DGMC asks: “Are you medically ready to deploy?”

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Tomas Widemond and Staff Sgt. William Johnson
  • 60th Aerospace Medicine Squadron
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  You just received notification you're deploying. Do you know what to do next?
It is not as hard as some might think to become "medically ready" for a deployment. 

There are a few annual medical appointments such as preventive health assessments and dental exams that must remain current through the length of your deployment. There are also some country-specific immunizations, medication and/or administrative items that must be completed prior to your departure. 

The first step, after being notified of your deployment, is to visit the Force Health Management office at the David Grant USAF Medical Center to begin the clearance process. 

First, deployment section personnel will enter your deployment information into the Preventive Health Assessment and Individual Medical Readiness database. After completing PIMR, they will then check and see what other items need to be completed. 

Force Health Management personnel will then complete an IMR checklist for you detailing what items need to be completed, such as PHA, lab work, immunizations, dental exam, mental health, optometry, primary care manager clearance or occupational health exam. 

All medical requirements such as shots must be completed before the pre-deployment health assessment. This assessment is the last step in the clearance process and is conducted in the Force Health Management office. Once done, a technician will give you a clearance letter which should be given to your unit deployment manager so they can publish your official orders. 

The Department of Defense has several unified commands and each has its own reporting instruction. This instruction, among other things, lists the medical requirements for each command. Each command has a different instruction because the medical threats found in South America might not be found in Southwest Asia. 

As part of the final step in your clearance process, Force Health Management personnel will present a country-specific medical intelligence briefing. This briefing will make sure you are aware of the current threats found in your deployment location. These threats could range from rabies, malaria, stress and more. The Force Health Management technician will assist you in getting those items that will help protect you against these threats. 

Force Health Management is located on the second floor of DGMC on the south side of the facility directly across from the Emergency Room. For more information, contact the deployment section at 423-3905.