The White Falcon - 01.05.1992, Page 2

Editorial
Military hospitals,
don’t judge them
as all bad
by Jef Petitpren
Webster’s
Dictionary
defines a
cynic as a
“faultfinding
captious
critic.” I’m
embarrassed
to admit that
when my hus-
band told me
about
Keflavfk, one
of the first
' " 1 things I said
was, “I don’t think I can deal with another
Navy hospital."
I have spent the majority of my life associ-
ated with the military, first as a military brat,
then on active duty and now as a dependent
wife. I have also had the opportunity to work
around several hospitals; several years ago as
a paramedic and in recent years as an Air Force
hospital commander’s secretary. With budg-
etary cuts and a drawdown of manpower, I’ve
seen many things that made me cynical. To be
honest though, how many of us are guilty of
immediately conjuring up a bad experience
any time we think of military health care?
However, in the early morning hours of
April 2,1 had an experience that has caused me
to experience a major attitude adjustment. I
was rushed to the emergency room with se-
vere abdominal cramps, which I attributed to
a stomach virus; so much for paramedic train-
ing. All I really knew for sure was that I was
in more pain than I could ever remember and
I was scared out of my wits. My attitude
adjustment began when I came through the
doors of the emergency room. It started with
the petty officer who checked me in and took
my vitals. The professionalism and kindness
were apparent in all his actions. It continued
with every person who entered my life that
day. The nurse took the time to brush the hair
from my face, talking quietly with words of
comfort. Everywhere you looked there were
people there to help in any capacity that may
have been needed. The doctors, nurses, lab
technicians, x-ray technicians and corpsmen
were working together as a team. Not only
because “its their job” but because they cared
about the well being of their patient. When it
was decided that I needed an emergency ap-
pendectomy, this care followed me to the
operating room. The surgeon, anesthesiolo-
gist and technicians were outstanding and the
operating room nurse was excellent in calm-
ing my husband. After the surgery, there were
the nurses and corpsmen, who seemed to an-
ticipate my needs before I could even put them
into words. There was also the “Corpsman
from hell” as I fondly named him. Pneumonia
was trying to set in and I was not using a device
that forced me to cough, which hurt, to get the
fluid out of my lungs. This person cajoled,
badgered and even threatened me with telling
the doctor if I didn’t use it faithfully. He would
then magically appear at my bedside every
hour and stand there until I did what I was
supposed to do.
We are indeed lucky to have this caliber
people at the U.S. Naval Air Station. The
professionalism, knowledge, experience,
warmth and kindness are things that are only
bom out of a dedication to duty and to their
fellow man. Thank you seems such an inade-
quate way to express my gratitude to these
individuals, but it’s the only words I know that
can express my gratitude—Thank you.
Ombudsmen: The link
between military and
family members
The Keflavfk Ombudsman Council encompasses all com-
mand-designated Ombudsmen on the NATO Base. The coun-
cil includes Air Force, Marine and Navy commands.
The Ombudsman’s job is to reach out to families with
friendship, information, referral and assistance in solving prob-
lems. The following is a current list of Ombudsmen:
Coordinator Tully Weiss 2430 NAVFAC Bonnie Bollinger 7944
CFK Marilyn Clark 7056/7412 NBS Lynda Gearheart 7753/4625
CFK Shawn Jensen 6374 NCTS Pam Griffin 4267/4545
DeCA Dawn Rinehart 6380 NCTS Donna Robnett 4244/6210
Dental Charlotte Silva 6068/4625 NCTS Chris Flood 7165
FLTIMAG Amy Reed 7817 NCTS Mary Shreve 7190
Hospital Maiy Whitten 7677/3374 NEX Jeannie Baldwin 4477/7909
Hospital Mavis Stinus 7149 NOCF Lagay Fenters 6079/7691
IDF Judy Toombs 6042 NSGA Joy Lambert 7553
Marines Sue Barber 4156/7333 PSD Violet Baltazar 7750/7694
Marines Valerie Cofield 7730/7694 56th ARS Deborah Reed 7212/6491
NAS Cindy Pledger 4603/2206 932nd ADS Tracy Griesbach 7101
Air Ops Candace Currier 6315/4401 57th FS Dana H osman 7659
PWD Marlene Martin 7139/4511 4557th SPS Shellie McNaney 4859/7603
Security Cynthia Reese 6332 4557th SPS Valerie Adams 4782
Security Maria Bush 6241/7995 4557th Supply Beth Galbraith 6065/4420
NSGT Stephanie Rodd 6031/4625 4557th Supply Amy Brumfield 6379/4132
NSGT Diane Manes 6440 NAS Supply NAS Supply Bonnie Beverley Lisa Wolf 4045/2680 3553/7603
LU
m
FALCON
Commander,
Iceland Defense F<
R ADM Thomas F.
7~m
ense
homas F. Hall
Public Affairs Officer
LT Joseph L. Quimby
Deputy PAO
Fridthdr Kr. Eydal
Chief Petty Officer
in Charge
JOC Terry J. Bamthouse
Draftsman
DM2 (SW) John
Mcmillian
DM2 Danielle Kim
Editor
J02 Susan Hallden
Journalist
J03 Colleen C. Casper
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