News

78th Med Group ensures readiness

  • Published
  • By Faye Banks-Anderson
  • 78th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. --  The 78th Medical Group and base senior leaders have recently pushed a bit harder to ensure as many Robins warfighters as possible are Medically Mobility Ready.

While the group is conducting more mass immunization lines for Airmen, senior leaders are making sure Airmen who need them get their required shots.

Earlier this month, 72 percent of Robins warfighters were MMR. Following mass immunizations Feb. 8-9, 78.9 percent of Robins warfighters were MMR. The Air Force goal is 80 percent Airmen who are MMR.

To help push Robins' percentage of MMR Airmen even higher, the group and senior leaders are also focusing attention on the nearly eight percent of active duty members listed as Medically Mobility Capable, or those who are medically capable of deploying but overdue on individual requirements which can easily be corrected. This includes those who simply need to accomplish a Preventive Health Assessment or have a dental exam, explained Capt. Catishia Mosley, Public Health Flight officer.

"Our percentage of MMR Airmen could climb as high as 87 percent* merely by lowering our number of our MMC Airmen," said Mosley.

Additionally, the group and senior leaders are taking a close look at the number of Airmen here who've been vaccinated against the H1N1 virus.

To date only 71 percent of Robins Airmen have received the mandatory immunization, and starting Monday only those who have received the vaccination will be MMR.

"It's obvious we still have some work to do to make sure as many of our Airmen as possible are ready," said Mosley.

"It is important that leaders at every level take responsibility for and emphasize the importance of Airman readiness," added Col. Carl Buhler, installation commander. "That includes having Airmen who are medically ready to deploy."

*The remaining 13 percent of Robins Airmen are Medically Mobility Limited, or considered 'not worldwide qualified' or 'not deployable.' These include Airmen, for example, who are on temporary profiles because of broken bones and those who are pregnant.