On September 11th, SDYC Service Member and head of the Naval Medical Center San Diego (aka Balboa Naval Hospital), Rear Admiral Forrest Faison provided a co-ed audience with a presentation that was both informative and inspirational. We learned how many more lives are being saved with new innovations and new procedures in the world of military medicine.
RADM Faison explained the significance of “the golden hour” and now “the platinum fifteen minutes” in caring for our wounded. It used to be that if a patient received treatment within an hour, the outcome would be far better. Today, our military medical teams have moved to the battlefield to get treatment to our troops in 15 minutes or less. And even better outcomes are happening for our wounded as a result. An astounding 98% of wounded treated within “the platinum fifteen minutes” survive.
RADM Faison shared how our wounded are treated quickly, stabilized and moved to ever more sophisticated treatment facilities, transported all the way back to the States within days of their injuries. Other advances at Balboa have been made in supportive treatment facilities, including specialized barracks at the hospital, rehab and workout equipment, even computerized gait analysis and prosthetic fabrication on site.
And, because Balboa Naval Hospital is treating the whole patient, education programs, including 8 Colleges are available in their residence facility; field trips are scheduled to integrate the patients with the outside world; and the hospital is making it easier for family members to stay at the hospital or nearby.
Our wounded warriors are in good hands at Balboa, and RADM Faison is energetically leading a fine team of medical professionals. We greatly appreciate his time with us on September 11th.
We were also delighted to have a number of men in attendance for this important presentation. Commodore Clark, always a good sport, was very helpful in pulling the winning raffle tickets. He thanked the women for including the men, and hoped we might invite them again in the future.