A Message from the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs

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Colleagues:

I suspect that many of you share my surprise that the summer is already drawing to a close – these past few months have flown by, with long days but short weeks!  I know a big part of that is the fact that the pace of our work, far from slowing down over the summer, has remained at a high tempo.  I thank each of you for helping me maintain the momentum we’ve worked so hard to generate as we move our strategy forward.

Some of the highlights of the summer include continued site visits to MHS facilities around the world, where I have seen first-hand the challenges we face and learned more about what we need to do to reattract our patient base and stabilize the MHS.  I’m encouraged by the developments discussed at the Digital Frontiers Summit last month, and by our continued collaboration with other agencies such as Veterans Affairs and the Food and Drug Administration.  As I engage with Members of Congress on a host of issues of concern, I am more and more convinced that the solutions to many of these topics require a “whole of government” approach.  Joining forces with our interagency partners strengthens all of us as we develop unified solutions.

Last week, I attended the Defense Health Information Technology Symposium, and this week I’ll close out the month at the Military Health System Research Symposium.  Spending time with our technology-focused teammates and our world-class research community is always enlightening and confirms my confidence in our ability to take a systems approach to fulfilling our mission.

Many of our students are already back in school, including the incoming classes at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.  This time of year is a busy one for our MTFs, with school physicals, vaccinations, and the inevitable spread of illnesses that happen once people are back in classrooms.  Please take an extra minute or two to thank our providers for the excellent care they provide throughout the year to our servicemembers, retirees, and their families.

Enjoy the last few days of summer, and as always, stay safe!

Very Respectfully,

Lester

Lester Martínez-López, M.D., M.P.H.

Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs

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