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COVID-19 hinders blood donations during National Blood Donor Month
January 20, 2021 — “The public health guidelines to reduce interaction with others, social distancing, reducing time outside the home … it translates into a decreased donor turnout,” said Army Col. Jason Corley, director of the Army Blood Program, from the U.S. Army Medical Command at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas... MORE

Getting people to donate a pint of their potentially life-saving blood has never been easy.

Information Warfare Airmen rise up to break COVID kill chain
January 18, 2021 — More than 300 enlisted personnel, officers, civilians and contractors from the Sixteenth Air Force (Air Forces Cyber) received the COVID-19 vaccine administered at Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical... MORE

JBSA Religious Affairs Airmen to answer questions during live recruiting chat
January 18, 2021 — In an effort to ensure potential Air Force recruits have all the information they need to make decisions about their future military career, Air Force Recruiting Service offers live social media career chats each month when anyone can ask questions about a specific enlisted Air Force specialty. On Jan. 27, Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland Religious Affairs Airmen will be in the hot seat for questions regarding their careers... MORE

Senior Airman Tamera Fowler (left) and Senior Airman Lillian Griffith (right), Religious Affairs Airmen at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, stand at the main entrance to the Gateway Chapel. The Airmen will answer questions from potential Air and Space Force enlistees during an Air Force Recruiting Service social media chat session Jan. 27, 2021.

Commentary: Mandatory perspective, brought to you by COVID
January 14, 2021 — Probably the most interesting side effect of the COVID-19 pandemic over these many months has been the re-arranging of our lives, which has caused us to look at the work-life balance in a new way. For many, work has been literally brought into our homes... MORE

This illustration reveals ultrastructural morphology exhibited by coronaviruses.

BAMC to transfer new pediatric patients needing inpatient care to preserve COVID efforts
January 11, 2021 — With the ongoing threat of the pandemic and to preserve resources and staffing, Brooke Army Medical Center will transfer new pediatric patients needing inpatient care to local children’s hospitals at this time... MORE

59th Medical Wing Pediatric Critical Care Air Transport Team

ARNORTH to adjust military COVID-19 response operation in four states, Navajo Nation
January 11, 2021 — At the request of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, approximately 150 military medical personnel from the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Army began deploying to expand support to California, and approximately 40 U.S. Army Reserve medical personnel deployed to support Arizona as part of a Department of Defense COVID-19 support operation... MORE

BAMC takes on additional trauma patients
January 7, 2021 — Brooke Army Medical Center is expanding its ability to care for critically injured community members to help ease the COVID-19 burden on the local healthcare system... MORE

Members of the 555th Forward Surgical Team rush a simulated trauma patient to surgery during training with the Strategic Trauma Readiness Center of San Antonio, or STaRC, at Brooke Army Medical Center at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, May 28, 2020.

San Antonio Military Health System delays elective surgeries
January 5, 2021 — In response to the recent increase in COVID-19 cases, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has issued an executive order for area hospitals to postpone elective surgeries and procedures to reserve capacity for COVID-19 patients from the community... MORE

Surgeons perform a procedure at Brooke Army Medical Center, Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas.

BAMC provides COVID-19 vaccine program update
January 4, 2021 — Brooke Army Medical Center administered its first Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines to frontline medical professionals Dec. 17 as part of the Department of Defense’s initial vaccine rollout... MORE

Medical tech administers COVID-19 vaccine.

8 Things to Know about the U.S. COVID-19 vaccination program
January 4, 2021 — Now that there are authorized and recommended vaccines to prevent COVID-19 in the United States, there are 8 things you need to know about the new COVID-19 Vaccination Program and COVID-19 vaccines... MORE

JBSA transitions to HPCON Charlie
December 31, 2020 — To better posture Joint Base San Antonio and help reduce community spread of COVID-19, JBSA increased the Health Protection Condition to CHARLIE, or HPCON C, effective Jan. 4... MORE

In response to the increased number of positive COVID-19 cases on local military installations and cases of community transmission in the local area, the 502nd Air Base Wing and Joint Base San Antonio commander increased the Health Protection Condition to Charlie, or HPCON C, effective Jan. 4, 2021.

59th MDW logistics and immunizations working together for the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine
December 31, 2020 — The San Antonio Military Health System's first Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine arrived at about 8:45 a.m. Dec. 14 at Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical Center at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas... MORE

The Department of Defense is conducting a coordinated vaccine distribution strategy that will strengthen the ability to protect people, maintain readiness, support the national COVID-19 response, and trust in safe and effective vaccines and a vaccination plan.

Perna: Whole-of-America Operation Warp Speed effort 'remarkable feat'
December 31, 2020 — Operation Warp Speed has been moving quickly to get doses from Pfizer and Moderna out to everyone who needs them, the chief operating officer of the effort said... MORE

A sailor’s gloved hand extracting liquid from a vial.

502nd LRS, USO help ensure JBSA military students enjoy holidays
December 30, 2020 — This holiday season, COVID-19 restrictions may have prevented many of Joint Base San Antonio’s military students from traveling home to be with family and friends, but whether staying in town or traveling, the students could depend on the 502nd Logistics Readiness Squadron to ensure they arrived where they needed to be... MORE

The USO Countdown to Christmas is a traditional USO San Antonio program offered annually to military students remaining in San Antonio during holiday block leave. This year’s activities included private events, like viewing movies, in which the students could enjoy activities together in an environment which kept them safe throughout the evolving safety regulations of COVID-19.

ARNORTH oversees California COVID-19 response operation
December 28, 2020 — At the request of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, approximately 75 U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force military medical personnel have deployed to California as part of a Department of Defense COVID-19 response operation... MORE

U.S. Air Force medical providers receive a brief on how to utilize their Joint All-Domain Command and Control devices at the David Grant U.S. Air Force Medical Center, Travis Air Force Base, Fairfield, California, Dec. 27, 2020.

San Antonio Military Health System sets holiday closures
December 22, 2020 — San Antonio Military Health System sets holiday closures... MORE

San Antonio Military Health System sets holiday hours.

‘Game-changing’ program enables COVID-19 patients to safely recover at home
December 22, 2020 — The new COVID-19 Remote Monitoring Program, a joint effort of the Virtual Medical Center and Brooke Army Medical Center, equips COVID-19 patients needing additional monitoring with a home healthcare kit and 24/7 oversight from registered nurses to ensure a higher level of post-hospital care... MORE

Kathlyn Chassey uses a home healthcare kit Dec. 18 as part of the COVID-19 Remote Monitoring Program, a joint effort of the Virtual Medical Center and Brooke Army Medical Center. The program equips COVID-19 patients needing additional monitoring with a home kit and 24/7 oversight to ensure a higher level of post-hospital care.

JBSA-Fort Sam Houston Soldiers, leaders get a well-deserved break for the holidays
December 21, 2020 — Soldiers training at the U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston departed via various modes of travel for their Holiday Block Leave recently... MORE

Maj. Gen. Dennis LeMaster (center) offers elbow bumps, the COVID greeting of the day, to Soldiers departing training at the U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence for Holiday Block Leave Dec 19.

BAMC ICU nurse receives first COVID-19 vaccine at BAMC
December 17, 2020 — The first Brooke Army Medical Center staff member to receive a COVID-19 vaccine said she was “excited and relieved” to receive the shot Dec. 17... MORE

Senior Airman Marisol Salgado (right), medical technician, administers a Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to Army Capt. Rebecca Parrish, a COVID-19 intensive care unit nurse Dec. 17 at Brooke Army Medical Center at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston. Parrish was the first BAMC staff member to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.

Rollout of COVID-19 vaccine distribution is off to successful start, officials say
December 17, 2020 — COVID-19 vaccine shipments are being delivered to every site identified by public health jurisdictions in Operation Warp Speed's first wave of shipments, the Health and Human Service secretary said... MORE

A vial of vaccine is held in gloved hands..