Category Archives: medical

“Alaska’s top Coast Guard official warns of rising medevac cases as he leaves command” –Anchorage Daily News

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Crews assigned to Coast Guard Air Station Sitka, the Coast Guard cutter Douglas Denman, Sitka Mountain Rescue and the Sitka Fire Department participate in the first day of a weeklong search and rescue exercise in Sitka, Alaska, May 9, 2023.

The Anchorage Daily News reports,

“… as Rear Adm. Megan Dean takes command, Moore said, his service is facing new challenges in the state, and one of the biggest is a growing — and possibly unprecedented — demand for emergency medevac flights.”

It’s a surprisingly detailed report on a change in workload and the reasons behind it.

Thanks to Paul for bringing this to my attention.

MEDICAL DOCUMENTATION OF ASBESTOS AND LEAD EXPOSURES ON COAST GUARD CUTTERS CONSTRUCTED PRIOR TO 1991

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The Coast Guard is directing the documentation of possible exposure to asbestos and lead on ships that were built before 1991, which of course means most of them.

HEALTH, SAFETY AND WORK-LIFE SERVICE CENTER TECHNICAL DIRECTIVE 2017-009, HSWLSCTD 2017-009 14 December 2017

This TD applies to all Coast Guard members currently and previously assigned to CG cutters that were constructed prior to 1991. Documentation is for the purpose of identifying potential exposure to low levels of asbestos and lead below the Medical Surveillance Action Level (MSAL) required for enrollment into OMSEP. Medical documentation of these exposures may facilitate the processing of future Veterans Administration disability claims.

This is primarily aimed at active duty personnel, but an entry on the Coast Guard Retired Facebook page indicates an intention to also document possible exposure of those no longer on active duty.