JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. –
The 79th Medical Wing has been participating with the joint vaccination teams during the flu season in order to get military and Department of Defense civilians at detached locations current on their seasonal flu and H1N1 vaccination requirements.
Members from Team Charlie, one of four teams throughout the National Capital Region, include Army, Navy, the 579th Medical Group from Bolling Air Force Base, D.C., and the 779th Medical Group from Joint Base Andrews.
The Air Force involvement was directed under the leadership of Capt. Natasha Sutton, officer in charge of Team Charlie from the 779 MDG. "It was an honor to be able to visit our beneficiaries in their settings and administer vaccine to those who otherwise may not have been vaccinated against H1N1 and Seasonal Influenza due to the difficulty in reaching their military treatment facility during normal hours of operation," said Captain Sutton.
The team, directed by Joint Task Force National Capital Region Medical, consists of nurses, medical technicians skilled in immunizations, public health personnel and health information specialists. They go to various geographically-separated locations, give out the shot or mist accordingly and get it entered into the respective branch's immunization tracking programs.
Team Charlie has visited 15 different locations and is responsible for vaccinating over 2,000 personnel, attributing to about 5,000 personnel vaccinated by this program. The areas include facilities such as the Pentagon, the Air Force Surgeon General's office, the U.S. Army Human Resource Center and the DoD Inspector General's Safety Office.
Henry Brown, DoD Safety Occupational Health Manager, helped coordinate the team's visit to the DoD Inspector General Safety Office. "It is a great benefit, having the team come to us, because it allows our people to be vaccinated within minutes versus travelling over an hour to get to the Pentagon. The service enhances mission readiness and accomplishment by having the convenience of having them in the same building as us."
This is just another prime example of how joint operations are able to benefit many people without detracting from the respective unit's mission.