ARMY AL&T


Our wounded warriors benefi t by the proliferation of JTMN and continue to receive improved care at all echelons, in and out of Afghanistan.


deteriorated and we had to move to an interim satellite to keep the network running while we arranged getting on another satellite for a long-term solution.”


Thanks to the team’s ability to react calmly and work together to overcome these obstacles, deployed medical per- sonnel now can transmit 250-megabit digital X-ray or CT scan images within about 5 minutes via JTMN. “This allows radiologists to view the images before the patient arrives at the medi- cal treatment facility,” said Patton, “and enables the medical team to provide more effective care during the ‘golden hour’”—the time period from a few minutes to an hour following traumatic injury, during which there is the highest likelihood that prompt medical treat- ment will prevent death. “Having the images at the medical treatment facil- ity before the wounded Soldier arrives allows the medical team to proactively


have a game plan when the wounded Soldier arrives,” added Morrison.


According to Bridon, another benefit is that JTMN’s video teleconferencing (VTC) capability allows remote tele- consultation with medical specialists at other locations—in theater, Germany, or back in CONUS. Morrison added that, in addition to enabling telecon- sulation, JTMN’s VTC allows distance learning and remote training. The JTMN also allows technicians from other locations to perform remote diagnostic maintenance services on their radiological equipment. “These JTMN capabilities have reduced our need to put people at risk by having to send them out on the roads to do maintenance or to get training,” Morrison said.


Morrison and Bridon both appreciate that JTMN now allows medical per- sonnel in theater to transmit electronic


medical records detailing past medical history, medications, immunization records, laboratory data, and radiology reports—even in austere regions of Iraq and Afghanistan where the telecom- munications infrastructure is not well developed. “JTMN also allows us to do automated ordering of Class VIII medical supplies [medicines, medical equipment, and dressings] using Web- based tools,” said Morrison.


A Team Effort The process of implementing JTMN was “a roller-coaster ride,” Patton said. “Some teams implode when there’s all that pressure to overcome so many obstacles, but we kept it all together. Life threw us some curveballs, but we adjusted and improvised.” Added Hamilton, “Our team was just a per- fect team. Everyone had a role and they were all intertwined and just clicked.”


Bridon said that when he and the Task Force 30 MEDCOM team arrived in Afghanistan in May 2009, JTMN was up and transmitting at only three sites in Afghanistan. Over the follow- ing 6 months, he and his team worked to triple the number of JTMN sites— despite very difficult and dangerous conditions in theater—and have many more sites in various stages of imple- mentation and planning.


“Our wounded warriors benefit by the proliferation of JTMN and continue to receive improved care at all echelons, in and out of Afghanistan. All of that gain makes the long hours, grueling travel, and high stress worth it. Our brothers- and sisters-in-arms deserve it,” concluded Bridon.


CPT John Lavoie (left) and SGT David Leach, Task Force 30 MEDCOM, pose proudly next to one of the JTMN VSATs in Afghanistan. (U.S. Army photo.)


STEPHEN LARSEN is the PEO EIS Public Affairs Offi cer at Fort Monmouth. He holds a B.A. in American studies from the College of Staten Island of the City University of New York and has more than 20 years’ experience writing about Army systems.


APRIL –JUNE 2010 53


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