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Announcements.
1. ACOA is Now Accepting Donations in Support of the USO!
2. ACOA to Hold 2006 Elections
3. ACOA Extends Thanks to 2005 Volunteers

Articles
1. The USO needs YOU in 2006!
2. Hurricane Rita Deployment in Texas, 23 September – 7 October 2005
3. ACOA Volunteers Serve at the USO
4. Providing Relief to Fellow Officers in Need
5. ACOA Makes Donation to St. Pius X High School Athletics
6. USPHS Flag Donated by ACOA Flies Over the Louisiana SERT Mobile Command
7. 2005 ACOA Annual Fall Social
8. 2005 was Another Banner Year for ACOA!

Deadline for sending corrections to 2005 volunteer activities for thank-you letters. Monday, December 12, 2005.  For more information, please see related announcement in this newsletter.

Deadline for sending USO donations to ACOA for holiday support effort.  Monday, December 12, 2005. For more information, please see related announcement in this newsletter.

USO Holiday Volunteer Day.  Saturday, December 17, 2005, 0700-1800.  Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
Contact: LCDR John Whitesides at 706-355-8048.

Deadline for returning 2006 ACOA election ballots. Monday, December 19, 2005.  For more information, please see related announcement in this newsletter.

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Articles The USO needs YOU in 2006! Now is your opportunity to become a part of what has grown beyond a locally-recognized program. The U.S. Surgeon General and the Commissioned Corps officers outside of Atlanta have become very aware and proud of ACOA’s efforts in supporting the Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Jean R. Amos USO Center. If you have not seen the October 27, 2005 issue of the Commissioned Corps E-Bulletin, please take a look and see all the great things PHS officers have done to support this organization since the 1990s. The 2006 year presents several excellent opportunities to serve, and we need your continued support. ACOA has committed to providing the USO with 3 officers each third Saturday of every month. We will also be looking into supporting special events and expect 2006 to be an exciting year. Space is limited for these events, and we will certainly work to provide everyone a space who is willing to serve. Please contact LCDR John Whitesides if you are interested in signing up for a particular date. Remember…ACOA's time slot is the third Saturday of each month from 1000-1400. If you aren’t sure of a date, but would like to be “on-call,” please let LCDR Whitesides know as well, as opportunities come up throughout the year. Thanks!

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Hurricane Rita Deployment in Texas, 23 September – 7 October 2005

Contributed by CAPT Michael Campsmith, Dental Officer

I was part of a contingent of approximately 110 Commissioned Corps officers deployed in response to Hurricane Rita, which affected costal regions of northeast Texas.

The first duty station was at Texas A & M University in College Station. Here the officers manned a medical shelter facility established in the Large Animal Hospital at the veterinary school. Over 230 patients had been evacuated to the vet school; patient needs ranged from young children from a burn ward to elderly nursing home residents. Officers were divided into two 12-hour shifts to provide around-the-clock patient care. Teams were quickly formed by discipline to establish coverage for medicine, nursing, pharmacy, food service, engineering, supply, and medical records. My deployment role is as an epidemiologist, and along with other epidemiologists and medical records staff, we developed a data collection instrument and database to record basic demographics and treatment needs/level of service. Other epidemiologists from CDC who contributed to this effort in College Station included LCDR Edward Gregg, LCDR Robin McGowan, and LCDR Beth Tohill.

Once services and infrastructure had been re-established in the hurricane areas, the patients in the College Station facility were transported out, and at approximately 1200 hours on 28 September the PHS Medical Team received orders to proceed to two Veteran’s Administration facilities in Waco and Marlin, Texas. The deployment contingent was tasked with establishing two federal medical shelters to receive hurricane evacuees with special medical needs; I was the lone epidemiologist assigned to the Marlin facility, which had not been used for inpatient services for over 3 years. All Marlin Team members pitched in, and within 6 hours the facility was prepared to receive patients. Again, two 12-hour shifts were needed to provide total coverage for the facility. While on station the PHS officers provided services for a total of 121 patients and 42 family members at the Marlin facility. A majority of the facility functions were assumed by VA staff on 3 October and the PHS officers were allowed to stand down.

Regardless of their deployment role, all PHS officers pitched in to accomplish the goals of the mission. To that end, I spent most of my deployment on the night shift providing basic nursing services such as conducting patient intake, recording vital signs, cleaning patients, changing bedding, and handling transport. In spare moments I worked to collect and input data; these data were then sent up the chain of command to document our patient census, levels of need, and services delivered.

The disaster response deployments of 2005 once again reinforce the vital role Commissioned Corps officers play in protecting, promoting and advancing the health and safety of our nation. I was proud to contribute to the efforts of the Hurricane Rita response team.


Texas A&M University in College Station.

Interagency Staff (from left to right): CDR Akua Kwatamaa (NIH); CAPT Michael Campsmith (CDC); CAPT Mark McCollough (IHS); CDR Carolyn Cahn (HHS).

PHS Medical Team in Marlin, Texas.

The Marlin VA facility.

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ACOA Volunteers Serve at the USO

In October, the ACOA's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport USO Volunteer Team enjoyed serving refreshments and assisting our troops as they traveled through Atlanta's airport. The ACOA volunteers assisted by escorting our soldiers and marines as they departed for flights bound for Iraq and Afghanistan. The team also had the honor as serving as escorts for family members as they saw their loved ones off. We heard many amazing stories of bravery and sacrifice from these members of our sister services, as they headed back to war zones after two weeks of leave back home in the states. It was a privilege to be able to serve them in this small way.

USO Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport Volunteers:Left to Right: Mrs. Gail Colcord, LCDR Paul Gagliano (EPA), CDR Mehran Massoudi (CDC), Mrs. Sheila Miller, CAPT Mark Miller (CDC).

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Providing Relief to Fellow Officers in Need:
ACOA Sends $650.00 in Response to the Challenge of the Tucson Branch, COA

The Commissioned Officer’s Foundation (COF), COA’s affiliated foundation, announced that it would accept donations to be used for PHS Commissioned Officers stationed in the areas affected by this year’s hurricanes who may have suffered serious losses. In response to the Foundation’s initial appeal, the Tucson Branch of COA has raised $650 to assist in providing relief for officers in need as a result of the hurricanes. The Tucson Branch President challenged all other branches to match their generosity and reach out to help fellow officers and their families in this time of need. In response to this challenge, ACOA sent announcements by email and in the newsletter inviting Atlanta-area Officers to donate to this cause. In turn, the ACOA Executive Committee unanimously approved to send $650.00 to COF to meet this challenge and will continue to accept any donations from membership for hurricane relief. ACOA hopes that this will help those in need.

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ACOA Makes Donation to St. Pius X High School Athletics

The ACOA Executive Committee voted unanimously to donate $350.00 to St. Pius X Catholic High School for their support in assisting Atlanta-based Commissioned Corps Officers by extending the use of the St. Pius X school’s track and field facilities on a monthly basis. The school track provides a convenient and practical location for Atlanta-based officers to complete the required annual physical fitness test standards required for OFRD. As of the end of November 2005, ACOA, in partnership with the Office of Commissioned Corps/CDC/OD, certified approximately 120 officers!  St. Pius X High School’s assistance has been essential in ACOA’s effort in assisting our officers achieve a higher state of readiness. We would like to extend a special thank you to Mr. Tony Stevens, Director of Finance and Operations at St. Pius X, for his assistance in coordinating this activity. We look forward to working with St. Pius X Catholic High School again in 2006.

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USPHS Flag Donated by ACOA Flies Over the Louisiana SERT Mobile Command

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2005 ACOA Annual Fall Social

ACOA hosted a Fall Social for Atlanta-area Commissioned Officers on Saturday, October 22, 2005 at the 57th Fighters Group Restaurant in Chamblee. This event provided an occasion for officers and special guests to meet socially, enjoy camaraderie and fellowship, and foster esprit de corps. It also provided an opportunity to recognize special ACOA activities and events that occurred in 2005. CAPT Austin Hayes, Director of the Office of Commissioned Personnel, provided opening comments, extended a blessing for the meal, followed by introducing the highlighted speaker for the evening.

CAPT Jerry Farrell, USN (Ret), Executive Director of the National Commissioned Officers Association (COA) served as the guest of honor and spoke with attendees on the latest news regarding national legislation and current and future COA activities such as liaison efforts with Commissioned Corps leadership and the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Mike Leavitt. CAPT Farrell has been director of the COA since 2001, and is also a director of The Military Coalition, a consortium of some thirty-five uniformed services and veteran’s organizations representing 5.5 million members.

CDR Linda West, 2005 ACOA President, provided a report of 2005 ACOA activities and achievements. During her remarks she recognized those officers who had deployed during the recent hurricanes and espoused special recognition to officers’ spouses and special guests in attendance for their on-going support. CDR West also gave a special thanks to past president LCDR Tina Lankford (2004) and CAPT Amy Collins (2003) for laying the groundwork to make her term a relatively easy one.

Special appreciation is extended to the ACOA Special Projects Committee (CDR Craig Wilkins and CDR Kim Walker) and to CAPT Austin Hayes and the staff of the Office of Commissioned Corps Personnel for their efforts in planning and organizing this successful event.

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2005 was Another Banner Year for ACOA!

There were many ACOA-sponsored activities in 2005 that promoted readiness, communications, community service, and professional development.  Some of ACOA's major accomplishments include:

Readiness

• Over 120 officers completed the ACOA-sponsored Office of Force Readiness and Deployment (OFRD) Fitness Test at the St. Pius X High School track facilities. These “Crunch and Run” events are held monthly with the support of ACOA and the Office of Commissioned Personnel.

• CDR Bruce Tierney provided a “Lunch and Learn” session entitled "The PHS Uniform - from Head to Toe.” This informative training emphasized the proper components and wear of PHS-approved uniforms, including the BDUs.

• A reserved space for officers to complete the CCRF on-line training modules was provided in the Stanford Building computer training room the 4th Friday of every month from 0800-1630.

Communications

• Distributed our bi-monthly newsletter “The Signal” that provides timely information on volunteer activities, transformation, PAC activities, health and fitness articles, military customs and courtesies tips, volunteer opportunities, and resources available to officers in the Atlanta area.

• Sent out regular e-mails alerting officers of various hot topics, volunteer events, and ways to get involved in the Chapter.

• CAPT Jerry Farrell, USN (Ret), Executive Director, National COA, spoke at three ACOA sponsored events with timely and insightful updates on COA and Commissioned Corps issues.

• Improved the layout, timelines, and content of our website, www.atlantacoa.com.

Community Service

• Twenty officers, family members, significant others, and friends spent a day helping to build a house with Atlanta Habitat for Humanity.

• Four roadside clean-up events included almost 80 officers, family members, significant others, and friends. ACOA is responsible for a one-mile stretch of Ponce de Leon near Briarcliff Road.

• Twenty-seven officers staffed the USO refreshments booth at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. The USO Center is the east coast point of entry for the Rest and Recuperation (R&R) flights returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, and ACOA volunteers impart a ‘touch of home’ to military personnel and their families during their transit by serving food and beverages.

Professional Development

• Commissioned Corps Professional Advisory Committee (PAC) workshops were held for the six largest PHS categories in Atlanta. Presentations covered Category-specific Benchmarks to assist Commissioned Officers in planning their careers and preparing for promotion. Representatives (past and present) from the different PACs provided separate overviews of the specific Benchmarks from their categories. Following the presentations, officers had the opportunity to ask specific questions concerning their Category’s Benchmarks.

• "Buffing your Chart: PHS Awards" was presented by CAPT Jeffrey Sacks. This Lunch and Learn provided suggestions and strategies to assist officers with writing successful and competitive award narratives.

• Organized the fifth annual Atlanta PHS Commissioned Officer Promotion Ceremony. Approximately 34 newly promoted officers were recognized with shoulder board placement. In addition to the newly promoted officers, this event was attended by over 60 fellow officers, family, friends and significant others.

• An assimilation seminar was presented by LCDR Ali Danner which provided valuable information and answered questions on the assimilation application and process.

• Over 20 officers and family members attended the first annual Fall Social at the 57th Fighter Group Restaurant near Peachtree-DeKalb Airport. It was a wonderful evening of food, music, and networking. The highlight of the evening was a presentation by CAPT Jerry Farrell, USN (Ret), Executive Director, National COA

Thanks for another great year at ACOA!!!

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