Joint Base San Antonio > News

New DHA director: 17-year-old's passion for medicine leads to her Army calling
February 8, 2023 — “I always wanted to be a physician, since I was five,” said Lt. Gen. Telita Crosland, who recently became the director of the Defense Health Agency in Virginia. She previously served as deputy surgeon general of the United States Army. “I was very much about becoming a doctor.”... MORE

Air Force Fellows bring home 18th Win in National ACAAI Competition
January 11, 2023 — The San Antonio Uniformed Services Health Education Consortium’s Allergy and Immunology fellowship program won this year’s Allergy/Immunology Fellows in Training Bowl held by the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology in Louisville, Kentucky, Nov. 22, 2022... MORE

Capt. (Dr.) Robert Brooks, left, and Maj. (Dr.) Kent Miller, right, allergy and immunology fellows, pose for a photo with their 2022 Fellows in Training Bowl trophy in Louisville, Kentucky, Nov. 22, 2022.

DHA will serve 'anytime, anywhere — always,' says new director
January 6, 2023 — Army Maj. Gen. Telita Crosland became the Defense Health Agency's fourth director in its nearly 10-year existence Jan. 3, pledging to continue taking the DHA "down its path of excellence."... MORE

A female military service member receives a flag that is passed to her during a ceremony.

Department of Defense streamlining health tech for beneficiaries
August 25, 2022 — Advances in technology have vastly improved the accessibility of beneficiaries’ electronic health records. The Defense Health Agency is tapping into this technology to improve the patient experience by bringing together key professionals and streamlining services... MORE

New medical profile system to enhance communication, readiness
July 19, 2022 — A new medical profile system aimed at improving communication and overall readiness has been developed by the Air Force Research Laboratory in collaboration with the Air Force Medical Readiness Agency and the Defense Health Agency, and is slated to roll out to military treatment facilities later this summer... MORE

U.S. Air Force Senior Airman John Cabral, 52nd Security Forces member, performs a physical therapy exercise in the medical clinic at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, June 14, 2022. Providing an avenue for Airmen to rehabilitate on base helps 52nd Fighter Wing Airmen to maintain physical readiness to support worldwide Air Force operations. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Chance Nardone)

San Antonio Market celebrates first anniversary as a unified healthcare system
July 15, 2022 — The San Antonio Market will celebrate its one-year anniversary as a unified military healthcare system this week. San Antonio’s military treatment facilities officially united as a market with the Defense Health Agency during a ceremony at Brooke Army Medical Center on July 16, 2021... MORE

Healthy weight: How diet, lifestyle and mental health impact your eating habits and fitness
July 13, 2022 — Think you might need to lose a little weight? You're not alone. Even in the military, where maintaining physical fitness remains a job requirement and a key component of military readiness, thousands of service members struggle with weight... MORE

Image of an Airman holding a cookie and broccoli.

Pandemic spotlights the vital role of military lab workers
May 3, 2022 — Clinical labs across the Military Health System -- and the staff who operate them -- play a vital role in early detection of illnesses, diagnosis and treatment of diseases like cancer, diabetes or heart disease... MORE

Image of an Airman working in a laboratory.

Top military health leaders discuss future readiness
March 9, 2022 — Top military health leaders recently highlighted the importance of preparing for the future to ensure both a medically ready force and a ready medical force... MORE

Why today’s ‘Gen Z’ is at risk for boot camp injuries
February 10, 2022 — For today's generation of 18-to-25-year-olds, making it through recruit training and successfully transitioning from civilian life into the military is not easy. Today's recruits are coming from a far more sedentary lifestyle compared to previous generations, making their skeletons more prone to injuries because they're not used to the kind of intense activity they will face at basic training... MORE

While the United States military remains “the best in the world,” Department of the Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said Jan. 19 that the Air and Space Forces must move quickly to adapt and modernize to offset actions by China and others that have dented the “presumption of superiority” held by the U.S.

Defense Health Agency director visits BAMC
February 7, 2022 — Lt. Gen. Ronald J. Place, Defense Health Agency Director, visited Brooke Army Medical Center Feb. 3 to meet with staff, discuss MHS GENESIS implementation, and to thank team members for their role in the implementation... MORE

San Antonio Market to standardize, optimize local healthcare
July 16, 2021 — After years of collaboration, San Antonio’s military treatment facilities officially unified as a market with the Defense Health Agency during a ceremony at Brooke Army Medical Center at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston July 16... MORE

Army Lt. Gen. Ronald J. Place, director of the Defense Health Agency, unfurls the DHA flag

Reducing the stigma, encouraging mental health care in the military
May 19, 2021 — In the military, the stigma of mental health is grounded in the cultural misperception that a service member must have "zero defects" to be mission-ready. While the Department of Defense strives to identify and eliminate barriers to care that service members face regarding mental health treatment, stigma remains a significant issue within the military... MORE

MHS GENESIS Patient Portal expands new features
April 9, 2021 — MHS GENESIS' patient portal is rapidly increasing in size, capability and usability... MORE

DOD experts explain science behind COVID-19 vaccines
February 2, 2021 — Almost six weeks after the Food and Drug Administration issued emergency use authorization for the first two COVID-19 vaccines, many questions have arisen concerning their efficacy in attacking the SARS-CoV-2 virus and deadly COVID-19 disease. To better understand how COVID-19 vaccines work, MHS Communications spoke to two medical experts who have been intimately involved in the Department of Defense’s effort to develop and roll out vaccines for Americans... MORE

DHA launches new 59th MDW/Wilford Hall website
September 3, 2020 — The Defense Health Agency launched 74 new military hospital and clinic Air Force websites Sept. 1, including one for the 59th Medical Wing/Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical Center. Each website transitioned to the TRICARE domain to provide a standardized patient experience across the Military Health System... MORE

The transition to the TRICARE.mil domain incorporates new layouts and adds helpful features to enhance the user experience and provide easier access to information about the local military hospital or clinic and the TRICARE benefit in one place.

JBSA continues HPCON CHARLIE protective measures
August 20, 2020 — As Joint Base San Antonio prepares to begin reopening services through phased, deliberate measures, personnel continue to follow the guidelines, such as physical distancing and capacity limits, established by local and state leaders, as well as the Department of Defense and Centers for Disease Control, in order to limit the spread of COVID-19 within the community... MORE

DOD medical officials outline COVID-19 testing approach
July 31, 2020 — Though the rate of confirmed positive COVID-19 tests among those in uniform is lower than that of the nation's civilian population, the most junior service members have a slightly higher rate than that of their civilian counterparts, the medical advisor to the Defense Department's coronavirus task force said... MORE

A soldier with the 28th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade receives a test for COVID-19 at a mobilization station at Fort Hood, Texas, July 9, 2020.

Air Force signs agreement for oral fluid coronavirus testing at Air Force installations
April 20, 2020 — The Department of the Air Force signed an agreement April 17 with Curative, Inc., to deploy and scale an oral fluid coronavirus test, which recently received an FDA emergency use authorization, across Air Force installations... MORE

Coronavirus Disease 2019 Rotator Graphic for af.mil. (U.S. Air Force Graphic by Rosario "Charo" Gutierrez)

Blood donors urged to continue giving lifesaving donations
April 3, 2020 — At Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, the Akeroyd Blood Center can be reached at 210-295-4655, while at JBSA-Lackland, the Armed Services Blood Bank Center-San Antonio can be contacted at 210-292-8145... MORE