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Introducing the 2008 ACOA Executive Committee

Please welcome the following officers who will serve on the 2008 Executive Committee:

• LCDR Danice Eaton, President
• CDR Ross Spears, Vice President/President Elect
• LCDR Lauren Zapata, Secretary
• CDR Robert Knowles, Treasurer
• CDR Bruce Tierney, Past President
• CDR David Callahan, Member-at-Large
• CDR Valarie Wilson, Member-at-Large
• LCDR Shwana Coleman, Member-at-Large
• LCDR Ed Dieser, Member-at-Large
• LCDR Maleeka Glover, Member-at-Large
• LCDR Ed Weiss, Member-at-Large
• LT Anna Satcher Johnson, Member-at-Large
• LT Jamie Mutter, Member-at-Large

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ACOA Extends Thanks to 2007 Volunteers

ACOA thanks the nearly 150 officers who volunteered for ACOA-sponsored events during 2007! To show our appreciation, ACOA sent thank-you letters by email on formal letterhead to every officer who served as a volunteer for an ACOA-sponsored activity during 2007 (e.g., APFTs, Roadside Cleanups, Habitat for Humanity, Newsletter Articles, Promotion Ceremony, USO). If you volunteered for an activity, but did not receive a thank-you letter, please contact CDR Bruce Tierney, 404.639.4223. Thank you again for volunteering and making 2007such a successful year!

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Service Opportunities with ACOA Committees for 2008

Are you looking for a great way to get more involved with Commissioned Corps activities? A number of positions are open to ACOA members to serve on the committees that coordinate ACOA activities. All Atlanta-area active duty and retired PHS officers in good standing with COA and ACOA are eligible to serve on ACOA committees.

Members of committees will be recognized by ACOA each year with a thank you letter from the ACOA President that can be included in your eOPF. Serving on an ACOA committee is also a great opportunity to meet fellow officers from across the Atlanta area! If you are interested in serving on any of the committees noted below, please contact the committee chairs.

2008 Committee Chairs and Contact Information
If you have questions about a specific committee, please contact the officer listed below:

Communications Committee
Co-Chair: CDR David Callahan, 770.488.3720
Co-Chair: LCDR Shwana Coleman, 770.488.6554

The purpose of the Communications Committee is to communicate pertinent information to Atlanta branch members via the newsletter, The Signal, and the ACOA website. General members are welcome and encouraged to contact the committee co-chairs to volunteer for this committee. Activities might include soliciting content for inclusion in upcoming issues of the newsletter and the ACOA Web site, and managing a current photo collection of ACOA members and activities.

Community Service Committee
Co-Chair: LCDR Edward Weiss, 770.488.5044
Co-Chair: LT Anna Satcher, 404.639.6167

The purpose of the Community Service Committee is to provide service to the community, increase recognition of the Commissioned Corps, and promote Atlanta Branch membership with local community service efforts. Organizing and staffing the quarterly Roadside Clean-Ups and the Habitat for Humanity projects are just some of the committee’s activities.

Professional Development Committee
Co-Chair: LCDR Ed Deiser, 404.639.0757
Co-Chair: LCDR Maleeka Glover, 770.488.6492

The purpose of the Professional Development Committee is to provide information and opportunities to officers regarding career enhancement and leadership development. “Lunch and Learns” are held roughly every other month. In the past, “Lunch and Learns” have addressed topics such as basic readiness, assimilation, awards, uniforms, retirement and Space-A travel. Monthly APFT events are also organized by this committee.

Special Projects Committee
Co-Chair: CDR Valarie Wilson, 404.635.5215
Co-Chair: LT Jamie Mutter, 404.639.0769

The purpose of the Special Projects Committee is to coordinate special projects to benefit local officer Esprit de Corps. Activities include the annual promotion ceremony, spring Braves game, fall social, officer portraits and the “Anchor and Caduceus Dinner.”

Program Committee
Co-Chair: CDR Ross Spears, 404.639.3063

The purpose of the Program Committee is to handle unique projects that are important to the Service and to OPDIV’s in the Atlanta area. These projects are “one-off” projects that are outside other committee areas, and often require short notice and quick response to implement. Projects include staffing recruiting fairs, collecting toys and clothing for special needs groups, and supporting special requests from ACOA. Volunteers for the committee are still needed.

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Volunteer at the USO

Happy New Year! 2007 was an awesome year for volunteers in the USO. We ended the year with a bang during the 2007 Holiday Event, when over 3,000 service members transitioned home from overseas. Many officers volunteered for the first time and had a great experience. The ACOA is seeking volunteers who would like to take part in supporting the Jean R. Amos USO Center at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in 2008. We staff the USO every 3rd Saturday of each month from 0800 to 1100 and 1100 to 1400.

The USO’s mission is to enhance the quality of life of the United States Armed Forces personnel and their families worldwide, and to create a cooperative relationship between United Military communities and those involved or supporting civilian communities.

The USO’s flagship operation is at the Jean Amos Center at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. This USO Center, because of its strategic location in the world’s busiest airport, assists many thousands of service members annually.

In 2008, Commissioned Corps volunteers are needed on the following days (all Saturdays): February 16, March 15, April 19, May 17, June 21, July 19, August 16, September 20, October 18, and November 16. Shifts are available on all days from 0800 to 1100 and 1100 to 1400.

LCDR Maleeka Glover is coordinating ACOA officer activities at the USO. If you would like to volunteer, please contact LCDR Glover at 770.488.6492 and let her know which day(s) and time(s) you are available.

Please consider volunteering and be a part of sharing our camaraderie and community service to those who serve in the uniformed service. This is a wonderful and rewarding opportunity for everyone! Thank you for your service!

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ACOA Uniform Store

Don’t forget that ACOA has a uniform sale and swap! This is an important part of our fundraising efforts and your contributions make a difference.

Contact us if you have uniforms and/or uniform components (rank insignias, etc.) that you wish to donate, or if you would like to purchase these items at very reduced rates. We also swap gently-used shoulder boards. A full listing of the current uniform shop inventory is available at ACOA's website.

Please contact the representatives below for donation instructions:

Male Uniform Contact: LT Jasen Kunz, 404.639.3419, MS F-05
Female Uniform Contact: LT Jamie Mutter, 404.639.0769, MS F-05

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Play Ball!!

The Atlanta Branch Commissioned Officers Association Executive Committee is again planning a Braves game outing for this spring. Several group packages are available. Please contact CDR Valarie Wilson for more details if you are interested in joining your fellow officers for an Atlanta Braves game. Hope to see you there!

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Are You Musically Inclined?

The Atlanta Chorale Ensemble is looking for fellow Commissioned Officers with a musical ear. The Ensemble is in need of both a musical director and an accompanist. If you have some free time and would like to help the Ensemble prepare for this year’s COA performance, please contact CDR Januett Smith-George or CDR Jeff Nemhauser.

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Annual Physical Fitness Test

Where: St. Pius X High School Track, Atlanta GA (link for directions)
When: Saturday, February 16, 2008, at 0800
Bring: Water, towel and mat if desired
RSVP: By COB Thursday, 14 February via email to LCDR Edward Dieser

Overview: ACOA will administer a Commissioned Corps Annual Physical Fitness Test (APFT). Each officer is responsible for submitting their completed Physical Readiness Standards Report (PHS Form 7044) to Medical Affairs Branch and entering their data on the OIFRD web-site. As such, your scores will go home with you, so feel free to use this as a practice or a record APFT. We anticipate it will take approximately an hour for an officer to complete the three components of the APFT which include: a review of the standards, push-ups, sit-ups or the side-bridge, and a 1.5 mile run/walk. All three components must be completed at this time to pass the APFT. For more information on the qualifying standards for the annual physical fitness test see the OFRD website.

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Articles

Commissioned Corps Awards - Reflections on Fairness
Submitted by CAPT Jeffrey J. Sacks

I have served on the CDC Commissioned Corps Awards Board since 1999 and as chair since March 2005. Given my approaching retirement from CDC and the Corps, I am stepping down as Chair effective March 2008. During these past eight years, I have read well over a thousand awards nominations and been awed at the range of accomplishments of CDC officers. I have also made some observations about the process and its fairness. The purpose of this article is two-fold: to share these thoughts, and to update you on changes by PHS to the awards process.

While a Board member, I was struck by three things:

1. It was too hard to get an award. It seemed that the awards process required excessive rewrites and that the “perfect” write-up was the enemy of the “good enough” write-up. I thought officers should be spending more of their time doing public health and less of their time rewriting nominations.
2. Judging a nomination was essentially a subjective process.
3. The outcome of a nomination at an Awards Board meeting could be strongly influenced by one vocal person.

• Bias - especially in smaller organizational units, decisions may be unduly influenced (positively or negatively) by one decider's feelings about the nominee.
• Awards infrastructure may not be present in smaller CIOs – many have no Awards Board.
• Civilians are often unclear on PHS awards criteria and may not maintain system integrity.
• Harder to control overlap problem (an officer is not allowed to get 2 awards for essentially the same activity - preventing this requires careful scrutiny of past awards).
• Improper cross clearances, e.g., nominations for work in prior jobs may not get old or current supervisor’s OK.
• Would need an oversight process to be sure it is working properly – thus may not save time/effort when taking an organizational point of view.
• May lessen the value of awards.

If delegation were ever to happen at CDC, the Awards Board recommended that CIOs establish their own Boards to approve AMs or CITs. The Awards Board felt very strongly that allowing individuals (e.g., supervisors, many of whom are civilians) rather than Boards to approve Commissioned Corps awards would invite gross inequity across CDC. The issue of what constitutes an acceptable Board is difficult - how many officers need to be on a Board? How senior? Some CIOs have very few senior officers and finding volunteers to serve on a Board in smaller organizational units might be a problem. Indeed, many officers work in organizational situations where there are very few officers of any level, let alone no current Board.

In closing, the data suggest that the Commissioned Corps Awards process at CDC has been improving and is not broken. "Fixes" dictated by those unfamiliar with how Boards and systems such as CDC actually function may indeed break it. One way to help see that the CDC PHS Awards system continues to improve and serve as a model to PHS is to volunteer to serve on a Board. I have found my experience on the Board very fulfilling and interesting and think you might find the same.

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New Navy Uniform Rollout Revised - From the Military Report
Submitted by CDR Larry Cseh

"The Navy revised its rollout plan for the new uniforms, pushing back the release of the all ranks Navy Working Uniform. Also referred to as the blue digital camouflage uniform, it will be released to the fleet in Winter 2008 and to Recruit Training Command in spring 2009. The Service Uniform for E-1 through E-6 will begin late this summer. The new uniforms will be made available through Navy Exchange uniform centers and temporary off-site locations until all regions have been fully outfitted. Rollout of the Navy physical fitness uniform is on track for spring 2008. During the phase-in period, both old and new uniforms are authorized for wear."

With the pushed back date on the Navy Working Uniform (NWU), the PHS will likely delay adoption of a PHS version of the NWU. This means the current PHS BDU and other current PHS working uniforms will potentially remain in the uniform inventory for a little longer before being discontinued (The Navy physical fitness uniform currently does not have an impact on plans for PHS uniforms). That may also explain why we haven't heard anything yet about purchasing the NWU or proposed transition and phase out dates. Stay tuned…..

 

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We interrupt this program…Ways to reduce screen time
Submitted by LCDR Beth Tohill and Leigh Ramsey

With more electronic entertainment options than ever, it is harder to pull the plug and get up and moving. Obesity affects nearly 59 million adults in the United States, and being overweight or obese can result from energy imbalance over time. Energy imbalance may be caused by many factors, including individual behaviors, environment, and genetics. One modifiable factor that can contribute to an energy imbalance is sedentary behavior such as watching television, videos, and DVDs, and playing video and computer games. It is estimated that adults spend 3.9 non-working hours and that children spend 5.5 hours each day using media (1,2). There are several hypothesized mechanisms by which this sedentary behavior may contribute to obesity:

• Screen time replaces time that would be spent in moderate to vigorous activity
• Increased exposure to food advertisements
• Increased energy intake (e.g., snacking) while watching television

• Remove TV sets from children’s’ bedrooms. Kids who watch television in their rooms watch more hours per week and are more likely to be overweight.
• Limit children’s total media time to no more than one to two hours per day. Studies suggest that for each additional hour a day that a child spends watching TV, there is a 2% increase in the chance that they’ll be overweight.
• Encourage activities that include both physical activities and social involvement, such as joining school and community clubs, taking classes or being active with the family.

1. National Association for Sport and Physical Education. Adults/teens attitudes toward physical activity and physical education. Sports J. 6, 2003.
2. Roberts D, U Foehr. Kids and Media in America. Cambridge, MA: University Press, 2004.
3. Committee on Public Education. American Academy of Pediatrics Policy Statement: Children, Adolescents, and Television. Pediatrics. 107(2):423-426, 2001.

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Atlanta COA Celebrates Birthday of the Commissioned Corps
Submitted by CDR Bruce Tierney

The Atlanta Branch of the Commissioned Officers Association celebrated the 119th birthday of the Commissioned Corps in style Saturday evening, January 26, 2008 with the First Annual Atlanta Area Anchor and Caduceus Dinner. More than 90 officers and their guests turned out to celebrate the occasion with a dinner and program held at Fort McPherson. The theme for the evening was “The United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corp: Past and Future” and the dinner proved to be a combination of fellowship amongst officers from all across the Atlanta area with a bit of uniform service tradition thrown in for good measure!

The evening kicked off with a reception followed by a ceremonial entry into the banquet hall by the honored guests complete with bagpiper to lead the way. The Atlanta Area Honor Cadre started the pre-dinner program with the presentation of the Colors and the PHS Chorale led the guests in our National Anthem. This was followed by a delightful concert from the PHS Chorale and Wind Ensemble before the guests settled in for a buffet dinner.

Featured speakers for the evening included RADM Robert Williams, Acting Deputy Surgeon General of the United States, and RADM(ret) Jerrold Michael, Founding President of the Commissioned Officers Foundation. Admiral Michael gave a superb presentation on the history of our Corps, highlighting the many accomplishments of Commissioned Officers over the past 119 years in the constant struggle against diseases of all varieties. Admiral Williams followed with an inspiring discussion of the foundations laid down by past officers that have led to our core values today, and which we are building on to strengthen the future of public health for our nation.

One of the highlights of the evening was the ceremonial cutting of the Commissioned Corps birthday cake with a PHS sword. The cake cutting was led by RADM Williams, the most senior officer present, and LTJG LaTrice Fowler, the most junior officer present who recently joined the Corps after serving several years in the U.S. Navy and is now stationed at CDC. After LTJG Fowler finished serving cake to our Flag Officers and honored guests, Admiral Williams concluded the ceremony by presenting LTJG Fowler with the first piece of cake cut, symbolizing the passing of knowledge and wisdom from senior to junior officer. Another highlight of the evening was the opportunity to recognize and honor CAPT Austin Hayes as he approaches his retirement for his many years of dedicated service to ACOA, CDC, and the Commissioned Corps. Admiral Williams capped off the tribute to CAPT Hayes by presenting him with the Surgeon General’s Medallion for the many contributions he has made to our service and the nation during his career.

In addition to the many Commissioned Officers present, there were several officers from other uniformed services in attendance, including COL Marguerite Garrison, Fort McPherson post commander. The evening again proved an excellent opportunity to share our history with fellow uniformed service officers as well as an occasion to celebrate our own heritage as a uniformed service and enjoy the camaraderie of fellow officers outside of the workplace setting. All in all, a good time was had by all!

Plan to join ACOA in the coming year for future social events, including the Annual Fall Social and continuation of this new tradition with the Second Annual Atlanta Area Anchor and Caduceus Dinner in January 2009. If you would like to take part in planning for this or other events, ACOA is always looking for officers who want to help build our local branch into the best that it can be for Atlanta area Commissioned Officers.

CDR Tierney serves as Immediate Past President and member of the Executive Committee of ACOA for 2008. In addition he served as a member of the Anchor and Caduceus Dinner Planning Committee as well as host of this year’s dinner.
 

Celebrating the 119th Birthday of the Commissioned Corps!	RADM Robert Williams presenting CAPT Austin Hayes with the Surgeon General’s Medallion
Officers and guests enjoying the evening festivities	CDR Tierney presents a PHS sword to RADM Williams and LTJG Fowler to use in the cake cutting ceremony

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Atlanta-area Refugee Community Service Project a Success
Submitted by LCDR BK Kapella

The United States welcomes 50,000–70,000 refugees annually, including over one thousand to the metro-Atlanta area. Most refugees arrive with only a suitcase of material possessions. In November and December 2007, LCDR Sapna Bamrah and LCDR BK Kapella organized a local donation drive to collect clothing and household goods for newly arrived refugees. LCDR Ann Buff also mobilized children’s clothing donations from her sons’ school, Briarlake Elementary.

Seventeen Commissioned Corps officers, representing all CDC campuses and the Sam Nunn Federal Building, collected donations over the course of a month and delivered the items to an expectant crowd of smiling faces on December 22, 2007. CAPT Dan Fishbein and his wife, Dr. Cythie Tin Oo, were instrumental in facilitating communications in the refugee community and providing organizational support during the event. Donations went primarily to Karen and Shan refugees from Burma, but smaller numbers of refugees from Burundi, Somalia, and Sudan also benefited. The generosity of ACOA officers was commendable. Well over 100 refugees benefited from the outpouring of goods (over ten car-loads!) this holiday season. To offer their gratitude, the Georgia Karen community invited ACOA officers and their families to celebrate the Karen New Year with them on January 12, 2008. This outstanding shared cultural celebration was filled with song, dance, and incredible food.

Thank you to everyone who so willingly gave time and donations to make this event a success. There is an ongoing need for donations as groups of refugees arrive in the Atlanta area each month. Until the next ACOA refugee community service project, World Relief, 404.294.4352, and International Rescue Committee, 404.292.7731, will accept donations and provide services and support directly to refugees in need.

 

CDR Edecia Richards (left, with USPHS baseball cap) oversees the organized chaos of donation delivery	Refugees from Burma celebrate the New Year in Atlanta with traditional clothes and song

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