Lt. Gen. Patricia Horoho, The Surgeon General, was the featured speaker at the Military Family Forum on Oct. 13. The forum was held during the Association of the United States Army's annual meeting in Washington, D.C. The theme for this year's meeting was "Trusted Professionals--Today and Tomorrow."
Horoho highlighted the Performance Triad and reducing preventable harm. She also issued challenges to Army families to follow the Performance Triad for 26 weeks and to be partners in improving health.
Horoho demonstrated the success of the Performance Triad--adequate sleep, plenty of activity, and proper nutrition--with the use of two video testimonials.
Master Sgt. Jennifer Loredo, a Gold Star spouse and 20-year veteran, discussed the impact of the Performance Triad on her and her family. She reported benefits in her daily energy levels and noted that she had shed 30 pounds. Her lifestyle changes were being picked up and followed by her children.
Col. John O'Brien, a family practice physician from Fort Lewis, said, "It's my job to educate my patients on how to lose weight." The Performance Triad provided him the tools, he said, to improve his heath and the health of his patients. The Triad is a tool to improve your health and the readiness of the force as well, he said.
O'Brien also had a weight-loss success story as a result of using the Performance Triad--33 pounds, which is roughly the weight of combat body armor. He stopped taking several medications as a result of the Triad as well. The Triad, he pointed out, is about overall health. "You feel better," he said, "and you're performance is better."
Horoho introduced Col. Mark Collins, whose unit used the Performance Triad during deployment to Afghanistan and actually came home healthier than before they deployed.
Horoho pointed out that the Performance Triad takes time to show improvement and she gave everyone a challenge. She brought 26-week calendars for the audience to take and follow to implement the Performance Triad. So far, Horoho reported, 73,000 people have responded to her challenge online.
In pilot studies in garrison and Afghanistan, Horoho said, we have seen decreases in blood pressure in family members and Soldiers. In many cases, individuals were able to get off medications, lower their cholesterol, and increase overall well-being. The 26-week challenge can improve the overall readiness of the family and the force, she said.
Horoho extended additional information on how Army Medicine is helping through the Army Wellness Centers; eventually there will be 38 of them. We have seen an average of 4 percent reduction in body mass index and an increase of 15 percent in cardiovascular output, she said.
These successes have been achieved through trust and partnerships with our Soldiers and family members, she said.
Horoho also focused on reducing or eliminating preventable harm.
"You trusted us to take care of our wounded Soldiers on the battlefield. I am asking you to trust us now to decrease preventable harm across our military treatment facilities," she said, "One harm is just one too many."
One estimate, Horoho said, is that nearly 400,000 deaths occur each year across the nation from preventable harm. Although this rarely happens in Army hospitals, she said that "one time is one time too many."
We can solve tough problems when we collaborate, she said. We can improve trauma care, decrease injuries, and we can decrease or eliminate preventable harm. We need your partnership to combat "the enemy at home."
"Our plan is to eliminate preventable harm across our military health system," she said. She also hopes to influence the rate of preventable harm across the health care system of the United States.
Horoho also said that Army Medicine compared itself to the best national health care systems in obstetric care and surgical care. "We lead the nation in many of the metrics," she said. We have areas where we can improve, she said, and that is where we will focus our efforts.
We won't settle for "good enough", Horoho said, when it comes to preventable harm. Army Medicine is improving our culture of safety and developing reporting tools to encourage our staff to speak up, she said.
Army Medicine is improving standards for behavioral health. We had 230 behavioral health programs, she said. That has been narrowed to 11 evidence-based programs that are becoming our behavioral health service line. We are improving patient care and decreasing reliance on medications as a result.
Horoho reported having standardized primary care at the patient-centered medical home. The result has been a 93 percent patient satisfaction rate. We want participation from you and want to hear from you. "Hold us accountable to the highest standards," she said.
TSG also challenged the audience to do four things to be partners in health care improvement and safety.
• Army beneficiaries should keep asking questions until you feel comfortable with the information you've been given.
• If you see something, say something.
• Use the online surveys.
• Be a participant in making our health care system the best it can be. Participate in town halls, ask questions, and make recommendations.
"Our hospitals are safe but humans are not infallible," Horoho said. "We can decrease preventable harm to zero, but it's going to take each and every one of us looking out for each other, our patients, and our providers. Together, I know we can decrease preventable harm."
Army Medicine will support you by providing the best health care in the nation, she concluded.
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