Tinker members earn 72nd Air Base Wing Wildcatter awards

72nd Air Base Wing

An individual and a team were recently honored with Wildcatter awards from 72nd Air Base Wing Commander Col. Kenyon K. Bell.

1st Lt. Kailey Filter, 72nd Air Base Wing Medical Group, fills a Captain’s billet and excels in performance of her duties as the officer in charge of Medical Group’s Education and Training Flight. Under her leadership, the Education and Training Flight garnered recognition as an “Outstanding Team” by Air Force Materiel Command’s Inspector General during the Air Base Wing’s Unit Effectiveness Inspection. She thoroughly managed the training for 67 basic life support instructors across Tinker’s installation. She instructed six instructor courses, which certified 11 new instructors and three evaluators that enabled the training for 333 personnel which saved the Air Force $55,900 dollars in training costs. Additionally, Filter directed five “mock” code blue exercises. Her evaluation of the life-saving protocols within the clinic fortified the Medical Group’s staff emergency response capabilities.

Furthermore, she partnered with the emergency medical technician director to facilitate an emergency medical technician refresher course which recertified seven students and the program earned Air Force Materiel Command’s “Best Practice” recognition.

Filter oversaw the Medical Group’s enlisted upgrade training and directed monthly self-inspections that verified accurate documentation of enlisted personnel training records. This action propelled the Medical Group’s compliance rate from 27 percent to 97 percent which was a two-year high.

Finally, she attended the Air Force’s Centers for Sustainment of Trauma and Readiness Skills, completed 88 hours of trauma resuscitation training and earned her Advanced Trauma Care for Nurses certification which prepared her for deployment ahead of schedule.

The Medical Support Squadron’s TRICARE town hall and TRICARE re-enrollment team of more than 22 members have dedicated more than 80 hours beyond their actual duty day since the end of June to educate beneficiaries during a transformational period in the military health system.

Committed to excellence, this legendary team stewarded resources and deployed diverse marketing techniques to advertise the first TRICARE town hall at the Tinker Club in more than a decade.

Due to their legendary efforts, more than 930 of Team Tinker enrollees acquired updates on Tinker clinic processes including the pharmacy, enrollment options and the federal employees dental and vision insurance program, as well as military health system changes. The impact of their efforts saved one retiree more than $1,300 per month as this retiree did not understand TRICARE benefits until after the retiree was able to receive a direct answer from a Humana representative at the TRICARE town hall on Sept. 5. This retiree was paying a private insurance company for healthcare benefits for years, without knowledge or understanding that the TRICARE benefit supported the member’s healthcare requirements.

Additionally, town hall attendees learned about the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program open season enrollment and the attendees received answers to more than 25 questions. The efforts of these warrior medics are absolutely pivotal to delivering trusted care to Team Tinker. Their wingman attitude and service-oriented actions showcased their commitment to delivering quality care in keeping the base well informed of changes that impact Airmen and their families. This team promotes a positive work environment characterized by respect, support, trust and collegiality for 63,000 beneficiaries.