ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

New military parents could benefit from more accessible mental health care during pregnancy and postpartum, according to a study from the JAMA Network.

“Pregnancy and the postpartum period are particularly risky times for parents’ mental health,” the study found. “Despite higher risk, parents’ use of mental health services is low,” and service members face “increased risk of mental health difficulties and [underuse] mental health services absent parenthood.”

The Army needs soldiers who are physically and spiritually healthy to perform the demanding missions required of them, said retired Maj. Gen. Tom Solhjem, the former Army chief of chaplains.

In a Nov. 13 Noon Report webinar hosted by the Association of the U.S. Army, Solhjem said readiness has “both a very deeply spiritual component … and a very physical component. We’ve got to have people to do what the nation needs them to do.”

An upcoming Association of the U.S. Army webinar will focus on the importance of healthy minds and bodies while serving in the Army.

The webinar, part of AUSA’s Noon Report series, is titled “Strengthening the Army Profession Through Healthy Minds and Bodies.” It will feature retired Maj. Gen. Tom Solhjem, the former Army chief of chaplains, and renowned chef Daniel Thomas.

Military caregivers need more tailored support that reflects their needs, according to a new Rand Corp. report.

“We call [caregivers] hidden heroes,” Rajeev Ramchand, co-director of the Rand Epstein Family Veterans Policy Research Institute, said during the Elizabeth Dole Foundation’s National Convening on Military Caregiving on Sept. 24. “We call them this because we truly believe that they're really the backbone of our national security, but oftentimes their service is hidden, unrecognized and undervalued.”

Defense Department leaders are focused on improving medical readiness and access to care in the Military Health System, the assistant secretary of defense for health affairs said.

“The [Defense Health Agency] is a new enterprise, … so we are in [a] growing stage,” Dr. Lester Martinez-Lopez said July 30 during an Association of the U.S. Army Noon Report webinar. “There are a lot of negotiations between the services and Defense Health Agency to make sure that … we're going to deliver the right care to every service member that is wounded or injured.”

An Association of the U.S. Army Book Program title has won a 2023 Army Historical Foundation Distinguished Writing Award in its category.

Bipolar General: My Forever War with Mental Illness by retired Maj. Gen. Gregg Martin is recognized in the book category under Journals, Memoirs and Letters.

The Army Historical Foundation awards recognize “excellence in U.S. Army history writing.” The 2023 awards honor books and articles published in 2023.

“Brain exercise” could improve soldiers’ physical well-being and help them perform better under stress or while fatigued, according to researchers at the Army Medical Research and Development Command’s Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. 

Department of Veterans Affairs Vet Centers are essential to ensuring service members, veterans and military families can access counseling and other social and psychological services, but the centers need improvement, a panel of experts said at a recent hearing before the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. 

Service members need more protection against low-level blast exposure and its potential impact on the brain, a panel of experts testified before the Senate Armed Services subcommittee on personnel.

“Exposure to blast[s] ... can occur both in combat and in training,” Samantha McBirney, a biomedical engineer with the Rand Corp., testified during the Feb. 28 hearing. “Studies have shown that the cumulative effect of repeated low-level blast exposure can cause symptoms similar to traumatic brain injury.”