The White Falcon - 10.01.1975, Qupperneq 1

Military doctors— an endangered species
•m-
by J02 Art Frith
Personnel being transferred to
new duty stations can expect to
wait longer for medical care at
base dispensaries and clinics.
That bleak message from the
Bureau of Naval Personnel comes
at a time when the Navy, along
ith the other branches of the
farmed Forces, is facing major
difficulties in supplying health
care services to its personnel.
A drastic loss of general
medical practitioners, coupled
with an increasing number of
people eligible for medical care,
is making it difficult for the
Navy to provide medical care for
all its personnel.
The Navy is losing physicians
at the rate of more than one a
day. They are the general prac-
titioners, precisely the type of
physician the Navy family needs
most. The general practitioner
is usually the first doctor you
see when you have a medical prob-
m
With the abolishment of the
draft in 1973, physicians are no
longer required to serve in the
Armed Forces. Now the Navy,
along with the other branches of
the service, is forced to compete
with the civilian community for
the general practitioner.
In 1973 the Navy had 1,827
general physicians. This year
the number is estimated to drop
to 810. This decrease means
there are fewer doctors available
to provide initial examination
treatment.
At the present rate of annual
outpatient visiting, one general
physician will see approximately
37 outpatients a day. This is
what is causing the long waiting
problem at dispensaries and clin-
ics .
While the number of general
physicians has dropped, the num-
ber of specialists has remained
at a good level. However, the
medical profession itself pre-
vents many specialists from prac-
ticing outside their certified
specialty at the risk of losing
their professional certification.
To help combat this loss, the
Navy, in cooperation with the
Department of Defense, has star-
ted programs aimed at reducing
the effects of the doctor shor-
tage. These include:
1. A law offering military
doctors a bonus of up to $13,500
a year to remain on active duty.
2. Rehiring regular retired
military doctors outside the pro-
visions of the dual compensation
act.
3. A comprehensive training
program for selected hospital
corpsmen who, upon graduation,
become warrant officer physi-
cian's assistants.
4. A program where special-
ly trained nurse practitioners
assist doctors in medical facil-
ities as pediatric, obstetrics/
gynecology or family nurse prac-
titioners .
Even with these steps, the
doctor shortage is still critical
in many areas. The Civilian
Health And Medical Program of the
Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS) is
available stateside in most areas
to ease the patient problem at
the dispensaries and clinics.
According to Lt. Warrel Lead-
beater, Naval Station Medical
Administrative Officer, the Dis-
pensary does not anticipate any
problems stemming from the doc-
tor shortage.
The Navy is doing everything
possible to sustain the high
level of medical care it has pro-
vided in the past. You may have
to wait a little longer to re-
ceive that care, but rest assured
the medical personnel are trying
to serve you in the best and
fastest way possible.
When attempting to obtain in-
formation at the Dispensary, the
extension to call is 14200 dur-
ing normal working hours ( 8-
12 and 1-5 p.m.) except Wed-
nesday afternoons. On Wednesday
afternoon, and at all other
times, the number to call is ext.
14300.
THE WHITE FALCON
Volume XXXI, Number 1
January 10, 1975
Shipboard duty earns more
points on advancement exams
Credit for time assigned to
some ships will count as multiple
(sea) points on next month's pet-
ty officer exams, according to
the station career counselor, NCI
Jim Farley.
The Eebruary exam sea points
will be used for E-6 and below,
while all subsequent exams will
allow sea points for E-4 through
E-9 .
Farley said he has a list of
ship types for which sea points
are being awarded if you served
with the afloat forces.
You must have spent six con-
tinuous months aboard an afloat
anit - in your present paygrade -
to establish eligibility. For
■Ahis, you are awarded one quarter
point per month. Each succeeding
month of continuous sea duty
earned you an additional quarter
point until transfer to any shore
station.
If you advanced in rate while
on sea duty, you start from zero
in your new paygrade in compiling
points. However, your six month
eligibility had already been es-
tablished, allowing you to start
gaining points that first month
after being advanced.
If you were reduced in pay-
grade, any points earned up to
that time are revoked with no
chance of regaining them. If you
were reduced in paygrade, but re-
instated, your sea points comput-
ation will be from established
time in rate or sea duty com-
mencement date, whichever is la-
ter.
Sea points can count for a
maximum of seven percent of your
total multiple for advancement.
Additional information may be ob-
tained by calling 6289.
flowers to Hofn's Capt. Douglas P. Hotard and SMSgt. Donald
P. Mgers as part of an AFI Junior Officer Council project.
H-3t From rocks to greens
Stars & Stripes forever?
By popular demand, the Stars
and Stripes newspaper is again
being sold by the Navy Exchange
after a 3-year absence from its
shelves.
A minimum order of 175 papers
are flown from Frankfurt to Co-
penhagen to Keflavik by commer-
cial carriers. Weather permit-
ting, and the airlines flying on
schedule, the Stars and Stripes
should be on sale the eve-
ning of the day of publication
or the next morning at the
latest.
The selling price of the paper
is 35 cents. The cost of the
paper to the Navy Exchange is 15
cents, according to Joe Lachar-
ite, Navy Exchange staff assis-
tant. Add to that 18.8 cents per
copy for freight charges and the
total comes out to 33.8 cents a
copy. At present, the purchasing
of the Stars and Stripes is on a
trial basis until March. How
well the paper sells between now
and then will influence the de-
cision on whether to continue
carrying it.
Copies of the Stars and
Stripes are available at the fol-
lowing locations: Main Exchange,
Mini-Mart, Top of the Rock, Of-
ficers' Club, Viking Retail Store
and Cafeteria, Rockville and
Grindavik.
It was a green Christmas for
over one hundred servicemen sta-
tioned at the isolated Hofn radar
site on Iceland's south east
shore.
One hundred twelve potted
plants and evergreens of various
types were donated by a Sacra-
mento florist and shipped to Kef-
lavik on a rotating EC-121.
A local Navy C-117 delivered
the four cases of potted plants
to Hofn just five days before
Christmas to transform the bar-
racks ' olive drab to living green
for the holidays.
The project was conceived and
carried out by the Air Forces
Iceland Junior Officer Council
(JOC). in Keflavik.
Mr. Jack Fur tuna of East Lawn
Florist donated the varieties of
house plants.
Also in Yule happenings at
Hofn, the annual children's
Christmas party was held. Over
200 children from the surrounding
countryside were treated to car-
toons, courtesy of AFRTS; light
snacks of fruit, candy, cookies,
ice cream, and milk; and, of
course, a visit with that fat,
funny fellow - Santa, who gave
them each a present. The chil-
dren and the men entertained one
another by singing Christmas
songs in their native tongues.
The children's favorite was “I
saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus",
but perhaps the most poignant was
the joint singing of "Silent
Night" in Icelandic and English.
This occasion required much
time and effort from the men
at the site, and help, greatly
appreciated, from many people in
Keflavik. Most appreciated was
the assistance rendered by SSgt.
Martino, of the AFI Personnel
staff, and his wife, who helped
gather the presents for the chil-
dren and the OWC/JOC for their
thoughtfulness in providing
cookies and other decorative
items. To them and all the
others, H-3 says "thank you.”