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New BAMC trauma training program prepares surgical team for deployment
May 25, 2020 — Brooke Army Medical Center is conducting the first of its kind pre-deployment trauma readiness training exercise for the 555th Forward Surgical Team from May 18 to June 6. ... MORE

Brooke Army Medical Center Soldier ready to run to raise suicide awareness
May 21, 2020 — Sgt. 1st Class Maité Bengoa, the enlisted advisor to the deputy commander of health readiness at Brooke Army Medical Center, is prepared to run for a good cause... MORE

Sgt. 1st Class Maité Bengoa (kneeling in blue running shoes), the enlisted advisor to the deputy commander of health readiness at Brooke Army Medical Center, and the members of her team, called “Don’t Get in a Van with Strangers,” pose before a practice run.

After a lifetime of service, retirement can wait
May 19, 2020 — Army Col. April Critelli is one of the thousands of men and women who have served in peacetime and combat, to retire in quiet anonymity, a hero. And when the nation called for healthcare professionals to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic, Critelli came out of retirement and was the first retired reserve volunteer recall officer to be placed on active duty orders and assigned to duty. ... MORE

U.S. Army Col. April Critelli, physician assistant, prepares to end her work day at the McWethy Troop Medical Clinic at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston May 13. Critelli is the first medical Soldier to return to active duty from retirement during the COVID-19 crisis.

BAMC staff cheers for healthcare heroes
May 17, 2020 — To honor Florence Nightingale’s birthday, Brooke Army Medical Center’s critical care staff stood, with room for appropriate social distancing, along the elevated covered walkway that leads from the BAMC parking garage to the hospital and cheered for the staff as they made their way into work May 12... MORE

Staff members from the Brooke Army Medical Center’s critical care department line the walkway to greet and cheer on BAMC staff members as they come to work May 12. The critical care department chose the date – which is both the end of Nurses Week and Florence Nightingale’s birthday – to celebrate all the BAMC staff who work to ensure high quality care for patients.

Local teen requests blood drive for her 16th birthday
May 8, 2020 — Most kids dream about getting a car or having an elaborate party when they turn 16, but one local teen has a less traditional birthday wish. Amber Miller asked her parents if she could have a blood drive for her “Sweet 16.” The sophomore at Health Careers High School has wanted to be a doctor since she was nine. ... MORE

Amber Miller, youth volunteer, works in the Simulation Center at Brooke Army Medical Center, Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, July 9, 2019. Miller hopes to inspire others to donate blood during the COVID-19 crisis.

BAMC healthcare workers deliver birthday cheer to cancer survivor
May 7, 2020 — A self-proclaimed extrovert, Mary McBride was feeling a bit discouraged by the long weeks of self-isolation due to COVID-19, especially on her 45th birthday last week... MORE

Mary McBride (left), and her mother, Debbie, are surprised by a drive-by parade organized by her Brooke Army Medical Center cancer care team in honor of McBride’s birthday and cancer-free year.

USAISR on frontlines of COVID-19 fight
May 7, 2020 — With all the ongoing changes, the staff at the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research, or USAISR, at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston has also made modifications in how it conducts day-to-day business while maintaining its overall research mission of “optimizing combat casualty care” and, further, providing the best quality care to patients at the only U.S. Department of Defense Burn Center... MORE

Capt. Farley Raquel and Sgt. Rebecca Hummer do a system check on ventilators in the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research “Victory” Intensive Care Unit at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston.

BAMC infectious disease doc aids Guam's COVID response
May 1, 2020 — An infectious diseases physician from Brooke Army Medical Center recently deployed to Guam in support of the USS Theodore Roosevelt COVID-19 response... MORE

MEDCoE physical therapy researchers published in the New England Journal of Medicine
April 30, 2020 — A group of physical therapist researchers from the Army-Baylor University Doctoral Fellowship in Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapy at Brooke Army Medical Center, a U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence, or MEDCoE, Graduate School hospital-based program, published a study in the New England Journal of Medicine, or NEJM... MORE

A graphic showing the treatment of knee osteoarthritis.

BAMC lends research expertise to global pandemic effort
April 30, 2020 — Within weeks of the pandemic’s spread, Brooke Army Medical Center at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston drew on its deep bench of research expertise and joined the global race to find a COVID-19 treatment... MORE

Michelle Mendoza, pharmacy technician, reconstitutes the remdesivir research drug under an intravenous hood at Brooke Army Medical Center

Army Chief of Staff, Sgt. Maj. of Army visit JBSA-Fort Sam Houston
April 24, 2020 — Military personnel assigned and augmenting units at Joint Base San Antonio showcased an array of capabilities around the installation to Gen. James McConville, the 40th and current U.S. Army Chief of Staff, and Sgt. Maj. Of the Army Michael A. Grinston, as they visited Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston April 23... MORE

Change made to BAMC Garden Entrance pedestrian traffic pattern
April 22, 2020 — The Brooke Army Medical Center Garden Entrance is a high-traffic pedestrian area that requires a modification to help facilitate social distancing, particularly during shift changes. This new traffic pattern is effective immediately... MORE

BAMC personnel get fitted for N95 respirators
April 18, 2020 — Medical personnel at Brooke Army Medical Center at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston received fit testing for N95 respirators April 17... MORE

Cloth face coverings required in SAMHS medical facilities
April 18, 2020 — Effective Monday, April 27, all personnel, patients and visitors to the San Antonio Military Health System will be required to wear a cloth face covering while in common areas of a San Antonio military medical facility regardless of social distancing. ... MORE

Pandemic stressing you out? JBSA Support Line available to help lessen COVID woes
April 16, 2020 — The Behavioral Health COVID-19 Support Line can be reached from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, at 210-539-9567 or 210-539-9565. The call will be confidential unless referral to emergency services is required... MORE

The Behavioral Health COVID-19 Support Line can be reached from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, at 210-539-9567 or 210-539-9565. The call will be confidential unless referral to emergency services is required.

JBSA chaplains, counselors utilize technology to provide counsel and guidance during pandemic
April 16, 2020 — Mental health specialists, chaplains and counselors throughout Joint Base San Antonio are utilizing technology and finding resourceful ways to keep in touch with their clients who seek counseling and guidance during this time of social distancing... MORE

Brooke Army Medical Center dials in virtual healthcare to combat COVID-19
April 13, 2020 — Deb Deja’s follow-up visit with her provider at Brooke Army Medical Center was fast approaching when COVID-19 hit the news and the city. With a citywide stay-home order in place but pressing questions for her doctor, Deja became concerned by the thought of holding off on the appointment until a later date. ... MORE

Curbside pharmacy services garner praise from beneficiaries
April 13, 2020 — To help stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus, the San Antonio Military Health System has implemented curbside drop-off and pick-up pharmacy services at many of its locations... MORE

Jose Dominguez, pharmacy technician at the Fort Sam Houston Community pharmacy, collects a patient’s prescription.

BAMC leading the charge against COVID-19
April 10, 2020 — From the very beginning, Brooke Army Medical Center has led the way in the fight against COVID-19, implementing stringent measures to protect patients and staff as the pandemic spreads throughout the nation and the world... MORE

59th MDW leverages telehealth to keep patients, staff safe
April 9, 2020 — While San Antonio is under a “Stay Home, Work Safe” order, members of the 59th Medical Wing at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland have found new ways to continue providing high-reliability care through virtual appointments while keeping patients and staff safe... MORE

Capt. (Dr.) Shane Riggs, 59th Medical Operations Squadron psychiatrist, conducts a virtual medical appointment in San Antonio, Texas April 7, 2020. Telehealth appointments can be scheduled by calling the Consult Appointment Management Office at (210) 916-9900. At the time of the appointment, a provider calls or sends the patient a link to the audiovisual platform being used for the visit. The link can be accessed on a patient’s home or work computer, cell phone or tablet, without creating an account.