U.S. ARMY

Submitted by webmaster

October 2021

COL (Ret) Diane Scherr

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U.S. NAVY

CDR (Ret) Mike Monahan

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U.S. Air force

Submitted by Pat Chappell

September 2021

Col (Ret) Pat Chappell

Attendance at the Society of Air Force Nurses (SAFN) National Convention – Aug 2021 Nashville.

L-R: Kathy Reynolds newly elected SAFN President; BG Jeannie Ryder, Commander, 59th Medical Wing & Market Director San Antonio Military Health System, Joint Base San Atnonio-Lackland and Chief Air Force Nurse Corps; Pat Chappell, 2013-2017 SAFN President

Brigadier General Jeannine M. Ryder

It is with pleasure to introduce Brigadier General (BG) Jeannine M. Ryder who is the Commander, 59th Wing and Market Director, San Antonio Military Health System, Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland and Chief Air Force Nurse Corps. She commands the Air Force Medical Service’s largest health care, medical education and readiness platform comprised of six groups with a staff of 8,400 personal executing a $317 million budget. The Wing provides 900,000 clinic visits, 18,000 surgical procedures and greater than 300 worldwide deployments annually.

The 59 MDW staff at Brooke Army Medical Center supports 1.4 million patient visits and 25,000 admissions per year.  As Director for the San Antonio Military Health System, BS Ruder directs and manages the overall operations and resources of an integrated, joint-service health system with a collective operating budget of $1.2 billion to provide high-quality, safe and reliable health care to more than 255,000 local beneficiaries.

As Chief Nurse of the Air Force, BG Ryder creates and evaluates policies and program for 10,000 Active Duty, Guard and Reserve nursing personnel. She collaborates with Air Staff, Joint Staff, Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs and civilian healthcare organizations to ensure the highest caliber of nursing care and personnel.

The Nurse Corps continues to flex and adapt during the largest transformation ever seen in the  Military Health System. This is certainly more challenging given the Coronavirus Pandemic 2019 that provides opportunities to innovate as we continue to meet our nation’s requirements. Defense Health Agency implementation, reassessing the Air Force Medical Service’s readiness platform and organizational structure and evaluating military treatment facility capabilities and services demands superior nursing expertise and leadership in order to ensure the Air Force is postured to execute the mission.

The intent for Air Force Nursing for the coming year is the following: Empower our Total Nursing Force to provide transformative, evidenced-based clinical readiness capabilities, engaged leadership, and enhanced research and academic activities to achieve highly reliable care. We will accomplish this through deliberate force development, enriched clinical currency platform and opportunities with the ultimate benefit for all we serve: patients, warfighters, our Corps, and the Air Force Medical Service/Military Health System.

Our current near-term objectives are:

1. Provide transparent communication, through multiple platforms, to all Nurse Corps personnel, both military and civilian, to enable fair and equitable opportunities for all.

2. Improve and optimize mentoring and counseling mechanisms across the entire workforce to foster growth and development both personally and professionally.

3. Offer forums to provide opportunities for open dialogue with Nurse Corps leadership on topics that interest the field (examples: Diversity and Inclusion, Military Health System Transformation, insight to Educational and Fellowship programs, etc.)

4. Investigate and engage with civilian and military partnerships to strengthen our clinical, readiness and academic/research foundation.

U.S. RESERVE COMPONENTS

MG (Ret) Mary Link

U.S. PUBLIC HEALTH

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CAPT (Ret) Angela Martinelli

The U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps is an elite team of more than 6,000 well-trained, highly qualified public health professionals dedicated to delivering the nation's public health promotion and disease prevention programs and advancing public health science. Driven by a passion for public service, these men and women serve on the frontlines in the nation's fight against disease and poor health conditions. As one of America's seven uniformed services, the Commissioned Corps fills essential public health leadership and service roles within the nation's federal government agencies and programs.

The mission of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps is to protect, promote, and advance the health and safety of our Nation. The Commissioned Corps achieves its mission through:

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• Rapid and effective response to public health needs

• Leadership and excellence in public health practices

• Advancement of public health science

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The Commissioned Corps emergency response teams are trained and equipped to respond to public health crises and national emergencies such as natural disasters, disease outbreaks, or terrorist attacks, both here and overseas. Officers have responded to emergencies such as the Ebola response in West Africa, Hurricane Katrina, the earthquake in Haiti, and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

The Ready Reserve Corps is a part of an elite group of Commissioned Corps' “America’s Health Responders” who promote, protect and advance the health and safety of the Nation.  

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The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, signed into law on March 27, 2020 provides both the authority and funding for the establishment of the Ready Reserve Corps. The USPHS Commissioned Corps will accept Ready Reserve Corps applications on line beginning in Fall 2020, and will commission its first officers in Spring 2021.