FOOD FOR THOUGHT FOR THE PRESIDENCY THE SELECTION OF THE SURGEON-GENERAL SHOULD BE A REFLECT OF INTERNATIONAL STANDARD. BELOW REFERS: Horoho takes oath as first nurse, female surgeon general December 8, 2011. Patricia D. Horoho, the first nurse and first woman appointed, became the Armys 43rd surgeon general Dec. 7 in a ceremony at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall. She was nominated to the position by President Barack Obama May 10 and was later approved by the Senate. She succeeds Lt. Gen. Eric B. Schoomaker, who will retire in January. Over the past decade, Army medicine has led the joint health effort in the most austere environments. Horoho said. As part of the most decisive and capable land force in the world, we stand ready to adapt. A decade of this war, she said, has left a fighting force with both physical and psychological scars. We are dedicated to identifying and caring for those Soldiers who have sustained psychological and physical trauma associated with an Army engaged in a protracted war, she said, adding that the war fighter does not stand alone. Army Chief of Staff Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, who passed the U.S. Army Medical Command flag to Horoho in a ceremony Dec. 5 at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, promoted her to lieutenant general and administered the oath to swear her in as the Armys top medical officer. The Army cannot provide trained and ready forces to the nation without our talented medical professionals and leaders. In everything we do, we rely on medical command and the surgeon general to set the vision for this community and have the courage to carry it out, Odierno said. As surgeon general, she will direct the third-largest healthcare system in the United States, behind the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Hospital Corporation of America. The Army surgeon generals impact, said Odierno, extends far beyond the Army to the national and the international level, collaboration and partnership with other public and private entities on research, standards of practices, national leadership in areas such as brain injury, concussive disorders, mental health promotion and pain management. This position requires a special officer who can lead change and achieve unity of effort in a dynamic, joint interagency and also in a multi-national role, working with our allies and partners around the world, Odierno explained. For these reasons, its important to pick the right person. And we are absolutely, incredibly lucky to have Lieutenant General Patty Horoho as the 43rd surgeon general. Shes earned this extremely important leadership position, not only because of her incredible past performance and achievements, but more importantly her outstanding potential, as she will lead Medical Command and lead as the Army surgeon general, Odierno said, adding that her 28 years of experience and education will prove to be an inspiration for many others. We will make the right care available at the right time by demonstrating compassion to those we serve and value to our stakeholders. The collective healthcare experience is driven by a team of professionals partnering with the patient, focused on health, health promotion and disease prevention to enhance wellness. While deployed to Afghanistan, Horoho remembered asking a young medic how he would describe Healthcare. He replied, We carry healthcare on our backs. As we sit here today there are young men and women willing to put their lives on the line to protect the freedoms we enjoy as Americans. Thank God we have young medics who are carrying innovative quality and precision healthcare on their backs, regardless of risk to personal safety. This is our privilege. This is our honor, and this is why Army healthcare will face all challenges with strength, resolve and dedicated focus, she said. As a Registered Nurse, Horoho earned her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of North Carolina, her Master of Science degree as a clinical trauma nurse specialist from the University of Pittsburgh. She is a resident graduate of the Armys Command and General Staff College and the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, where she earned a second Master of Science degree in National Resource Strategy. Other military assignments include: Staff nurse on a multi-service specialty ward, staff and head nurse of a level III emergency department, Evans Army Community Hospital, Fort Carson, Colo.; nurse counselor, 1st Recruiting Brigade (Northeast) with duty at Harrisburg and Pittsburgh Recruiting Battalions; head nurse of a 22-bed emergency department, Womack Army Medical Center, Fort Bragg, N.C.; chief nurse and hospital commander of a 500-bed field hospital, 249th General Hospital, Fort Gordon, Ga.; assistant branch chief, Army Nurse Corps Branch, United States Total Army Personnel Command, Alexandria, Va.; assistant deputy for Healthcare Management Policy in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Manpower and Reserve Affairs), Pentagon, Washington, D.C.; deputy commander for nursing and commander of the DeWitt Health Care Network, Fort Belvoir, Va.; and deputy commander for nursing, Walter Reed Army Medical Center and North Atlantic Regional Medical Command, Washington, D.C. Recognitions include being selected in 1993 by The Great 100 as one of the top hundred nurses in the state of North Carolina. In the same year, she was selected as Fort Braggs supervisor of the year. She deployed to Haiti with the Armys first Health Facility Assessment Team. After she co-authored a chapter on training field hospitals that was published by the U.S. Army Reserve Command surgeon in 1998, Horoho was honored Dec. 3, 2001, by Time Life Publications for her actions on Sept. 11, 2001, at the Pentagon. She was among 15 nurses selected Sept. 14, 2002, by the American Red Cross and Nursing Spectrum to receive national recognition as a Nurse Hero. In 2007, she was honored as a University of Pittsburgh Legacy Laureate. In April 2009, she was selected as the USOs Woman of the Year, and in May 2009, she became an affiliate faculty with Pacific Lutheran University School of Nursing, Tacoma, Wash.
Posted on: Fri, 22 Aug 2014 21:15:22 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015