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Show HILLTOP TIMES Hill MES Jan. 12, 2012 9 Pregnancy site helps military families with what to expect when they're expecting TriWest Healthcare Alliance P HOENIX — Nearly 4 million women give birth in the U.S. every year and almost a third of them will suffer pregnancyrelated complications, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Prenatal care not only helps ensure those complications are caught early and treated, but can help prevent premature births. To support proper prenatal care and help wornen deliver healthy babies, TriWest Healthcare Alliance is now offering a new resource for military families who are expecting: the Pregnancy and Parenting Portal. The new pregnancy and parenting portal located at www.triwest.com/ pregnancy connects military families to helpful information for various stages of pregnancy, as well as for adoption. Different from other pregnancy sites, the TriWest portal offers information on TriCare coverage and locating a nearby military clinic. The portal includes: • Before Pregnancy: Tips to get ready for being pregnant. • New Baby and Child Care: Resources for well-baby care, safety, emergency care, stages of develop- ment. • During Pregnancy: Information to keep both morn and baby healthy during pregnancy. • Tools for New Dads: What to expect during the pregnancy and keeping involved. • After Delivery: Resources to help keep you and your baby healthy and safe. • Adoption: TriCare benefits information and military adoption resources. In addition to educating families on the importance of prenatal care, the portal provides access to resources for early childhood devel- opment, creating a safe and hazardfree environment and well-baby care. "This can be a very happy, busy, and possibly emotional time for a military family," said Dr. Frank Maguire, Senior Vice-President of Health Care Services and Chief Medical Officer of TriWest. "The Pregnancy and Parenting Portal was developed to help educate families on the importance of prenatal care, as well as smooth the transition of welcoming a new child into the world." Find the new Pregnancy and Parenting Portal at www.triwest.com/ pregnancy. Connecting families through reading with USO program BY TECH. SGT. VERNON CUNNINGHAM 455th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs B U.S. Air Force courtesy photo Two children in the United States watch a video recorded by their deployed father who used the United Services Organization's United Through Reading service at Bagram Airfield, Aghanistan. The USO records deployed service members reading to their loved ones and sends the DVD and book back to the member's home. AGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan — Deployment can be hard on a family. It can be even harder for a service member who would normally read their children a good night story but are not around to do so. However, the Pat Tillman Memorial United Services Organization in Baghram, Afghanistan, offers a service to help close that gap. The program is a cooperative effort between the USO and the federal nonprofit organization United Through Reading. It allows overseas personnel to read to their loved ones back home through recorded video. Cathe Ganley, the United Through Reading coordinator in Baghram, said the mission of the USO is to lift the spirit of the troops overseas or away from their family. "One way we do that is by providing some of the comforts of home," she said. "Some of these comforts include free phone calls to home, free computers and free WiFi. With the United Through Reading Program, we record service members reading a book and send both the book and DVD home to the states so the children, mom, dad, grandma or whomever can read with them whenever they want." USO patrons can bring their own book or choose from the selection provided. The USO TriCare Prime Option for young adults BY BRIAN P SMITH TriWest Healthcare Alliance M ilitary families have a new TriCare Prime option for young adults without health care coverage. TriCare Young Adult Prime gives eligible family members TriCare Prime medical (and pharmacy) coverage with low out-of-pocket costs for a $201 monthly premium. Military family members who are not married, who have "aged out" of other TriCare eligibility (up to age 26) and who have a TriCare-eligible sponsor are eligible to purchase TriCare Young Adult (TYA) coverage. TYA enrollees can now choose either TYA Standard or TYA Prime coverage, based on eligibility. The choice will determine your monthly premium, out-of-pocket costs and how you access care. Each TYA program allows access to the TriCare pharmacy benefit. TYA Standard enrollment is available now. Enrollment applications for TYA Prime are being accepted and coverage could begin as soon as Jan. 1, if application was received by then. Complete information, along with the application form, is available at TriWest.com/ TYA. TYA Prime features: • Little to no out-of-pocket costs for care. • $201 monthly premium for 2012. • Sponsor must be eligible for TriCare Prime (or TriCare Prime Remote). • Coverage is available in those Prime Service Areas where TriCare Prime is available. • Open enrollment, but coverage start date depends on when the application is received. • Access care from a primary care manager, TriCare network providers and at military hospitals. • Referrals needed for most specialty care TYA Standard features: • Annual deductible and cost-shares. • $176 monthly premium for 2012 • Sponsor must be eligible for TriCare (and enrolled in TriCare Reserve Select or TriCare Retired Reserve if eligible). • Continuous and open enrollment. • Access care from any TriCare-authorized provider • No referrals needed Premium payments Enrolling into TriCare Young Adult requires setting up automatic recurring payments for monthly premiums. You can set up payments through either credit or debit card or through a monthly electronic funds transfer from a bank account. Premiums can change each year on Jan. 1. has children's books for young readers and chapter books for older kids. They can read for up to 30 minutes while being recorded. Afterwards, USO personnel will package the book and disc and send them to the address provided by the service member. Ganley said the Pat Tillman Memorial USO sends 60 to 100 packages to families in the U.S. every three days. Master Sgt. Daniel Fish, deployed from the 623rd Logistics Readiness Squadron at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, is a first-time user and took the opportunity to read to his two daughters. "It's a little more personal than me just reading a book over the phone," Fish said. "My youngest daughter is in an accelerated reading program, so now I have a good reason to use the program and read with her. I know that my daughters will enjoy it." Master Sgt. Santiago Belen, deployed from the Puerto Rico Air National Guard, read to his son, Justin, and daughter, Gabrielle. He read one book in English and the second book in Spanish. Belen has shipped DVDs through the United Through Reading program several times. "It's another way which the USO has given us to reach out to our families back home," Belen said. "More than phones and more than letters. I and my family definitely appreciate it." Some selective continuation info officers should know Air Force Personnel, Services and Manpower Public Affairs R ANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas — Captains and majors twice deferred for promotion to the next higher rank who have less than 18 years of service may face a selective continuation board. Selective continuation boards allow the Air Force to retain twice-deferred officers for a length of time determined by the Secretary of the Air Force. The board typically reviews individual records, immediately following a promotion board, to determine eligibility for continuation. Continuing service in the Air Force is not a guarantee or a right, said Col. Michael Pitts, Air Force Personnel Center's Personnel Services Directorate Operations Division chief. "Selective continuation is necessary to balance our force to meet current and future mission capabilities," Pitts said. "It's no longer business as 'normal.' The authority to continue twice-deferred officers is at the discretion of the Air Force Secretary when the needs of the service require." Officers not selected for continuation are eligible for involuntary separation pay and will be projected for separation no later than six months after the president or his delegate approves the board results, said Lt. Col. Shelley Strong, AFPC's Officer Promotion Branch chief. Those who choose to apply for transfer into the Air Force Reserves or Air National Guard will require a waiver. "Officers have a role to play in the process," Pitts said. "All officers must make sure their records accurately reflect their accomplishments and experience developed in their years of service." For more information visit the Air Force Personnel Services web site at https://gum-crm.csd.disa. mil . |