clinicalnurse who serves onthe WRNMMC DAI-SY Award SelectionCommittee, helped tobring the recognitionfrom the former Wal-ter Reed Army Medi-cal Center (WRAMC)to WRNMMC when itintegrated with theformer National Na-val Medical Center(NNMC) in 2011. Sheexplained the DAISYAward is presented tonurses at more than1,900 health-care fa-cilities in 19 differentcountries.“It’s not only impact-

ing inpatient nursing,but outpatient andcommunity-wide nurs-ing as well,” Nappersaid.


Photo by Bernard S. Little

Director of Nursing Services at WalterReed National Military Medical Center(WRNMMC) Col. Ray C. Antoine (right)congratulates Navy Lt. Candy Anderson forearning the WRNMMC May DAISY Award.

WRNMMC Salutes ‘Extraordinary’ Nurse

1051502


p.m., on Saturdays. Please expect longwait times,” Lee added.

During the town hall, Navy Capt.Clarence Thomas Jr., WRNMMC act-ing chief of staff, encouraged peopleto monitor the OPM website (https://www.opm.gov/cybersecurity/) for in-formation concerning breaches. Peoplecan also call 866-740-7153 for an au-tomated message on the incidents, aswell as visit the government websitewww.IdentityTheft.gov. The Identi-tyTheft.gov website has informationconcerning spotting warning signs ofidentity theft, getting a free credit re-port, setting up fraud alerts on youraccounts, as well as protecting yourchildren and minors from identitytheft.

OPM and the Department of De-fense will also work with a private-sector firm specializing in credit andidentity theft monitoring to provideservices such as identity theft insur-ance, identity monitoring for minorchildren, continuous credit monitor-ing, fraud monitoring services beyondcredit files, as well as full-service iden-tity restoration support and victim re-covery assistance, according to OPM.

Also at the town hall, Army Col.Brian Belson and Navy Cmdr. Antho-ny Voeks, of WRNMMC’s Directorateof Education, Training and Research,explained changes to the AnnualRegulatory Training (ART) and BirthMonth Training slated to begin nextmonth. All WRNMMC staff membersare required to complete both ART andBirth Month Training annually. Thetrainings have been shortened, butremain focused on areas WRNMMCstaff members need to know, includingequal opportunity, suicide awarenessand prevention, sexual harassmentprevention, customer service, drugand alcohol prevention, threat aware-ness, counterintelligence and more.For information concerning annualtraining, people can contact RebeccaCroyle at [email protected], or 301-319-4602, or Eddie Thomasat [email protected], or at301-319-4606.

“Training is constantly evolving…[and] our goal is to make this as easyas possible for you to complete,” Bel-son said.

Army Lt. Col. Anthony Meador,WRNMMC’s Patient Experience teamlead and Human Resource Office ex-ecutive agent, discussed constructionprojects impacting the hospital. Heencouraged staff to become informedabout the projects to help alleviateany challenges beneficiaries, as well asother staff members, may experienceduring the construction.

The first project, replacement ofthe skylight in the Arrowhead Zone(Bldg. 9) on the second floor, beginsthis month, Meador said. He added theshort-term project is scheduled to lastuntil mid-October. Those areas affect-ed by the construction will include thepharmacy, hospital dentistry/plastics,

neurosurgery, nephrology transplantservice, general surgery, gastrointes-tinal (GI) clinic, urology/gynecologyclinic, the Wedge Café, and the escala-tors. The project will occur in threephases: phase one (from July to Aug.15) impacting the areas in front of thePharmacy, Women’s Health OB/GYN,hospital dentistry/plastics, neurosur-gery and GI clinics; phase two (fromAug. to Sept. 15) affecting the areas infront of the Urology/GYN Clinic, hos-pital dentistry/plastics, nephrologytransplant services and GI clinic; andphase three (from Sept. to Oct. 15),impacting the escalators and WedgeCafé.

While the skylight is being replaced,patient waiting areas will not be avail-able in front of the clinics, Meadorsaid. To assist beneficiaries duringconstruction, the pharmacy will use awireless pager system similar to thoseat restaurants for customers awaitingseating. He added that WRNMMC’sMarketing Department is also work-ing on signage to inform people of theconstruction.

“We ask for your assistance in let-ting patients know we’re sorry for anyinconvenience,” Meador said.

A more intensive project, construc-tion of a utility tunnel to support a newbuilding planned on base, will result inthe corridor between Buildings 8 and9 being demolished. This will impactroutes some people use to transverse be-tween buildings on base including goingfrom Building 9 to Main Street, Meadorsaid. Work on the project is scheduled tobegin this month.

Blue Coat greeters and guides willbe stationed at locations impacted bythe closures to provide people with in-formation about alternate routes theycan take to get between buildings,Meador said.

Maj. Gen. (Dr.) Jeffrey B. Clark,WRNMMC director, agreed all staffmust “lean forward even more thanusual to ensure patients know what isgoing on and to help guide beneficia-ries around [the construction areas].”

Concluding the town hall, officialsdiscussed the recent Code White (Ac-tive Shooter) incident on base July 6.

Chris Gillette, command emergencymanager, said WRNMMC staff reactedwell to the event and effectively shel-tered in place during the four-hourbase lockdown occurring after reportof a shot fired in Building 1, the Tow-er. Following a lengthy search, policefound no indication of a shooting.

Gillette and Dr. Joan Gordon, pro-gram manager for Resiliency and Psy-chological Health Services, said theCode White was a stressful event formany on base. Gordon, and Jil Jensen,Employee Assistance Program (EAP)counselor, said services are availableto offer support and assistance to peo-ple challenged by the Code White andother concerns. Resiliency and Psy-chological Health Service staff can bereached at 301-400-1974, and EAP isavailable at 800-222-0364.

Gillette said the WRNMMC staffwill continue to train and exercise toensure emergency readiness.

The next WRNMMC town hall meet-ings are on Aug. 11 at 7 a.m. and noon.

TOWN HALLContinued from pg. 3

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