EUROPE REGIONAL MEDICAL COMMAND
Volume 2, Issue 1
BMEDDAC FRG NEWS
1ST QUARTER April 2013
HHC COMMANDER: CPT DONALD INGRIM To Bavaria MEDDAC Family,
WELCOME BMEDDAC NEW COMMANDER:
COL E. Darrin Cox
Inside this issue:
Bamberg
2
Grafenwoehr
Vilseck
3
Illesheim
4
Katterbach
5
Hohenfels
6
Coloring contest
7
HHCF
8
As many of you might know, I became the commander of HHC in February of this year. In this short time, I have been provided with a better insight into what makes Bavaria MEDDAC great. Many may attribute the success of our organization to our hardworking Soldiers and Civilians, or to the long dedicated hours that we put in, or to our leadership that pushes us to achieve more than what we believe capable. On the surface, those things are true; however, this only provides a small fraction of what really drives us as an organization. While there is no doubt that BMEDDAC has hardworking, dedicated, and driven individuals, it is our families who are the ones who provide the environment in which we thrive. Through our spouses and significant
others, we find the means to refocus our efforts and become better at what we do. Our families frame our lives, and work, giving us drive to ensure that our organization remains successful. An often-overlooked aspect of family is the relationships that we have with our coworkers. It is through everyday encounters, with our colleagues, we build enduring and close relationships rooted in a genuine concern for one another. For those that are far away from immediate family, our association with the people we work with serves as an extended family. They provide us support in both good times and bad. Because of this support, it can be said that family (both immediate and extended) is the cornerstone in which the success of Bavaria MEDDAC is built. For this reason, we must guarantee that our families are taken care
of and welcomed into our organization, through our Family Readiness Groups (FRGs). We must ensure that FRG participation is not just limited to our military members, but is open to every member of the organization. Finally, we as an organization must demonstrate how loyal we are to our families, and how we view them to be an integral part of what we do. Mario Puzo once wrote, "The strength of a family, like the strength of an army, is in its loyalty to each other." It is through our FRGs that we are able to demonstrate that loyalty.
CPT Donald Ingrim COMMANDER HHC
BMEDDAC FRG NEWS Page 2
BAMBERG
From the left: Denise Bailey, Lauren LeBroke, Sabina Bosompem and Myung Hee Melton practicing their French speaking skills.
The Bamberg Clinic FRG continues with our regular monthly meetings and we recently started French Classes taught by our very own FRG member Ashlea Robinson. Ashlea earned her degree teaching French for high
school students while stationed in the United States. Our FRG members and clinic soldiers have started practice for our new softball team. We have been planning day trips to Strasbourg France and Regensburg Germany.
Our favorite weekly excursion is searching the Franconian footprint for culinary delicacies in small-town villages. We have several members due to PCS and we are planning a final farewell and appreciation day.
GRAFENWOEHR Welcome home SPC Michael Schmolt and LTC Nino Vidic Thank you for your sacrifice, love and dedication to our great nation. Because of your diligence, honor and unwavering commitment to our country, we are without a doubt, the land of the free and the home of the brave. It is all because of you and we are forever grateful to you and your families! God Bless GHC BMEDDAC FRG
BMEDDAC Cart Tokens with key chain.
GHC FRG started our year on the right foot. Wanting to work off the holiday pounds, we had some fun doing Zumba with Pam. After working up a sweat, we had elections for the new leadership. Jennifer Carder handed the leadership reigns over to co-leader LaShonda Barnett and Rosalynn Mitchell. New faces and a renewed energy are two benefits to new leadership! Richard Russell will be staying on and remains treasure for our group. Valentine’s Day was a perfect time to have a candy gram sale. On Wednesday, 13 February, the FRG sold “telegrams” with candy attached to clinic staff. Funds raised during this event were used to help finance cart tokens/key chains with the BMEDDAC logo. In March, the FRG started work planning and collecting donations for welcome baskets for two Soldiers that came back from deployment. Local business gave generously and we were able to offer our returning Soldiers and nice treat. We welcome back SPC Michael Schmolt and LTC Nino Vidic!
Easter is not complete without an egg hunt. We teamed up with the Vilseck FRG for the Easter egg hunt the day before Easter. Adults and children alike enjoyed the family friendly event and overall it was very successful event. For our April FRG meeting, we treated our membership to an old fashion ice cream social. Many people showed up for the ice cream and stayed for the meeting. We discussed our next course of action for April, which will be the bake sale on the 19 th held at the APO. Donations for this day, monetary and baked goods, are acceptable!
Volume 2, Issue 1 Page 3
VILSECK The last few months have been busy at the Vilseck Health Clinic. The Clinic FRG kicked off the New Year in support of our families. In January, we had our first FRG Family Fun Day/Chili Cook Off when we partnered with HHC. Thanks to SSG Smith and his wife Vanessa for coordinating the entertainment of a bounce house, seated volleyball music, and the magician Magic Maxx. Mrs. Williams did a great job coordinating for the loads of Chili brought to compete. SFC Juarez went home with the grand prize $50 gift card; we look forward to sampling more of his cooking!
We had the opportunity this past Valentine's Day to support the FRG in a fundraiser for upcoming events. In February, Mrs. Williams arranged a flower sale for Valentine’s day. Pre-orders and same day sales saw over 300 Roses and rice krispy treats sold as gifts for our loved ones. The lesson learned from this was - order more roses next year! We had two new babies join the family. Congratulations to the Williams and Parks families! We capped off this quarter with an Easter Egg Hunt with the Grafenwoehr clinic. Over 600 eggs were
hunted and found in a matter of seconds. Three Grand prize baskets were handed out a well as 10 prize goody bags. Mrs. Valenzuela donated her face painting talents and MAJ Platt entertained the kids with his balloon making skills. Thanks to SPC Davenport for taking on the all important role of the Easter Bunny! We look forward to welcoming LTC Konopa, his wife Maggie and their daughter Sophie to the clinic team next month!
“Over 600 eggs were hunted and found in a matter of seconds.”
Vilseck Health Clinic FRG
The Easter Bunny entertained the children during the Easter egg hunt behind the Vilseck Health Clinic.
BMEDDAC FRG NEWS Page 4
ILLESHEIM
“The attendance of our first FRG
The Illesheim Army Health Clinic FRG opened the first quarter of 2013 with their first official FRG meeting. Major Ball offered his gratitude to families for their understanding during the NCQA process that had our Soldiers/Staff members working long hours during the holidays. The pizza party was an opportunity to not only offer families appreciation but also celebrate the Clinic's NCQA Level 3 rating resulting from
the dedication of everyone. Continuing with the theme of family support results in team success, Major Ball acknowledged David Rios and Citlali Rios with the first ever Commander's "Caught Being Good" Award. The certificates of good behavior shine the spotlight on our youngest FRG members while reinforcing positive attributes are the foundations of success. The attendance of our first FRG meeting exceeded the number of
Soldiers/Staff members in the clinic. The outstanding family members continue to support our clinic events like the Community Health Nurse's "Go Red" Brunch held at the Storck Barracks Community Activity Center raising awareness of the importance of heart health. The command staff is excited about the growing FRG and its wonderful volunteers!
meeting exceed the number of Soldiers/ Staff in the clinic.”
Bobbie Ball FRG Leader-Illesheim
MAJ Roger Ball presenting the Commander’s “Caught Being Good” award to David and Citlali Rios.
Volume 2, Issue 1 Page 5
KATTERBACH USAHC Katterbach FRG planned and conducted an Easter photo shoot on 29 and 30 March 2013, utilizing the professional photography skills of Mrs. Amanda Gariepy, wife of SPC David Gariepy, Radiology technician. In the relaxed and quaint setting of the Von Steuben Community Center, utilized at no cost to the FRG as allowed by USAG Ansbach, Mrs. Gariepy designed and planned the background and setting, and with the help of Katterbach clinic FRG volunteers, conducted the photo shoot, which included models - live rabbits! The FRG published an announcement on Facebook advertising the
details of the Easter photo shoot with slots available for one full day, and within 2-3 hours, all available slots had been reserved, facilitating the arrangement of a second day of photo shooting. When the film was in the can, Mrs. Gariepy had shot 58 sessions, and $10 to $20 per session and had netted the FRG a healthy profit for both days setting a record for the Katterbach FRG. Mrs. Gariepy is no stranger to military life; she grew up in a military family, and is very familiar with and supportive of the military family lifestyle. Prior to coming to Katterbach, she has supported military organizational fund
raising with her unique abilities on many occasions. In their previous duty station at FT Lewis, Mrs. Gariepy volunteered and assisted the 1-14 CAV, the 5-20 Infantry, and the 2-3 Infantry raise funds during multiple events to support their military family activities. The Katterbach clinic is truly blessed to have an accomplished professional like Mrs. Gariepy supporting the FRG and the Soldiers and families of the Ansbach community!
Dr. Edward Piepmeier, Heidi Piepmeier, Bobbie Ball, CPT Jess Miller, Jill Miller, SSG Terrence Elliott, Megume Elliott, SSG Scott Graham, Sarah Graham, SPC Isaac Brennan, Diane Brennan, SFC Andrew Colburn, Desma Colburn
BMEDDAC FRG NEWS Page 6
“…2013 has been very successful and we look forward to the amazing opportunities…”
Our Clinic family enjoying sugar cookie decorating and blown egg decorating.
HOHENFELS
The Hohenfels health care community has welcomed a very exciting and busy beginning to 2013. We have sadly bid farewell to some of our members, but also welcomed new personnel. Our Hail and Farewell dinner was held at Zum Schwan where we said farewell to SGT Gonzalez and SGT Wilson and welcomed SGT Jusinovargas, SPC Crooks, PFC Kibler, Mr. Brito, Mr. Colgan, Mr. Bojicic, Mrs. Tostado, and Dr. Steinberg along with their families. The Hohenfels Clinic FGR held an Easter celebration. Our eve-
ning began with sugar cookie and blown egg decorating, displaying the artistic talents of many, followed by a delicious potluck dinner and ending with an adventurous Easter Egg Hunt. We had an amazing turnout and it’s always exciting to see our clinic family working together. Also, our laboratory team coordinated a very LTC Christopher David instructing the children before the Easter Egg hunt. successful community blood drive on April 2nd amazing opportunities the rest of and 3rd. Our community disthe year has to offer. played enormous support by taking the time to roll up their sleeves and give the gift of life through donating blood. We would like to give a sincere and appreciative thank you to everyone that supported and participated in the blood drive. Overall, the beginning of 2013 has been very successful and we look forward to the
Volume 2, Issue 1 Page 7
KIDS CORNER Celebrate Spring Coloring Contest HHC is sponsoring the 1Q coloring contest for the children of BMEDDAC FRGs. This coloring contest is for all children ages 12 and under. All entries will be posted on Issuu.com/frsabmeddac and everyone will have the opportunity to vote.
1. 2.
Color your entry. Turn in your entry to
your FRG Leader.
3.
Vote @ Issuu.com.
4.
Entry due by May 8.
5.
Voting May 9-22.
6.
Winner announced May 23.
Prize: a special treat from the
states!
Madison Gariepy, 6 years old, winner 4 quarter Coloring Contest from Katterbach with her winning picture, prize and certificate.
PAGE 6
HHC
The kids had a wonderful time in building 700 for the Easter egg hunt!
LTC Gayla Wilson and her daughter Emily.
The HHC FRG is having a very fun Spring! We ended winter with a Family Fun Day in January that featured movies, a magic show, balloon animals, cookie and cupcake decorating, a bouncy house and a chili cookoff which featured some of the best chili we have tasted. The Family Fun Day was cosponsored by the Vilseck Health Clinic and we were glad to see so many of our friends and family having a good time. We had scheduled a Craft Day for the end of February that was postponed because of a late winter storm. The Craft
Day was to be an opportunity for people with skills like knitting, jewelry making, scrap booking and other crafts to show off some of their talents, seek advice on a project from a more skilled crafter, and possibly teach someone how to make something. Never fear, crafting will prevail; the Craft Day has been rescheduled for Saturday, April 20th. At the end of March, the HHC FRG organized an Easter Egg Hunt for its youngsters. Brightly colored eggs and brightly colored Easter dresses filled the hallways of building 700 as children piled their bas-
kets with as many eggs as they could find. The Easter Bunny himself made an appearance in the afternoon and we were very glad he could fit in a visit despite his schedule being jampacked at this time of year. We are looking forward to a great Summer and hoping to plan some fun events for everyone to attend. We would love for anyone interested to join us in our planning. As always, our meetings are held the first Tuesday of each month, so if you’d like to help us make this summer great, stop by!
YOUR FAMILY READINESS SUPPORT ASSISTANT
PAGE 7
What can your FRSA do for you? Part 2
Cheryl K. Hintz
Generates and maintains binders that contain Appointment letters, Op Ready FRG Guidelines, Banking/Account information, Point of Contacts, FRG leaders, Volunteer job descriptions, etc.
Assists Family Members in contacting their respective FRG leaders.
Schedules and coordinates guest speakers for FRG meetings.
Creates, updates and maintains phone rosters.
Creates, publishes and distributes a quarterly BMEDDAC FRG newsletter.
Provide administrative assistance to FRG Leader as needed.
Helps develop, publish and distribute any announcements and flyers.
Identifies POCs and obtains information on community resources.
Provides referral to community agencies such as ACS, Chaplain, and social work services.
Assists Commander with establishment and maintenance of the virtual FRG (vFRG).
FRSA BAVARIA MEDDAC CMR 411, UNIT 28308 APO. AE 09112
DSN 476-4788 CIV 09662-83-4788 usarmy.grafenwoehr.medcom-brmc.other.meddac-b-frsa@mail.mil
Mother’s Day Breakfast Casserole Kid friendly recipe to prepare for Mom on her special day and it’s Gluten Free. Ingredients:
Directions:
5. Lower oven to 176C (350F). Baked for 40-45 minutes or CRUST until the center is set and 1. Preheat oven to 218 C (425F). knife inserted comes out clean. 2. Coat pan with nonstick cooking spray. Serve with hugs and kisses.
Nonstick cooking spray
2 cups grated potatoes or use Ore Ida Hash Browns, Country style shredded potatoes
1/2 cup onion, chopped
3. Mix potatoes and onion.
6 oz Shady Brook Farms Lean Turkey Breakfast sausage, cooked
4. Press potato mixture evenly over the bottom and sides of the pie pan.
1/3 cup Kraft 2% milk Finely Shredded Cheddar
5. Bake for 30 minutes.
1/3 cup Kraft part-skim finely shredded Mozzarella
4 eggs
6 egg whites OR All Whites 100% liquid egg whites
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
FILLING 1. Spread cooked sausage evenly over the crust. 2. Sprinkle cheese evenly over the sausage. 3. In a separate bowl, beat eggs, egg whites and spices. 4. Pour egg mixture evenly over the cheeses.
This recipe is easy enough for the kids to make with minimal help and yummy for the Mummy!