Joint Base San Antonio > News

JBSA-Fort Sam Houston Soldiers depart for annual Holiday Block Leave travel
December 16, 2020 — More than 1,300 Soldiers training at the U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence, or MEDCoE, at are expected to depart from Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston via the San Antonio International Airport for their Holiday Block Leave Dec. 19... MORE

In this photo from 2018, an airline employee assists an Army Soldier to check in for his flight at the San Antonio International Airport.

San Antonio Military Health System receives first Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine shipment
December 15, 2020 — The Department of Defense is conducting a coordinated vaccine distribution strategy for prioritizing and administering COVID-19 vaccines... MORE

The Department of Defense is conducting a coordinated vaccine distribution strategy for prioritizing and administering COVID-19 vaccines.

Operation Warp Speed official: first COVID-19 vaccines arrive Dec. 14
December 14, 2020 — The nation's first vaccines for the COVID-19 virus are being distributed Dec. 14, following the emergency-use authorization by the Food and Drug Administration for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, said Army Gen. Gustave F. Perna... MORE

DOD announces COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan
December 10, 2020 — The Department of Defense announced its deliberate and phased plan Dec. 9 to distribute and administer initial and subsequent allocations of the COVID-19 vaccine... MORE

Five military medical treatment facilities are participating in a Phase 3 clinical trial testing a COVID-19 vaccine in development with AstraZeneca. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Joshua Garcia)

Resilience during holidays can be daunting, but possible
December 9, 2020 — Joint Base San Antonio offers many programs and services which can help lift spirits and assist in navigating the holidays in a positive way... MORE

Joint Base San Antonio offers many programs and services which can help lift spirits and assist in navigating the holidays in a positive way.

ARNORTH to oversee military COVID-19 operation in Wisconsin
December 9, 2020 — At the request of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, approximately 45 U.S. Army medical personnel, part of a Department of Defense COVID-19 operation, will deploy to Wisconsin this week. U.S. Army North, the Joint Force Land Component Command of U.S Northern Command, will oversee the military operation in support of federal efforts and the state. ... MORE

59th Medical Wing offers telehealth through COVID-19
December 9, 2020 — Through the COVID-19 pandemic, the 59th Medical Wing has remained operational adapting to the current situation the world is facing. Many clinics have telehealth appointments available, ensuring patients can still receive the care they need while social distancing or in quarantine. ... MORE

Providers offer telehealth appointments for patients to continue receiving care while social distancing.

Air Force restores leave charged during restriction of movement
December 9, 2020 — Effective Nov. 20, the Department of the Air Force announced the ability to restore leave charged to members during a required restriction of movement after Aug. 6... MORE

The Department of the Air Force is seeing its highest retention levels in 20 years, second only to rates recorded shortly after 9/11 in 2002.

Winter is coming: COVID surge spurs readiness efforts at BAMC
December 7, 2020 — With COVID-19 cases on the rise across the nation, Brooke Army Medical Center is bracing for the impact of the coming winter months as colder weather drives people indoors where the virus is more likely to spread... MORE

April Pace, a registered nurse, enters a patient room in a COVID-19 intensive care unit at Brooke Army Medical Center at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston July 17, 2020.

Air Force moves physical fitness assessments to April 2021, removes waist measurement from composite score permanently
December 7, 2020 — To ensure social distancing practices remain in place during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and to give Airmen and Space Professionals time to prepare, testing was delayed from October to January and is now further delayed to April... MORE

To continue minimizing close contact among personnel during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and ensure units and personnel are fully ready to resume, physical fitness testing has been delayed from October to January 2021. Testing in January will proceed without obtaining waist, height and weight measurements.

Air Force hits record retention levels, reviews voluntary force management efforts
December 7, 2020 — The Department of the Air Force is seeing its highest retention levels in 20 years, second only to rates recorded shortly after 9/11 in 2002... MORE

JBSA-Randolph dorm residents receive lesson in cooking, resilience
December 3, 2020 — Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph dormitory residents were treated to an in-person cooking lesson, which was also presented virtually, during a resiliency event Nov. 20. The event was meant to help keep morale high during the pandemic. ... MORE

Tonya Lee, Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph violence prevention integrator, provides a cooking lesson at JBSA-Randolph, Texas, Nov. 20, 2020.

59th Medical Wing supports COVID operations in North Dakota
December 2, 2020 — Members of the 59th Medical Wing at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland are in North Dakota, supporting local hospitals in the fight against COVID-19. Twenty ICU nurses and 40 medical surgical nurses have been split among major hospitals throughout the state hospitals in the on-going fight against COVID-19. ... MORE

Mental health during COVID-19: 'You're not in this alone'
December 2, 2020 — Since the beginning of this year many have experienced an intense amount of change. There is no question of the emotional toll the COVID-19 pandemic has placed on people. As important as washing your hands, socially distancing, and wearing a mask is, your mental health is also important... MORE

Mental health providers guide patients through challenging times, to include stress or anxiety due to the pandemic, both in person or through telehealth.

COVID-19 vaccine delivery dry runs taking place across U.S.
November 30, 2020 — Army Gen. Gustave F. Perna, the chief operations officer for Operation Warp Speed discussed how the COVID-19 vaccines will be delivered and administered at a press briefing on Operation Warp Speed in Washington, D.C., Nov. 24... MORE

ARNORTH expands military COVID-19 operations to North Dakota
November 25, 2020 — At the request of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Department of Defense is deploying approximately 60 U.S. Air Force medical personnel to support hospitals across multiple locations in North Dakota. U.S. Army North, the Joint Force Land Component Command of U.S Northern Command, will oversee the military operation in support of federal efforts and the state. The military medical personnel will come from several locations, to include Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland and JBSA-Randolph, Texas. ... MORE

Nurses from the U.S. Air Force arrive in North Dakota and proceed through the Department of Defense's Joint Reception, Staging, and Onward Integration process, followed by the North Dakota Department of Health's in-processing.

JBSA medical facilities support Operation Warp Speed
November 25, 2020 — Joint Base San Antonio’s Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical Center, or WHASC, and Brooke Army Medical Center are supporting the Department of Defense on Operation Warp Speed, which seeks to pioneer vaccines for COVID-19. The vaccine trial began at JBSA Nov. 5... MORE

Personnel interested in participating in the Phase III AstraZeneca trials at selected DOD locations should visit www.CoronavirusPreventionNetwork.org, click on “Volunteer Now,” and complete the survey using the appropriate DOD Site Code.

DOD medical personnel working alongside El Paso civilian healthcare workers
November 24, 2020 — Local Air Force and Army medical personnel are in El Paso, Texas, working alongside civilian healthcare personnel in support of the whole-of-America COVID-19 response... MORE

JBSA-Canyon Lake helps maintain military community resilience
November 20, 2020 — When Harry Gilbert was in high school, he was stomped by a bull. It broke many bones, harmed his head and neck, and left him with arthritis, making him ineligible to join the military. But that didn’t stop him from serving the military community. Gilbert is currently the general manager of Joint Base San Antonio-Canyon Lake. ... MORE

The JBSA Recreation Park at Canyon Lake provides a wide variety of recreational activities that allow for outdoor fun on a year-round basis. The recreation park consists of 250 acres of the most beautiful lakefront property in the area.

SAMHS accepting volunteers for COVID-19 vaccine trial
November 18, 2020 — A kick-off event to commemorate the San Antonio Military Health System beginning Phase 3 of the AstraZeneca vaccine trial as part of Operation Warp Speed was held Nov. 18 at Brooke Army Medical Center at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston... MORE