Peterson Space Force Base - Health Services

21ST MEDICAL GROUP

The 21st Medical Group, also known as the Peterson Clinic, is a modern, well-equipped medical and dental facility.

Medical Services

The 21st Medical Group provides outpatient services including family practice, aerospace medicine, pediatrics, women’s health, optometry and physical therapy.

The clinic does not have an emergency room or ambulance service. Patients who have emergency or urgent medical conditions should dial 911 or report to the nearest emergency room. TRICARE Prime patients needing appointments should contact (719) 556-CARE Monday through Friday, beginning at 6:30 a.m. For urgent after-hours care contact (719) 556-CARE, an on-call provider will assist you.

Inpatient care and specialty referrals are provided by Evans Army Community Hospital at Fort Carson, the 10th Medical Group at the Air Force Academy and local civilian facilities. All active and administratively certified PRP members should enroll in the Aerospace Medicine Clinic.

Active-duty members should enroll family members in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS).

Refer questions about DEERS to the military personnel flight customer service section at (719) 556-7377.

Dental Clinic

The dental clinic is located at Peterson East and offers a full range of dental care for active-duty personnel. Routine examinations for Air Force personnel are scheduled through the member’s unit dental examination appointment monitor.

Members of other military services can contact the dental clinic at (719) 556-1333 or 1335 to schedule an examination. Emergencies will be seen in the dental clinic by calling (719) 556-1333 or (719) 556-1335, Monday through Friday for a same day appointment. After normal duty hours, patients with dental emergencies should report/contact USAFA acute care clinic to contact the dental officer on-call. Emergency dental care is limited to treatment to relieve pain or to treat severe infections or injuries to oral structures. Dental treatment for family members not enrolled in the TRICARE Dental Program is extremely limited and available strictly on a space-available basis. It is recommended active-duty family members enroll in the TDP, which covers most dental treatments.

Call the Beneficiary Counselor and Assistance Coordinator at (719) 556-1016 or United Concordia, the TDP contractor, at (800) 332-0366 for information. You can also get information at http://www.TRlCAREdentalprogram.com. Retirees and their family members can obtain emergency care, dental examinations, cleanings and limited restorative care on a space-available basis. Retirees and their family members should enroll in the TRICARE Retiree Dental Program, which covers most dental treatments.

TRICARE

TRICARE offers military beneficiaries a triple-option approach to health care:

• TRICARE Prime
• TRICARE Extra
• TRICARE Standard

All active duty personnel and their family members are eligible for TRICARE Prime, but must enroll at the TRICARE Service Center located in the 21st MDG upon arrival to the base. Non-active duty beneficiaries may choose the TRICARE option that will work best for them, and can visit the TRICARE Service Center for additional information on each option. Under TRICARE Prime, each enrollee is assigned a primary care manager (PCM) who will coordinate and manage their health care. This includes arranging any necessary specialty appointments, health promotions activities and preventive exams such as cholesterol screening, mammography, smoking cessation, PAP smears and hearing and eye examinations on a regular basis.

You will receive a referral for any medical services that cannot be provided by the 21st MDG. The location of your care will be determined based on appointments/services availability at either the Air Force Academy or Evans Army Community Hospital at Fort Carson. If there is no availability within these military facilities, you will be referred off base to a civilian network provider.

Military treatment facilities must meet access standards of 28 days for prevention and follow-up visits, seven days for routine health care needs and 24 hours for acute care.

For questions regarding your TRICARE benefits please contact TriWest at (888) TriWest or the Beneficiary Counselor and Assistance Coordinator at (719) 556-1016.

If you have problems with debt collection agencies over denied claims, contact the Debt Collection Assistance Officer at (719) 556-1016. You may also visit the TRICARE Service Center located within the Peterson clinic.

Aerospace Physiology Unit

The Carter P Luna Aerospace Physiology Training Flight prepares personnel for the human factor challenges inherent to military operations with the goal of increasing overall readiness and mission effectiveness. Our mission is three-fold: Aerospace physiology training, High Altitude Airdrop Mission Support and Human Performance Training Team.

Aerospace physiology training prepares Department of Defense aircrew and high-altitude parachutists, Air Force Academy and ROTC cadets, and Federal Aviation Administration-certified civilian pilots on the human factor and physiological threats of modern aviation. Aerospace physiology training consists of classroom instruction, hands-on training and an altitude (or hypobaric) chamber flight. The instruction is tailored to the inpidual’s specific weapon system and/or operational mission with the intent of maximizing crew performance.

Topics of instruction include:

• Altitude-related physiology
• Situational awareness and attention management
• Mission- and self-imposed stress
• Spatial disorientation, visual illusions and airsickness
• G-induced loss of consciousness

During altitude chamber training, students experience the effects of a low-pressure environment and the subtle effects of hypoxia (oxygen deprivation). This training also prepares students to effectively use aircrew life support equipment in this austere environment.

High Altitude Airdrop Mission Support, or HAAMS, ensures crew safety and equipment integrity during high-altitude airdrop missions. HAAMS operations involve the use of qualified physiology technicians or aerospace physiologists to support unpressurized flight at or above 18,000 feet. These personnel are an integral part of the aircrew and serve as in-flight technical experts for the mission commander on the unique oxygen equipment and life-threatening physiological threats associated with unpressurized, high-altitude flight. Human Performance Training Team integrates human performance training and education into Team Pete operations. HPTT activities center on helping inpiduals and organizations of Team Pete improve their performance by providing education, training and consultation on a variety of potential human performance threats (e.g. fatigue and shift work, deployment, team communication and management, night vision devices and operational stress). The Aerospace Physiology Training Flight, located in Building 425, is open Monday through Friday, 6:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. For additional information or to schedule training, call (719) 556-4185 or DSN 834-4185.

Health and Wellness Center

The Health and Wellness Center is your one-stop shop to meet your health and fitness needs. The HAWC offers classes and inpidual counseling in nutrition, fitness, tobacco cessation, cholesterol control, high blood pressure, weight management and diabetes. Wellness assessments, body composition measurements, anaerobic threshold analysis and nutritional consults are available.

The HAWC also supports the Fit to Fight program and offers Physical Training Leaders training. It is central for intervention efforts for those scoring less than 75 on Fit to Fight assessments. Located in the fitness and sports center, Building 560, the HAWC’s hours are Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Free classes and programs are open to all DoD ID cardholders. For information, call (719) 556-4292.

Mental Health

The Mental Health center is located in Building 1171 adjacent to the base library. The facility houses the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention and Treatment Program, the Family Advocacy Program and Mental Health Services. The Mental Health center works to prevent and treat substance abuse problems, family maltreatment (to include emotional, physical and sexual maltreatment) and mental health difficulties, with a focus on helping people better handle the stresses of daily life associated with a career in the military.

The Mental Health center offers classes to help build essential skills, sometimes followed with inpidual or group psychotherapy as needed. When requested, the center will send people to units for briefings or workshops.

Classes available through Mental Health include, but not limited to:

• Stress Management
• Parenting
• Family Abuse Awareness
• Healthy Thinking
• Relationship Enhancement Program
• Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage

In Family Advocacy, the Special Needs Identification Assignment Coordination (SNIAC) assists military people with family members needing specialized educational, medical or emotional care.

SNIAC also helps the member locate and use appropriate services for their dependents. Enrollment of special needs family members is mandatory. The nurse specialist assists full-time parents as needed.

Though primarily an active-duty clinic, family members are welcome to use the prevention courses available.

For information, to set up an appointment or sign up for a class, call Mental Health and ADAPT at (719) 556-7804 or Family Advocacy at (719) 556-8943.