03-27-2015 The Patriot (Joint Base Charleston)

Page 1

Joint Base Charleston, S.C.

Vol. 6, No. 12

Patriot Team Charleston – One Family, One Mission, One Fight!

Friday, March 27, 2015

Navy’s top producing dermatologist calls NHCC home U.S. Air Force photo / Senior Airman Jared Trimarchi

Navy Capt. George Butler looks at slides on his microscope in his office March 12, 2015 at the Naval Health Clinic Charleston, S.C. Since Fiscal Year 2012, Butler has been the Navy's top producing dermatologist. Butler is the staff dermatologist at NHCC.

By Trisha Gallaway Joint Base Charleston Public Affairs

The Naval Health Clinic Charleston's dermatology clinic is home to the Navy's top producing dermatologist. It's almost destiny that Capt. George Butler, NHCC's staff dermatologist was commissioned as an officer in the Navy and became a doctor. He has two brothers who are retired Navy officers and three sisters who are nurses. Additionally, his son is a freshman at the U.S. Naval Academy. To say service and medicine is the family business would be an understatement. At any given time, the Navy has between 30 to 35 dermatologists world-wide. Both military and civilian medical practitioners use a metric grading system called the relative value unit. According to Joseph Miller, NHCC data quality manager, "Relative Value Units are the data points that the Military Health System has decided to use in evaluating provider productivity. It originates with the Medical Group Management Association, a civilian organization that monitors practice patterns and production in the civilian community. At the end of the fiscal year, the Navy calculates all of the dermatologists’ RVUs and then ranks them from highest to lowest. Since 2012, Butler has been ranked number one. "Capt. Butler has been the number one RVU producing dermatologist in the U.S. Navy every year since FY 2012," Miller said. However, for Butler it's about helping the people he treats on a daily basis, not about being the Navy's top dermatologist and having the most RVU's. "We get people in with very common things, disfiguring conditions; acne scaring, etc. As mundane as acne is, some people don't realize how gratifying it can be to improve selfesteem by improving the way they appear, not to mention

their overall health," he said. "Then of course, on the other side of that, there are those with very dangerous diseases like melanoma. They come in for a routine screening and find an early melanoma that can save their lives. They are very grateful for that." Butler routinely participates in Grand Rounds at the Medical University of South Carolina in downtown Charleston. "For those more difficult [cases] we'll arrange for those patients from the Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard to be presented , [here] they have a number of dermatologists looking at the patients, giving opinions and discussing how to proceed with the work up on treating patients," said Butler. On any given day, Butler will see between 15 to 25 patients, depending upon the severity of each case. "If you are removing a large melanoma, it could take two hours or, if you are taking care of someone's acne, that could take 15 minutes." Butler also has to factor in the time for other procedures such as freezing warts, surgical removal of skin cancers and laser procedures for both cosmetic and medical conditions. At NHCC he is authorized to do other cosmetic procedures. "The Department of Defense allows military dermatologists, plastic surgeons and Ear Nose and Throat specialists to maintain proficiency with some of the skills they ask us to maintain in the civilian community," he said. "So that would be like Botox, which is the most common, some cosmetic laser treatments to improve people's appearance as well as acne scars." According to Butler, the success of the dermatology department at NHCC is a direct result of the clinic's leadership. "One notable thing, in terms of being productive, the command is very supportive of how they can make us more productive and what they can do to make things run more smoothly," he said. "That gives you enough people so that

while you finish with one person, someone else is getting another [patient] prepped. If I'm performing multiple surgeries, I can bounce over to another technician who is preparing [a patient] for surgery." Butler has served in the Navy for nearly 27 years but he hasn't always been a doctor. Upon graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1984, he completed nuclear power training and became a line officer aboard submarines. Butler began his medical training in 2002 and has spent 10 of his last 13 years as a dermatologist here in Charleston. Butler attended the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences medical school, which is a federal medical school located in Bethesda, Md. "I didn't find out till later in the process when I was applying for medical schools but half of the people that go to USUHS medical school have prior military service," said Butler. It wasn't until a rotation in dermatology during medical school that he found his calling. "I found that I like the combination of clinical medicine, minor surgery and laser treatments," Butler said. "Additionally, dermatology allowed me to see a wide range of patients from pediatrics to senior citizens, which I enjoyed." When 2015 comes to a close, so will Butler's Navy career. Even though he plans to retire, he still finds what he does challenging and humbling. "Medicine is challenge, I like that," he said. "I like continuing to serve. I've been in the military a long time; it's a patriotic thing, taking care of people who have sacrificed a lot. It's humbling because [dermatology] can be very difficult. There are a lot of instances where you have to pull books out and try to diagnose a condition that you may have never seen before. [This job is] very one-to-one and you have to be able to relate to senior officers as well as a dependent wife who is 19 years old."

437 AMXS captain awarded AMC’s General Lew Allen Jr., Trophy

By Trisha Gallaway Joint Base Charleston Public Affairs Office

INSIDE

A member of the 437th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at Joint Base Charleston, S.C., was recently awarded Air Mobility Command's General Lew Allen Jr., Trophy. Captain Robert Cross, 437 AMXS Gold AMU officer in charge received the trophy that recognizes the most outstanding base-level officer directly involved in aircraft sortie generation. The award criteria is based on sustained job performance, job knowledge, job efficiency and results. Cross managed more than 700 Airmen and civilians across seven different Air Force Specialty Codes and drove maintenance support for 1,600 C-17 Globemaster III launches from JB Charleston. He was key to the wing's 94 percent Logistics Departure Reliability Rate and integral to the Wing earning the 2013 Meritorious Unit Award.

Religious freedom and accommodation

WORKPLACE

Page 2

Cross was also the maintenance group's point-man for the 2014 Large Formation Exercise. He led the generation of 18 C-17s and executed a flawless launch of a C-17 nine-ship that facilitated 652 wing training events. In an effort to enhance the total force integration mobility network, Cross led the transfer of two C-17s from JB Charleston to the Memphis Air National Guard in Memphis, Tenn., and oversaw the aircraft preparation and repair actions. While deployed to Al Udeid Air Base, he managed 4,000 maintenance actions on more than 50 deployed C-17s. This led to AUAB having a 91.1 percent Mission Capable Rate, which was more than 3.1 percent higher than the AMC standard. Cross also led 23 Maintenance Recovery Team efforts. He forward deployed 25 technicians and 125 equipment items to six forward operating locations; ensuring that 10 key C-17's were returned to the fleet in a timely manner. During another deployment he volunteered at the NATO

Historic fighter pilot encourages girls

FEMALE FIGHTER Page 3

Wounded warriors take on the Citadel

SOFTBALL

Page 6

Role-3 Hospital located at Khandahar Air Field. While there, he provided care and comfort to injured warfighters; the hospital has a 98 percent wounded warrior survival rate. Lastly, Cross is active within the local community where he volunteers as a chaplain assistant, as a firefighter and first responder. "Winning this award is a reflection of his outstanding maintenance leadership accomplishments while deployed and here at home station," said Lt. Col. Adam DiGerolamo, 437th AMXS commander. "Given the number of talented maintenance officers throughout AMC, for Capt. Cross to have been recognized at that level is truly an honor for him and validation of how well the squadron maintenance effort runs day-to-day under his leadership. We are very proud to have Capt. Cross as part of the squadron's leadership team and are confident that he will continue to perform at high levels for years to come."

WEEKEND WEATHER UPDATE for Joint Base Charleston, SC Rain/ Thunder Friday, Mar. 27

(70% precip)

High 66º Low 41º

Mostly Sunny

Saturday, Mar. 28

(0% precip)

High 58º Low 37º

See Joint Base Charleston on Facebook! - Follow Discussions, Connect With Your Base! CYAN-AOOO

MAGENTA-OAOO

YELLOW-OOAO

BLACK 01/29/08

Sunny Sunday, Mar. 29

(0% precip)

High 60º Low 43º


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.