![]() ![]() Military must find new ways to deal with medical personnel shortages Saejung, whose background is in public health and health care emergency management, just returned to the U.S. Then, she said, there is the issue of getting passports for new babies who will be traveling with their mothers to Okinawa. Being off island by 34 weeks into the pregnancy means that their spouse or other non-medical attendant won’t be there for the full period of time before delivery, which is generally 40 weeks of gestation.Įlayne Saejung, an Air Force wife who has been an advocate for families on Okinawa, said there are many questions that remain unanswered, such as concerns about pregnant women with young children, including school-aged children, who would need to follow their pregnant mother to the stateside location “or rely on an operational active duty member with irregular work hours.” “This may result in time away from family members, and recovery in a hotel type setting,” Russell acknowledged in the memo. The memo states the travelers are required to keep their receipts.Ī “non-medical attendant,” such as the spouse, is authorized, but not until four weeks before the delivery, the memo stated. And while lodging at government expense is authorized, it’s not clear whether women would be given an advance. military treatment facility, but information was not immediately available about whether they would have a choice of a facility that might be close to family, or whether a civilian hospital in the U.S. The memo states the women will be referred to a continental U.S. “As mothers, our hearts are broken that women are being put in this situation: to choose whether to give birth away from their home or to give birth out in town, where access to care is not a right, and can absolutely be denied.”Īdvocates describe the alternative as a “logistical nightmare.” If women choose to have their babies delivered stateside, the must get a referral from their health care provider no later than 28 weeks into their pregnancy and must by off the island six weeks later, at 34 weeks, or at 7½ months. “Every individual I have spoken to has expressed extreme concern and anger,” she said. She asked that her last name not be used. “Right now, spouses in the community are completely shocked,” said Rachel, an Air Force wife who is one of a group of advocates for dependent health care at Kadena. It was not immediately clear whether it applies to active duty women. The staffing shortage is expected to be resolved by the end of the year, he stated.Īvailable information indicates this affects women at Kadena, but not elsewhere on Okinawa. Russell, chief of the medical staff at Kadena’s 18th Medical Group. Women at Kadena whose estimated due date is from August through November are being given a choice: Either go to a Japanese medical facility or be placed in a “Stork Nesting” program in which they’ll be flown to a location in the continental United States, according to a June 7 memorandum signed by Air Force Lt. Naval Hospital Okinawa, the only full-servce medical center on the island, due to a staffing shortage. Pregnant women at Kadena Air Base in Japan are being notified they won’t be able to deliver their babies at U.S. ![]()
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