01_HP (Page 1) - Herald-Post

2 OUTLOOK
Thursday, April 10, 2008 HP
COMMENTARY
Doing your part to
prevent sexual assault
By Karoline R. Hay
IMCOM-EUROPE SEXUAL ASSAULTTRAINER
AprilisSexual Assault Awareness Month, but what
does that really mean to you? For some it will mean
attending community events and briefings, often with
little interest and even less enthusiasm. For others it
will be a painful reminder of an event that they may
have never disclosed to another human being. For all
of us, it needs to be a call to action.
Sexual assault is a crime that strikes too many of
us for anyone to stay out of this fight. While we can’t
avoid the briefings, flyers and AFN commercials
regarding sexual assault, all of us deny that they have
anything to do with us. We hear statistics such as one
in three women and one in six men will be victims of
sexual assault in their lifetimes, but we come up with
reasons why it will never be us. The majority of men
and women will never be victims of sexual assault, but
you know someone who has been. It’s a friend, a coworker,
a parent, a lover, but it is someone, whether or
not they have confided in you.
There is something everyone can do every day to
prevent sexual assault. It starts with creating an environment
where victims know they can come forward
without blame or reprisal. If victims know they will
be accepted and respected when they make a report of
sexual assault, then they will. If they are denied those
rights, they will keep silent and the perpetrators will
continue to offend.
It is morally impossible to remain neutral in this
situation. Perpetrators will interpret silence as forgiveness
or even approval, while to the victim it means no
one will help and no one cares.
Do not let yourself become an unwitting accomplice.
Each of us has the responsibility to ask friends
and co-workers if they need help, to act when help is
needed, and to intervene when people are in trouble.
Learn to recognize potentially dangerous situations
and have the courage to take action. Inappropriate
touching, suggestive remarks, testing boundaries, or
disregarding set boundaries, inappropriate intimacy,
attempts to isolate someone, pressuring someone to
drink alcohol, or pursuing someone who is obviously
impaired, and violent behavior are all indicators
that intervention is necessary. Intervening does not
necessarily mean that you confront the instigator and
demand that they desist, but it does mean that you
support and provide a means of escape for someone
who is being subjected to it. And in cases of violence,
it means calling the MPs.
Preventing sexual assault is everyone’s responsibility,
and with education, communication and all of our
efforts, we can succeed in eliminating it.
COMMENTARY
Understanding the Acute Care Clinic
By Dr. Robert D. Walker
HEIDELBERG FAMILY PRACTICE CLINIC
Asthe Heidelberg Hospital
continues with its
directed transformation,
we have several changes
that are ongoing. One of those
changes is the transformation
of our former emergency room
into an Acute Care Clinic.
Why the change?
There are several reasons.
The European theater is undergoing
significant changes
with closures of some military
communities and increases in
populations in others. With
these changes, the medical
departments need to shift as
well. We need to realign assets
to locations where they’re more
critically needed.
Secondly, and possibly more
importantly, with the advancements
in specialized care available
today, we at the U.S. Army
hospital could no longer offer
the same wide array of services
that larger local medical centers
can. This is especially critical
when it comes to emergency
care, where a delay in minutes
can mean the difference in a
good outcome versus a bad
one.
The medical care provided
on the economy in the Heidelberg
area is world-class. There
may be subtle cultural differences,
but the level of care is
comparable to that of the best
hospitals in the United States.
What level of care does an
Acute Care Clinic offer?
Its function lies in the
middle ground between the
doctor’s office and an emergency
room. It offers unscheduled,
walk-in care for non-lifethreatening
medical injuries
and illnesses. It is meant to
treat minor illnesses and injuries,
lacerations and sprains. It
will have laboratory and x-ray
services available. An example
of the level of care provided
would be a bladder infection.
For suchaproblem,youdon’t
need an ER, but if your regular
doctor isn’t available, you certainly
shouldn’t wait and allow
the infection to progress into a
more serious problem. That’s
when you visit the ACC.
An ambulatory care clinic is
not the same as an emergency
room. For people with lifethreatening
injuries or illnesses,
there’s no substitute for an
ER. Patients with symptoms
that suggest a serious problem,
such as any form of chest pain,
shortness of breath, severe injury,
threat of loss of life, limb
or eyesight, severe bleeding or
unbearable pain, should call
an ambulance or go directly to
alocal ER. Any delay in doing
so can result in harm or even
death.
If you cometotheACC and
your illness warrants an emergency
room, we will decide if
you can or cannot transport
yourself to the nearest local facility.
If you cannot, we will call
an ambulance. Our physicians
will consult with the receiving
ER staff and communicate
your status.
If it’s after hours and you’re
unsure what to do, you should
call the Nurse Advice Line.
The registered nurses who
answer your calls provide
24/7 medical advice. The call
is toll-free by dialing DSN
99-00-800-4759-2330, civ.
00-800-4759-2330. They can
help you decide what level of
care you most likely need by
asking question from medically
approved scripts. In an
emergency, dial DSN 117, civ.
06221-57-117, and that will get
you the American Fire Department
where an English-speaking
professional will direct your
call and get you an ambulance.
Do you need an
appointment at the ACC?
No. Patients do not need
appointments nor do they need
referrals to be seen in the ACC.
Our ACC hours are 7 a.m.-9
p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m.-7
p.m. on weekends, holidays
and training holidays. This is
not meant to be a substitute
for your primary care manager.
Chronic medical care is best
delivered by a medical provider
who can provide continuity to
your care. Visits for such things
as prescription refills should be
done through your PCM. Also,
there will not be any medical
personnel staffing the facility
after hours, and there will
be limited pharmacy services
available.
Please familiarize yourself
with the emergency rooms in
your area. For the immediate
Heidelberg area, the University
Hospital has several emergency
rooms. If you gotoanyoneof
them, they will assist in your
care. If you are not in the immediate
Heidelberg area, our
TRICARE office can assist with
directions.
We encourage you to make
yourself familiar with the
locations of the local emergency
rooms and hospitals in
advance to avoid any confusion
that could delay your care
when immediate medical care
is needed. Remember, if you
have chest pain, shortness of
breath, severe injury, severe
bleeding, unbearable pain or
a threat of loss of life, limb or
eyesight, please call DSN 117,
civ. 06221-57-117 for an ambulance
or have someone take you
directly to a local ER.
We are here to assist you in
receiving the proper and timely
care you deserve. We have staff
ready to field your questions
and help in any way.
For TRICARE questions,
please call DSN 371-2363,
civ. 06221-57-2363. For
general questions please call
our administrative officer of
the day at DSN 371-2605, civ.
06221-17-2605.
HP
Commander, U.S. Army Garrison
Baden-Württemberg:
Col. Robert J. Ulses
Acting Public Affairs Officer:
Harry Connors
Editor:
Kelli Bland
Reporters:
Christine June, Kaiserslautern
Art McQueen, Heidelberg
Amy Buenning Sturm, Darmstadt
Webmeister:
Juan Meléndez Jr.
Contact information:
Herald Post
Building 167, Patton Barracks
373-7277/7243 or 06221-17-7277/7243
usaghd.post@eur.army.mil
Baden-Württemberg Public Affairs
373-1400/1600 or 06221-17-1400/1600
usaghd.pao@eur.army.mil
Darmstadt Public Affairs
348-1600/6469 or 06151-69-1600/6469
usagdmstpao@cmtymail.26asg.army.mil
Kaiserslautern Public Affairs
493-4072 or 0631-3406-4062
usak.pa1@eur.army.mil
Mannheim Public Affairs
380-1600/385-3369 or 0621-730-1600/3369
usagmpao@eur.army.mil
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