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RADM Michael Weakhee Becomes Director of the Indian Health Service

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RADM Michael Weakhee Becomes Director of the Indian Health Service 2020 COA Award Recipients Page 14 WWW.COAUSPHS.ORG COAUSPHS.ORG SALUS POPULI SUPREMA LEX ESTE VOLUME 58, ISSUE 5 | JUNE/JULY 2020. from the RADM Michael Weakhee Executive Becomes Director of the Director Jacqueline Rychnovsky, Indian Health Service PhD, RN, CPNP, FAANP Captain (ret.), Nurse Corps, US Navy RADM Michael Weakhee, a long-time member of COA, was sworn in as Director Virtual Headquarters of the Indian Health Service (IHS) on 8 Greetings from what is still May 2020 by ADM Brett Giroir. Weakhee the virtual headquarters of the had been confirmed by the US Senate Commissioned Officers Association on 21 April. RADM Weakhee, an enrolled of the U.S. Public Health Service member of the Zuni Tribe, had been (COA)! Just like many of you, the serving as Acting Director of the IHS. COA staff have been working More PHS Commissioned Corps officers virtually since March due to the are assigned to the Indian Health Service ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. (1655) than to any other entity or agency You’ve welcomed us by video into within the federal government. your homes to keep association business moving forward, and for RADM Weakhee was born in the that we are grateful. It’s been fun to Shiprock, NM, Public Health Service get to know many of you through Hospital on the Navaho reservation, so this manner although it doesn’t he became familiar with the IHS at an take the place of what would have early age. RADM Weakhee joined the been face-to-face conversations United States Air Force as a public health at the annual symposium. I want to acknowledge that while many specialist. He received his B.S. degree in RADM Michael Weahkee, Director of the Indian Health of you are working virtually, I know Health Care Management from Southern Service. Photo courtesy the Weahkee family. that others are making your way Illinois University. He earned Master of into offices, healthcare facilities, Health Services Administration and Master of Management Policy and Internal research labs, correction facilities, Control Staff, and Deputy Director for of Business Administration degrees from and other locations as you work on Personnel in the Office of Management Arizona State University. the frontlines, either at your current Services. RADM Weakhee joined the US Public duty station or on deployment, to do good work to maintain and Health Service Commissioned Corps, He received an Exceptional Proficiency restore health of all Americans. I serving both in Indian Health Service Promotion to Captain, two Outstanding want to personally thank you for billets in the field and at IHS headquarters. Service Medals, and two IHS National your extra sacrifice during these Director’s Awards. He was chief executive officer for the trying times. Phoenix Indian Medical Center, the largest Health and Human Services Secretary What has become very apparent federally-operated facility in the Indian Alex Azar congratulated RADM Weakhee to me over the last month is how Health Service. At IHS headquarters he on his new position and stated that he much each of you are missing the was Executive Officer for the Office of see EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR on page 22 Clinical and Preventive Services, Director see WEAKHEE on page 10 COA Member Benefits Capitol Hill Representation Efforts on Capitol Hill continually support all Commissioned Corps officers – active duty and retired Local Representation COA Local Branches provide venues for meeting fellow officers and a forum for the discussion of issues within the Commissioned Corps Newsletter Newsletter reports on monthly Legislative Update activities and items of interest about the Corps & COA Flexible Spending Accounts? Insurance Programs If You Want One, Speak Up Low-cost insurance programs generous coverage. So why should they that may continue as long as your by Judy Rensberger be able to claim access to other benefits membership in COA remains current Recently, a longtime COA member came out there? Flexible spending accounts are to us with a request for help. Divorced, for those without such coverage, right? $7,500 for Online Degrees with young children, she has deployed in So, where do we go from here? $7,500 scholarships to earn online response to COVID-19 and expects to degrees, which include: deploy again. How many deployments, What informs my current thinking is this: MPH@GW and for how long, neither she nor anyone There is now a bill in Congress that would MHA@GW else can say for certain. But one thing authorize flexible spending accounts for HealthInformatics@GW is certain: she needs, and will continue Armed Services personnel, but not for MBA@UNC to need, competent care for her young the USPHS. I no longer see much of an MBA@Simmons children. Good and reliable childcare is option here. COA staff will go all out, but HealthcareMBA@Simmons neither inexpensive nor easy to find, as all we need the help of COA members (and IRonline (American) parents know. For single, working parents, non-members). MBA@American it is especially difficult – a challenge that’s What is a flexible spending account? NYMC Online MPH ever-present for years. Generally speaking, it is an arrangement 50 percent discount for the online The USPHS officer who approached us through one’s employer that permits the MPH and certificate programs wants COA to take another run at winning employee to spend pre-tax dollars on flexible spending accounts for USPHS specific needs such as medical care that Scholarship Program officers. She did her homework. She laid is not otherwise covered by insurance College scholarships for children and out her reasoning. She queried fellow or, as in this case, care for a dependent spouses of COA members officers through a Facebook post and child. It is a nice benefit for anyone, but identified 69 additional USPHS officers especially for working parents of young Ribbon who said they, too, wanted access to this children. Authorized to be worn on the PHS benefit. As I write, we are still talking this uniform by members in good standing through. The amount of money one can contribute when attending COA functions to a flexible spending account is relatively Initially, my own view whipsawed: Yes, modest – $2,650 according to the IRS let’s go for it. No, this issue is a loser for website, which I checked in mid-June. OFFICER us. D S A Detailed information on both Flexible E S N S O IO Spending Accounts (FSAs) and Health S C The Military Coalition’s Health Care S I I A Committee, which I co-chair, reminds me Savings Accounts (HSAs) is available T M I O O online in IRS Publication No. 969. M of the unhappy history of efforts to win this N N O O C C benefit for service families. The Defense The USPHS officer who contacted me Department has objected. After all, service seems wonderfully able to lead an effort members and their families, including O . to involve fellow officers in seeking this F C T IN USPHS, receive Tricare and its relatively see LEGISLATIVE continued on page 5 HE USPHS Deployment Reinforces Our Sense of Service and PHS Camaraderie by LCDR Joseph Allen and CDR Beverly Weitzman As we have for well over a century, United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps officers are stepping up as the country faces a new public health crisis: COVID-19. Perhaps unique among the uniformed services, Commissioned Corps officers are spread out nationwide and are immersed in day jobs in various capacities yet must quickly coalesce at deployment sites and rapidly reach operational efficiency. Our recent deployment experience, which began frantically, confirmed what CDR Weitzman and I had long suspected—that despite distance and unfamiliarity with one another, Commissioned Corps officers display an incredible sense of teamwork and camaraderie when it counts the most. Such teamwork began shortly after being rostered the morning of March 12, 2020 with a call to CDR Weitzman regarding our pending same-day deployment. Each of us had a challenge. This was to be my first deployment outside the DC-Maryland-Virginia area, and I was uncertain as to what I needed to bring with me or how the process worked. CDR Weitzman, who had been teleworking that day, wanted several CDR Beverly Weitzman spare items that had been left near her office an hour away from her home. We both sprang into action. CDR Weitzman and other experienced officers advised me on how to prepare and what to expect. Meanwhile, I picked up some of the spare items for CDR Weitzman, saving her a two-hour roundtrip drive. CDR Weitzman received her orders and immediately notified me. I realized we would be deployed to different sites but still departing from the same airport around the same time. By the time I arrived at the airport, CDR Weitzman had already passed through security. She circled back to the concourse where I handed her the items she had wanted and, with little time to spare, re-entered security and boarded her flight. Unfortunately, I missed my flight and was rebooked for the following morning. Once each of us arrived at our destinations, the spirit of cooperation and collaboration was consistently evident. Officers who were unclear about where to report to, or who lacked transportation, were given instruction or rides by fellow officers. On base, swab team members and case managers worked together to train and help each other. Whenever supplies or LCDR Joseph Allen sustenance was needed, there was always an officer willing to go Following deployment, we all returned to our duty stations and above and beyond the call of duty to assist.
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