Traveller Health Care Guide

Kenner Army Health Clinic

Health Care Guide FALL 2011 As part of our effort to bring value and inspire trust, we are making public our commitment and pledge through our Army Medicine Health-care Covenant to deliver maximized physical and behavioral health promotion, improved quality outcome-focused care and services, improved access and continuity of care to create a culture of trust. We are dedicated to providing the highest-quality health care, support during the healing process, assistance in returning to duty or making the transition to civilian life, and a healing environment that focuses on mind, body and spirit. Our team is the strength of Army Medicine, making us Army Strong!

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&200$1'(5·6 :(/&20( It is my pleasure to share with you our annual fall supplement to the Fort Lee Traveller – our Health Care Guide. This supplement provides us an opportunity to share with you the latest activities and initiatives at Kenner Army Health Clinic, focused on enhancing a “Culture of Trust” and strengthening bonds with the Soldiers and Families we serve.

We remain committed to delivering improved access and continuity of care. Continuity of care is measured in terms of how well we do at getting you in to see your assigned Primary Care Manager (PCM) – which helps develop a consistent relationship (and partnership) between you and your healthcare provider. We are equally committed to promoting the physical and behavioral health of our beneficiaries through programs and initiatives in preventive care.

One of the most basic preventive actions we all know is to get our seasonal influenza vaccination (flu shot). At Kenner AHC, we are focused on providing our beneficiaries with preventive screenings and high-quality disease management within areas such as asthma control, diabetes screening and management, and cancer screening exams. I cannot emphasize enough the benefits of preventive care such as mammograms and colonoscopies and the importance of good control of chronic diseases such as asthma and diabetes.

Following visits to our facility, surveys are randomly sent out (Army Provider-Level Satisfaction Survey (APLSS)) that will ask for feedback about your satisfaction with various aspects of your visit – from phone service, wait times, and comfort of the facility to your satisfaction with your provider, the courtesy and helpfulness of staff, and our ancillary services (lab, pharmacy, x-ray). Our goal is to make every visit to Kenner AHC a positive and memorable experience – and I want to hear from you about how we are doing.

The past year has brought significant new growth and missions to our community. We have also experienced growth and expansion at Kenner AHC with projects to renovate and expand many high volume service areas including our laboratory and radiology suites and a new 2nd floor addition to consolidate our patient administration, case management, referral management, and beneficiary services. Most recently, we were proud to open the doors to a new, state-of-the-art, consolidated Troop Medical Clinic (TMC) to support trainees on the Ordnance School campus. As we look to the future, I see further opportunities to promote the health and partnership with our patients with initiatives such as a Medical Management Center (MMC) and implementation of the Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH).

My command team and I want Kenner AHC to be your medical home. I hope you enjoy our Fall Healthcare Supplement and articles and information submitted by our staff.

“Healing Warriors!”

COL Joseph Pina Commander, Kenner Army Health Clinic Fort Lee, VA

Publisher Laura Baxter Editorial Content Tereasa Wade

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MILITARY NEWSPAPERS OF VIRGINIA

Photos Kenner Army Air Clinic Creative Director Tricia Lieurance

Graphic Designer Susan Cofer

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Military Newspaper of Virginia is a private firm in no way connected to the Department of Defense or United States Coast Guard.

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By CPT Carl L. Shaw, Jr. Chief, Managed Care Division, Kenner Army Health Clinic Providing 24/7 access to high quality healthcare is Kenner Army Health Clinic’s commitment to you. The majority of Kenner’s departments are open from 7:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Monday through Friday, except the Active Duty Clinic which is open from 5:45 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Monday through Friday. Patients are provided 24/7 access to medical services by booking Kenner appointments during duty hours, obtaining referrals to urgent care, and accessing local emergency rooms when necessary.

Booking an appointment within Kenner during duty hours can be done one of two ways: Using TRICARE Online (TOL), available 24 hours a day is the most convenient and easiest way to book an appointment. Register with TOL and benefit by using a secure web portal to make medical appointments, cancel appointments, review medical claims, order prescriptions refills, and make enrollment changes from most internet connected computer systems.

TOL’s newest feature is TOL Booking Appointment for Minors (TBAM). TBAM allows authorized adult family members to schedule, view, and cancel appointments on behalf of other adult family members (who have granted access) and minor children (under the age of 18). The second way to book an appointment at Kenner is by calling the Patient Appointment Line at 1-866-LEE-KAHC (533-5242) during the hours of 0600 to 1900, Monday through Friday.

Sometimes non-emergent medical services are needed when Kenner is not available. If an appointment is not available during duty hours, you must contact your Primary Care Manager (PCM) or the Admin Officer of the Day (AOD) after duty hours to obtain a referral for Urgent Care.

Your PCM and the AOD may both be contacted at 804-734-9000.

Sometime emergencies arise and require emergency room treatment. TRICARE defines an emergency as a medical, maternity or psychiatric condition that would lead a “prudent layperson” (someone with an average knowledge of health and medicine) to believe that a serious medical condition existed, or the absence of medical attention would result in a threat to his or her life, limb or sight and requires immediate medical treatment or which has painful symptoms requiring immediate attention to relieve suffering.

In the event of an emergency, please go to the nearest emergency room. Emergency room visits are covered under your TRICARE benefit and do not require an authorization or referral.

As you can see there are many ways to access care, choose the one that best suite you and your situation. Kenner is always here to serve you and your families’ healthcare needs!

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Kenner Army Health Clinic is undergoing a health care delivery system change. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the called the Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH).

A Patient Centered Medical Home is a new model of healthcare being adopted across Military Healthcare System and numerous civilian healthcare systems. Kenner Army Health Clinic has been working on the transformation for the past year. Increased stafďŹ ng, policy changes, and a cloud based patient appointment call center just to name a few.

The Army Surgeon General, LTG Schoover, issued the order (OPORD 11-20) February 2011 for all the AMEDD to adopt the PCMH as their patient service platform.

PCMH is a proven model of longitudinal healthcare delivery; its core principles have been endorsed by numerous national medical organizations including the American Medical Association (AMA), American College of Physicians (ACP), American Academy of Nursing (AAN), American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) and Medical Group Manage-

ment Association (MGMA). The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) contributed to the development of the PCMH core principles and has developed a widely accepted program for recognizing practices that function as medical homes. A growing body of research indicates PCMH will result in improved access and continuity of care, higher levels of staff and patient satisfaction, better quality of care, lower healthcare costs, and improved Soldier and Family readiness.

The most important of these principles are: â&#x20AC;˘ Every patient with a primary care manager (PCM) byname, enabled by PCMH support team. â&#x20AC;˘ Standardized, consistent and continuous relationship between patient and PCMH Team â&#x20AC;˘ Care using the whole-person concept, coordinating and integrating evidence-based primary, specialty and wellness/ preventive care in comprehensive care plan process with goal of customizing care to the unique needs of each individual

patient.

The Patient Centered Medical Home is both revolutionary and old-fashioned. Each patient will partner with a team of healthcare providers â&#x20AC;&#x201C; physicians, nurses, behavioral health professionals, pharmacists, and others â&#x20AC;&#x201C; to develop a comprehensive, personal healthcare plan. That healthcare team works with each patient over time to take care of health issues as they arise, ensure delivery of prevention screening and services, manage chronic conditions, and promote a spirit of health, wellness and trust. Kenner has formed these teams in their primary care clinics and staff is underway.

Kenner will enroll and notify our patients, in the upcoming months, of their team.

At its heart, the Patient Centered Medical Home is healthcare the way it should be â&#x20AC;&#x201C; easy to access, patient-centered, team based and quality focused.

Improving Patient Safety through TeamSTEPPS

By LTC Michelle L. Munroe, AN, CNM Deputy Commander for Nursing, Kenner Army Health Clinic Patient Safety is one of the top priorities in healthcare. According to the Institute of Medicine report almost 100, 000 lives are lost annually due to medical errors. Yet, healthcare facilities across the nation have made very little improvement in medical errors over the last ten years. Team Strategies and Tools to Enhance Performance Patient Safety (TeamSTEPPS) derived from crew resource management is meant to change this statistic. Twenty ďŹ ve years of evidence from aviation has proven that this program works.

Department of Defense and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality have teamed up to develop TeamSTEPPS. TeamSTEPPS is a teamwork system designed for health care professionals. It is a powerful solution to improving patient safety by improving communication and teamwork skills. TeamSTEPPS provides higher quality, safer patient care by producing highly effective medical teams that optimize the use of information, people, and resources to achieve the best clinical out-

comes for patients, increasing team awareness and clarifying team roles and responsibilities, resolving conďŹ&#x201A;icts and improving information sharing and eliminating barriers to quality and safety. The found core values of TeamSTEPPS are leadership, situation monitoring, mutual support and communication.

The healthcare facilities that have implemented TeamSTEPPS have shown a signiďŹ cant improvement in length of stays in the Intensive Care unit, decreased time in the operating rooms and postoperative infections. As a result, healthcare outcomes have improved and lawsuits have decreased.

Implementation in a combat support hospital revealed an 83% decrease in medication/ transfusion errors and a 70% decrease in needlestick injuries/exposures. Communication errors were decreased by 65%. With these kinds of improvements, The Surgeon General for the Army, General Schoomaker has mandated implementation of TeamSTEPPS throughout the Army Medical Department. Kenner Army Health Clinic is one step ahead, we started this implementation process in December 2010 and have trained approximately 70% of our staff.

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Patient Caring Touch System Janice D. Grady, Chief, Education & Training, Kenner Army Health Clinic What exactly is the Patient Caring Touch System and what does it mean to our patients?

Well, have you ever been to a military installation and noticed how health care is delivered differently from post to post? Ever wish for a more standardized approach where you could take the best health care practices from each post in order to create the “perfect health care system”? This has been an ongoing challenge for the Army Nursing team as well, as we strive to provide the highest quality care to our warriors and their families.

The Patient Caring Touch System is an initiative that is designed primarily to achieve five goals. It will enable the nursing team to leverage their capabilities by synchronizing their efforts; thus increasing the quality of care provided to our warriors and those entrusted to our care; it sets the standards for all Army Nursing personnel, civilian and military, to guide our daily practice and the interaction with our patients, their families, and our colleagues; it by gauging and grounding Army nursing healthcare team efforts; it enables the Nursing team members to live their Core Values by placing the patient at the center of the care; it gives the Nursing team members empowerment and a voice in their individual practices with the development of care teams that will provide the patient with increasing consistency of care and enhanced communication.

For our patients, the Patient Caring Touch initiative is about taking the best of the Nursing Team qualities and focusing those talents in a standardized approach to promote patient and family centered care. Our patients are our highest priority. The Army Nursing team consists of a very diverse group of Registered Nurses, Licensed Practical Nurses, Certified Nursing Assistants, and Medics who understand that our patients deserve a caring touch.

As we roll out the Patient Caring Touch initiative over the next 7 months, we look forward to sharing with our patients’ new and exciting changes that will improve patient outcomes and increase patient satisfaction.

3$571(56+,3 IRU 3$7,(176 David Bolesh, Kenner AHC Patient Safety Manager The DoD Military Health System has joined the Department of Health & Human Services’ “Partnership for Patients” initiative. This new endeavor brings together the private sector and governmental agencies in a shared effort to make inpatient medical care safer, more reliable and less costly. The Partnership has two major goals: ➠ Keeping patients from getting injured or sicker while receiving care. ➠ Helping patients heal without complications.

The first goal, keeping patients from getting injured/ sicker, refers to preventable harm that all too often happens especially in hospitals. The initiative seeks to increase efforts to prevent accidents that injure patients and events that make them sicker. The target is that by the end of 2013, preventable hospital-acquired conditions will decrease by 40% compared to 2010.

The second goal, helping patients heal without complications, extends beyond the hospital to other healthcare facilities and the patient’s home. The initiative seeks to improve continuity and effectiveness of care during transitions be-

tween healthcare settings and thereby decrease preventable hospital readmissions. The target is that by the end of 2013 all hospital readmissions will be decreased by 20% compared to 2010.

The Military Healthcare System will build on existing patient safety and quality improvement programs by taking the following actions: • Provide resources to implement care delivery models that will make patient care safer and support efficacious patient transitions between healthcare facilities; • Develop more effective measures of quality and patient safety in order to support local efforts to improve healthcare; • Use the partnership with the private sector to seek new mechanisms to improve healthcare safety, quality and value; and • Ensure military treatment facilities within DoD implement the tools that are proven effective to attain the Partnership’s goals.

Be a Partner with your healthcare providers.

What can you, the consumer of healthcare, do to help insure you are not involved in a preventable accident or hospital acquired condition?

• Ask questions. Write down your questions and the an-

swers. You have a right to the information and to have all your healthcare questions answered.

• Provide accurate healthcare information. Keep an accurate record of your medical and surgical health history. Keep with you a list of your current medications and be sure it gets updated after each episode of healthcare.

• Ask everyone to “wash their hands.” You have the right to know every healthcare provider who comes in direct contact with you has washed his/her hands.

• Be sure it is for yours. Before you receive any medication, test or procedure be sure the staff confirms who you are.

• Check out your healthcare facility. You have a right to know you hospitals performance when it comes to infection rates and other parameters. There many sights to check such as http://www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov In order to make healthcare safer, more reliable and less costly everyone including you needs to be engaged in the effort. Without your full engagement in these initiatives the healthcare system will never be able to reach its optimal level of safety and effectiveness. For more information on “Partnership for Patients” go to: http://www.healthcare.gov/center/programs/partnership/index.html

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September 29, 2011 • HEALTH CARE • 5

LTC Kenneth R. West, D.O., Chief, Troop Medical Clinic 2, Kenner Army Health Clinic The Combined Troop Medical Clinic/Dental Clinic opened on September 1st, 2011 and the official ribbon cutting ceremony was held on September 12th, 2011. This brand new facility is 35,000 square feet and serves the medical and dental needs of approximately 3,200 Soldiers and Marines in the 59th Ordnance Training Brigade and Marine Corps Detachment who are undergoing advanced initial entry training. The clinic’s address is 300 Central Ave. (building 18036) which is at the north entrance (Temple Ave. gate) of the Ordnance campus. The 23rd Quartermaster Training Brigade, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Detachment Initial Entry Trainees on Ft. Lee proper will continue to receive care at the Troop Medical Clinic 1 and the Bull Dental Clinic.

The Troop Medical Clinic provides routine and urgent medical treatment, minor surgical procedures as well as specialty and ancillary services including physical therapy, optometry, orthopedics, behavioral health, pharmacy, laboratory, radiology, and patient administration services. Other services include oversea assignment medical screening, immunizations, physical exams, preventive medical care, and women’s health counseling and treatment services.

The Dental Clinic is a state-of-the-art facility comprised of 24 treatment rooms, each equipped with digital xray capability. Upgrades include Cone Beam computerized tomography for implant dentistry, a new endodontic microscope, prosthesis laboratory, and sterilization room. Dental services include a full range of capabilities including emergency procedures, exams, radiographs, restorations (fillings), extractions, dental hygiene, and root canal procedures.

Hours of operation are: Medical 0600-1600 Dental 0730-1630 Monday-Friday This facility will be closed on training holidays when care will be provided at TMC1 and Bull Dental Clinic.

The facility is also closed on federal holidays and weekends when on-call provider service may be accessed at (804) 734-9000.

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EARLY SCREENING SAVES LIVES! Mary Ann Crispin, RN, BSN Disease Management Clinic Welcome to the end of September and the start of another school year. What a perfect time to remember to take time for yourself and work on getting your health into gear.

Kenner Army Health Clinic is committed to promoting your health and well-being to the extent of reminding you of the importance of your basic health screenings: diabetes, cholesterol, cervical, breast, and colorectal cancer. The end of 2011 will be dedicated to working with you to schedule these tests through your primary care provider.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In honor of this very public campaign, Kenner Army Health Clinic will promote our THINK PINK campaign. Early Screening Saves Lives! As part of this campaign, we will be holding a cake cutting on 3 Oct at 1400 in the Kenner breakroom. On 5 Oct at 1130, join us for a walk through the National BattleďŹ eld recognizing those of whom we are without, those who have survived and all family members.

October 19th is National Mammography Day. Appointments can be scheduled by accessing the Patient Appointment Line 1-866-LEE-KAHC (533-5242) or Online at www. tricareonline.com. Mammograms are a vital tool to screen for breast cancer. Most national health organizations, including the American Cancer Society, recommend screenings every other year for women age 40 and above. Scheduling regular screening tests is still one of the best ways to identify the early stages of breast cancer. Be aware that breast cancer can occur in men. Your provider can assist you with how often you should have breast cancer screenings performed based on your family history and risk factors. Contact your provider if you notice changes in your breasts, e.g. discharge, lumps, pain, color or shape change.

You should have received your notice in September. If you have questions, please call the Disease Management Clinic at 804-734-9674 between 0700 and 1600.

Activities and events are planned starting the ďŹ rst week in October and will continue throughout the month. Kenner is united in its goals and mission promoting the tireless efforts of the many foundations dedicated to eradicating breast cancer.

Anyone interested in participating in THINK PINK activities should look for campaign information in the pharmacy lobby or call the Disease Management clinic.

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.HQQHU $UP\ +HDOWK &OLQLF :DQWV WR +HDU )URP <RX Tereasa Wade Public Affairs OfďŹ cer Kenner Army Health Clinic Kenner Army Health Clinic (KAHC) wants to make sure you receive the best care possible. Every employee at KAHC, especially your treatment team, wants to be involved in providing the best care possible. If you have a compliment, suggestion or concern regarding your care, ďŹ rst speak with your treatment team. Your treatment team includes your doctor, nurse, social worker, dietitian, pharmacist, therapist and/ or other professionals associated with your medical care. If you feel your concerns are not being addressed by your treatment team, you may contact the KAHC Patient Advocate. A Patient Advocate is an employee who is speciďŹ cally designated to manage the feedback received from Service Members and beneďŹ ciaries. The Patient Advocate works directly with employees and management to facilitate resolutions.

There may come a time when you do not agree with your provider about the care that you are or will be receiving. Should this occur, discuss your concerns with your provider. If you still have concerns, ask to speak with your providerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s supervisor or the Chief of the Service. If your concern is still unresolved, please contact the Patient Advocate who can assist you, if appropriate, in ďŹ ling

an appeal for a review of your concern.

Please complete and return any survey that you may receive in the mail after a visit to Kenner Army Health Clinic. Each survey is used to help the Command identify opportunities for improvement and to note positive trends - locally, regionally and nationally.

Whenever and wherever you receive care, Active-Duty, Primary Care or Pediatric clinic, Kenner wants you to receive timely, compassionate care and to get the most out of your visit. Please give us your feedback, so we can provide the best customer service possible. You may also send positive or negative feedback to Kenner by dropping a message in one of the comment boxes placed around the Clinic or submit suggestions through the Fort Lee ICE Program.

Employees must respect and support your rights as a patient. If you would like more information about your rights as a patient, please contact the KAHC Patient Advocate, Ms. Trudy Corbett. Patient Rights and Responsibilities are posted in various locations within the Kenner Clinic. If you have not received a copy of your Rights and Responsibilities, please contact the Patient Advocate who can provide you with a copy.

The Kenner Army Health Clinic Patient Advocate is Trudy Corbett, who is available Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Ms. Corbett can be reached telephonically by dialing (804) 734-9512.

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BEFORE YOU LAY DOWN; CHECK FOR UNINVITED GUESTS! Christopher Carter Environmental Health Specialist, Preventive Medicine Kenner Army Health Clinic After a long day at work, people just can’t wait to curl up on the couch or in the bed. The last thing on your mind is whether or not something may be creeping and crawling in the shadows.

Spiders and mosquitoes are usually the culprits when receiving bites during the night, we just never assume it’s a Bed bug. During the mid 20th century, bed bugs have gone through a dramatic rebirth. Worldwide, there are reports of increasing numbers of occurrences. In the past, the presence of bed bugs was thought to be related to poor hygiene and housekeeping. Today, this is not necessarily the case. Bed bugs can infiltrate a dwelling when an infested piece of furniture or luggage is moved into the home, and some bed bug infestations originate from bird nests and bat roosts. Bed bugs are secretive insects; therefore, only after their hiding places have been located can an effective control measure be implemented.

What are bed bugs? Bed bugs are in the insect family Cimicidae and include more than one species that attack people. All bed bugs have 6 legs; ticks and spiders have 8 legs. Adult bed bugs are oval, wingless, 1/4 to 3/8 inch (4-5 mm) long and rusty red or mahogany in color. When they’re full of blood, their body becomes swollen and the color changes to dark red. Female bed bugs lay their eggs in secluded areas, depositing up to 5 a day and 500 during a lifetime. Newly hatched bugs (nymphs) are similar to the adult except they are much smaller and almost colorless.

Bed bugs grow by molting. Each nymph must have a blood meal to be able to molt to the next stage. Adults feed once a week on the average, but will feed many times during their life span of four months or longer.

Should I be concerned about bed bug bites? Bed bugs normally feed at night when people are asleep. Bites will occur over the entire body, especially around the face, neck, upper torso, arms and hands. Individual bed bugs need 3 – 15 minutes to feed. Both male and female bed bugs bite. Bed bugs feed mainly on the blood of humans, but also suck blood from other animals, including birds and bats.

There are currently no known cases of disease associated with bed bug bites. Bed bugs suck blood from their host with piercing mouthparts. The act of biting is usually not felt, but later there is an allergic reaction to the protein found in the bed bug’s saliva. A colorless wheal or lump develops at the bite location (in contrast, flea bites have reddish centers and occur mainly around the ankles). Scratching the bitten areas may lead to infection. Discomfort from bed bug bites may last a week or more.

Bed bug bites do not usually require any treatment. Apply local antiseptic lotion or antibiotic cream or ointment if secondary infection occurs. Reaction to bed bug bites depends on the individual. Bites can be painless and undetectable in some people, but others may be quite sensitive to bites. People who are more sensitive to the bite can have localized allergic reactions.

What are the things I can do to prevent bed bugs from getting into my home or quarters?

Indirect, proactive measures can go a long way in preventing bed bugs from gaining access to your home or dwelling. Exclude bats from roosting in the building. Remove swift and swallow nests while the birds are in the process of nest-building (since these birds and many bats are protected animals, no action can be taken directly against them that may cause them harm).

Remove debris from around the house, repair cracks in walls, and caulk windows and doors. Be wary of acquiring rental or secondhand beds, bedding, and furniture, and at a minimum examine these items carefully before they are brought into a dwelling.

Reducing clutter is a necessity. Belongings strewn about the room afford many places for bed bugs to hide, and impedes inspection and treatment. Infested bedding and garments will need to be bagged and laundered (120 degrees Fahrenheit minimum), or discarded since these items cannot be treated with insecticides.

Smaller items that cannot be laundered can sometimes be de-infested by heating. Individual items, for example, can be wrapped in plastic and placed in a hot, sunny location for at least a few days (the 120 degree Fahrenheit minimum target temperature should be monitored in the centermost location with a thermometer).

Bed bugs also succumb to cold temperatures below 32 degrees Fahrenheit, but the chilling period must be maintained for at least two weeks.

Vacuuming can be very useful for removing bugs and eggs from mattresses, carpet, walls and other surfaces. Pay particular attention to seams, tufts and edges of mattresses and box springs, and the perimeter edge of wall-to-wall carpets. Afterward, dispose of the vacuum contents in a sealed trash bag. Steam cleaning of carpets is also helpful for killing bugs and eggs that vacuum-

ing may have missed.

If staying in temporary quarters in countries where bed bugs are prevalent, elevate luggage off the floor. Follow all the guidelines listed above when staying abroad.

What do I look for when I suspect a bed bug infestation? At the beginning of an infestation, bed bugs are likely to be found only in the tufts, seams, and folds of mattresses and bed covers.

Look for black and brown spots of dried excrement (composed primarily of blood); this can help pinpoint bed bug hiding areas. Sometimes a distinctive sweetish odor may be detected. In hotels and motels, the area behind the headboard is often the first place that the bugs become established. Later, they spread to cracks and crevices in the bed frame. If allowed to multiply, during the daytime hours they can be found hiding along edges of carpeting, behind baseboards, window and door casings, pictures, moldings, in furniture, loosened wallpaper, and cracks in plaster and partitions. It is not unusual to find bed bugs inside clocks, phones, televisions, computers, and smoke detectors.

What can I do to get rid of bed bugs in my home or quarter? Consult with Preventive Medicine Activity personnel at your supporting clinic to confirm that you have bed bugs and/or obtain identification of any bed bug-like insects found inside the dwelling.

Perform daily monitoring by setting out glue boards or sticky tape (placed along the foot of the bed) to catch the bed bugs. Proper identification of specimens is essential to devise an effective treatment strategy and to establish whether bats, swallows, chimney swifts or other wild animals are involved.

Inspect your mattress and bed frame, particularly the folds, crevices and the underside, and other locations where bed bugs like to hide. Use a nozzle attachment on the vacuum to capture the bed bugs and their eggs. Vacuum all the crevices on your mattress, bed frame, baseboards and any objects close to the bed. It is essential to vacuum daily and empty the vacuum immediately.

Wash all your linens and place them in a hot dryer for 20 minutes. Consider covering your pillows and mattress with a plastic cover.

For further information, contact Environmental Health Dept. at Kenner Army Health Clinic 734-9159, 734-9014.

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