In the Air Force Theater Hospital at Balad AB, Iraq, pharmacy technicians and the radiology specialists are very busy dealing with trauma medicine. Journalist SrA. Candace Romano reports that pharmacists make initial assessments, monitor morphine, fill prescriptions, mix intravenous fluids, and make rounds in the intensive care units and wards. One critical care pharmacist said the pharmacy filled 23,706 prescriptions in January. Journalist SSgt. Carlos Diaz writes that the radiology staff treated 38 patients in 16 hours on Presidents Day; they perform 1,600 CT scans a month, averaging 53 per day. They use two state-of-the-art scanners that provide 16 image planes for a faster CT scan, and time is critical with the near constant flow of patients.
House and Senate lawmakers say they’re hopeful Congress will pass a defense appropriations bill in the coming weeks to avoid a repeat of last fall’s government shutdown, with only having a handful of working days remaining before the Jan. 30 deadline. Yet legislations still have to release a compromise version of defense spending legislation, which will have to…
