bliss NOW
see what’s happening this month: celebrations | letters to santa | holiday giveaway @blissmwr
DECEMBER 2023 | WWW.BLISS.ARMYMWR.COM DECEMBER | 2023
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CONTENTS 16
Pages full of absolute fun and endless POSSIBILITIES!
VOLUME NINETEEN | ISSUE TEN
DECEMBER 2023
blissNOW
BY FAMILY & MWR MARKETING
one world one voice one magazine
one great staff Marketing & Special Events Manager Marlo Brestar
Editor/Writer
Natalie Hinojos-Tomeny
Marketing Assistant Bethany Lewis
Graphic Designer Raymond Sanchez
Sponsorship & Advertising Coordinator Coral Musy
Advertising Assistant SCAN FOR DETAILS
Jonathan Hermosilla
Training Coordinator Sybille Bookout
INSIDE
Office Manager
Army Community Service (ACS) is here for you! They have a variety of programs for Soldiers and their Families to utilize from financial resources to family support. Scan QR code to learn more about ACS.
in this
issue:
5 6 8
Martina Grise
Special Events Coordinators Lora Diem Edward Arriola
Get your free copy of blissNOW magazine mailed directly to you. Email your name and address to:
DECEMBER EVENTS DECEMBER HIGHLIGHTS THE BLISS BUZZ
blissnowmagazine@gmail.com
11 13 15
THE MEDICAL SIDE OF EFMP FORT BLISS MAPS FORT BLISS MWR PHONE DIRECTORY
BlissNOW is a Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation magazine published monthly for activities on Fort Bliss, Texas. BlissNOW is mailed to all Fort Bliss homes inserted in welcome packets, and distributed to all Family and MWR facilities, along with the Fort Bliss Commissary, Post Exchange at Freedom Crossing, IHG Army Hotels Fort Bliss and the Personnel Processing Center. Circulation: 10,000 monthy. The appearance of advertising does not constitute an endorsement by the U.S. Army, Department of Defense or federal government. The information in this issue is current at the time of publication; activities and events are subject to change without notice. Downloading of any social media apps is on a voluntary basis. DFMWR is not responsible for any negative consequences resulting in its use. For more information, call the individual facilities. Family and MWR Marketing is located in Building 12 Pershing Road Fort Bliss, TX 79916 and may be reached at 915-568-6741.
EVENTS THIS DECEMBER 2 2 2-3 3&10 4-15 4-7 8 9 9
Claus & Paws
9am | Freedom Crossing
Kris Kringle Fest
12-4pm | Art & Hobby Marshall Park
Kids Day on the Wall
12-6pm | Soldier Activity Center
Breakfast with Santa
8:30am-12pm | Rod & Gun Club
Excess Equipment Sales 9am-4pm | Online Auction
Photos with Santa
Time varies | Pershing Pub
Holiday Tree Lighting Celebration
5-9pm | Center Chapel One
Jingle Dash
9-11:30am | Youth Sports Plex
Zumba under the Stars
6-7:15pm | Soto PFC
9 9 10 16 16 16 16 19 22
MYC Winter Dance
5-10pm | Centennial
Holiday Balloon Sale
8am-5pm | Underwood Golf Complex
Laser Tag
3-6pm | Biggs Park
Christmas Ham Shootout
7:30am-12:30pm | Underwood Golf Complex
9:30am-12pm | Fort Bliss National Cemetery
11:15am-6pm | Soldier Activity Center
1-3pm | Soldier Activity Center
Wreath Across America Wine Tour
High Ropes
Know your limits Holiday Edition 10am-3pm | Rod & Gun Club
EFMP: Pictures with Santa
3-5pm | EFMP
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DECEMBER | 2023
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DECEMBER HIGHLIGHTS CHRISTMAS PIES
Pre-order your Christmas Pie! Pre-orders will open from DEC. 1 to 17 and can be made in person or over the phone. The cost is $15 per pie. The pie flavors are pecan, sweet potato, apple and cherry. Pick-up will be Dec. 22 to 24 during hours of operation at Rod & Gun Club. Payments must be done in advance. For more information, call 915-568-5026.
CLAUS & PAWS 5K FUN RUN
Join Fort Bliss Sports, Fitness and Aquatics for Claus & Paws 5K fun run, SATURDAY, DEC. 2 at Freedom Crossing! Enjoy a fun morning with your best fur bud! The run starts at 9 a.m., registration is $25 for adults and $15 for children. Packet pickup and late registration will be at Freedom Crossing, Nov. 30 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. and Dec. 1 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. For more information, call 915-744-5785.
KRIS KRINGLE FEST
Join Art & Hobby for Kris Kringle Fest from 12 to 4 p.m., SATURDAY, DEC. 2 at Art & Hobby Marshall Park! This is a European style holiday market with vendors, music, food trucks, arts and crafts, mulled wine and a kid friendly holiday beverage! For more information, call 915-568-5563.
** Events subject to change without notice. Info: bliss.armymwr.com or facebook.com/blissmwr** page 6
blissNOW
DECEMBER | 2023
www.bliss.armymwr.com
DECEMBER HIGHLIGHTS BREAKFAST WITH SANTA
Enjoy a delicious breakfast buffet and take free photos with Santa SUNDAYS, DEC. 3 and DEC. 10! Children will receive a small gift. Breakfast will be from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Rod and Gun Club. The cost is $17.95 for adults, $8.95 for children ages 5-10 and children 4 and younger can eat free! Reservations are required. To make reservations or for more information, call 915-568-5026.
CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTING & CELEBRATION
Come out to a Holiday cheer event FRIDAY, DEC. 8 from 5 to 9 p.m. at Center Chapel One, 315 Pershing Road. This is a free event for all to enjoy! There will be a ceremonial tree lighting to kick off the celebration, then join the Prance 4 Recycling fun run hosted by the Fort Bliss Qualified Recycling Program (QRP)! During all the fun, drink hot cocoa, play in the snow and more! For more information, call 915-588-8247.
JINGLE DASH
Join Youth Sports in this year’s Jingle Dash 5K/1 Mile race SATURDAY, DEC. 9! Holiday Cheer colors are encouraged! Come dressed in red, white or green to show your spirit. The run will be at Youth Sports Plex from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Registration is required and can be done at the Youth Sports Plex. Parents are $5 (flat fee) and Youth is $5 or donate three nonperishable can food items. For more information, call 915-568-2617.
** Events subject to change without notice. Info: bliss.armymwr.com or facebook.com/blissmwr** @blissmwr
DECEMBER | 2023
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RESETTING GOALS FOR THE NEW YEAR BY NATALIE HINOJOS-TOMENY FORT BLISS MWR MARKETING
Another year has flown by so quick! It is a new year and for most people, they are resetting goals to better themselves. Whether it’s healthy lifestyles, fashion trends or mentally preparing for the new year, exciting things are always happening at Fort Bliss. Take the time to find yourself, spend time with family and see what possibilities lay ahead. Fort Bliss MWR has everything you need to prepare yourself and your family for the new year with amazing events and programs! If you like getting in to a new healthy lifestyle in the fitness aspect, visit any one of the 8 gyms at Fort Bliss! Yes, 8 gyms are on post and free to utilize for all DoD ID cardholders. You will find various fitness classes ran by Fort Bliss Fitness instructors who are here to help you set your goals. For some Fort Bliss employees, it’s hard to attend classes before or after work, why not take advantage of the Civilian Employee Fitness Program? This is a 6-month free program managed by Mission Essential Fitness (MEF),
that will push you to your limits! If you’re stressed and need a way to calm your mind, visit the Art & Hobby Shop, where you can find your creativity, help release stress and build works of art. For all novice artists, it’s fun to learn something new! Outdoor Recreation has a variety of programs and trips to jump into from rock climbing to mountain bike brewery tours throughout the year, reserve your spot to join the fun! Single Soldiers it’s time to break away from the barracks and participate in all the cool activities, trips and programs that the Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers (BOSS) program has to offer! Spend time with your Family and plan on participating in all the fun events held this upcoming year! To find out about all MWR events and activities, visit bliss.armymwr.com. There’s so many things happening at Fort Bliss, it’s time to take advantage and make the most of your year worth exploring!
Take time to find yourself, spend time with family and see what possibilities lay ahead.
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blissNOW
DECEMBER | 2023
www.bliss.armymwr.com
B VOTE D
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ENTIST S TD IN S E
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HOLIDAY GIVEAWAYS!
November 27 - December 15 Follow us on Facebook @BlissMWR to participate! Info: Scan QR Code or call 915-568-2554/6078.
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INTRODUCING the medical side of EFMP BY HENRY K RANCE, M.D.
WILLIAM BEAUMONT ARMY MEDICAL CENTER (WBAMC)
The Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP) is a congressional mandated program that ensures required dependent medical and educational services are available at a sponsor’s gaining duty station. While there are multiple reasons a Family member may be enrolled, generally it is directly related to the Family members specialized care needs, per Department of Defense Instruction 1315.19. William Beaumont Army Medical Center (WBAMC) focuses on the medical portion of the program, and houses a special unit and office at the Hugo V. Mendoza Family Medical Clinic on Fort Bliss. TRICARE beneficiaries and their Primary Care Providers (PCP) are responsible for identifying potential EFMP enrollable conditions and communicating required care needs to the WBAMC EFMP office through the DoD standard medical and education summary forms (DD 2792/DD 2792-1). In limited circumstances such as overseas Family Member Travel Screening (FMTS), the WBAMC EFMP office assists in identifying enrollable conditions. Once care summaries are received in the WBAMC EFMP office, the WBAMC EFMP staff validates the administrative and medical accuracy of the summary forms before submitting them to the regional Medical Readiness Command (MRC) office for an enrollment decision. All enrollment decisions are made by the regional MRC office; the WBAMC EFMP office only provides potential enrollment recommendations and identification. In addition to validating summary forms, the WBAMC EFMP office completes the FMTS documented on the DA 5888. Within the Fort Bliss and El Paso community, the WBAMC EFMP medical teams are the only individuals authorized to complete DA 5888 for overseas command sponsored Family travel. Primary care providers may and often do make travel recommendations; however, a service member’s gaining duty station is solely responsible for approving or denying Family travel and make decisions based on their boots-on-the-ground expertise of their healthcare market. Another process that is often confused with Family travel is compassionate reassignment. @blissmwr
Compassionate reassignments are not covered under the EFMP regulations, falling under AR 614-200 instead. While there are many reasons why a compassionate reassignment might be requested, they are always requested through the Human Resources Command (HRC). When requesting a compassionate reassignment for medical reasons, service members may be required to demonstrate enrollment in EFMP. Due to the sensitive nature of compassionate request, EFMP expedites the processing of enrollments relayed to a compassionate reassignment request. Beyond expeditious EFMP enrollment, WBAMC EFMP is not involved in the compassionate reassignment process. In August 2022, there were major changes to how EFMP paperwork is processed transitioning from an almost entirely paper process to now an entirely electronic process utilizing Enterprise EFMP (E-EFMP). E-EFMP allows sponsors more control to monitor and track their enrollments, updates, disenrollments, and FMTS. All previous forms such as the DD 2792, DA 5888, and DD 7246 still exist; however, they are now in an electronic format imbedded through the electronic E-EFMP process and the WBAMC EFMP office has no capability to process non-electronic forms. The William Beaumont Army Medical Center (WBAMC) EFMP staff are here to facilitate all EFMP enrollment and screening processes as efficiently as possible to make EFMP enrollment and screening less challenging. If service members need assistance with an EFMP medical actibon (enrollment, renewal, update, disenrollment) or FMTS, the WBAMC EFMP office is available Monday through Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. for in-person walkin appointments on the second floor of the Mendoza clinic. The EFMP office can also be reached daily by telephone at 915-742-3715 and email at usarmy. bliss.medcom-wbamc.mbx. efmp@health.mil. If a service member or Family member is unable to reach the team, then it is encouraged for them to leave a message, as the team will contact them within 72 hours. Exceptional Family Member Program
DECEMBER | 2023
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@blissmwr
DECEMBER | 2023
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blissNOW
DECEMBER | 2023
www.bliss.armymwr.com
@blissmwr
DECEMBER | 2023
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bliss NOW MWR Marketing Bldg. 12, Pershing Rd. Fort Bliss, TX 79916
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