Reserve component Soldiers get in ‘SHPE’

Photo By Ismael Ortega | Lt. Col. Michael Carrol, commander, 7203rd medical support unit and Soldier Resilience and readiness Center, sits at his desk in Building 60 Jan. 22. Lt. Col Carroll is the commander of the MSU and SRRC, which are overseeing the implementation of the Separation History and Physical Examination program for all reserve component Soldiers who are getting off of active duty.  

FORT BLISS, TX, UNITED STATES

02.18.2016

Story by Adam Holguin 

Mobilization and Deployment, DPTMS Fort Bliss

FORT BLISS, Texas - Starting this year, the Separation History and Physical Examination, or SHPE, will be implemented providing all Soldiers a medical history and examination. All service members leaving active duty across all components, including Reservists and National Guardsmen, will receive a SHPE.

While SHPE has been the norm for active duty Soldiers who do a permanent change of station or an expiration term of service, ensuring the requirement is met for all Reserve Component Soldiers is the culmination of hard work and diligent coordination from a variety of offices here.

Mobilization and Deployment, the Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security, is responsible for the mobilization and demobilization of National Guard and Army Reserve units and Soldiers from across the country. Fort Bliss, one of two mobilization sites for Reserve component Soldiers along with Fort Hood, Texas, is implementing this new requirement to fit within the 14-day demobilization model. It has been a challenging mission.

“SHPE is something that had not been done on our end as far as the demobilization side until now,” said Lt. Col. Michael Carroll, commander, 7203rd Medical Support Unit and Soldier Resilience and Readiness Center. “So in addition to our normal medical processing, we now have the additional responsibility of doing (a SHPE).”

The benefit to getting this examination is two-fold – it is intended to make access to Veterans Affairs benefits and medical coverage easier to attain while also providing the Veterans Administration a medical history of the Soldier.

“We know that there is a gap when a Soldier leaves active duty service and when they are able to get into the VA process,” said Lt. Col. Elizabeth Duque, deputy commander, Clinical Services for the Primary Care and Soldier Readiness Command. “The concept is that if we do the physical before they leave, then ideally we can have better communication, a smoother transition for the Soldier.”

Along with Carroll and Duque, Lt. Col. Michael Karns, commander, 2208th Mobilization Support Battalion, helped establish the program, coordinating with numerous shops to ensure all bases were covered, from logistics to exam space to staffing.

“The planning process and implementation process was a great example of how very widely different groups got together and figured out what needed to happen and each stood up and did their part to make sure it happened,” Karns said.

Mobilization and Deployment, DPTMS, U.S. Army Medical Command, the CONUS Replacement Center, 5th Armor Brigade, the SRRC, and the Logistics and Readiness Center, all play a part in the coordination of the SHPE requirement.

“It really has been a lot of work and a lot of coordination to stand this up, to get the working pieces and the details worked out,” Duque said.

The exams are allotted a 40-minute period per Soldier and will be accomplished at the Hugo V. Mendoza Soldier Family Care Center. At peak output, nine physicians or providers can each complete 11 physicals per day, said Duque.

“(Soldiers) need to know that it is a full history and physical so we are asking all kinds of questions and we do head-to-toe exams, it does take some time,” Duque said.

Ultimately, the Separation History and Physical Examination requirement will provide better support to the citizen-Soldiers who serve our nation.

• Date Taken: 02.18.2016
• Date Posted: 02.18.2016 16:49
• Story ID: 189212
• Location: FORT BLISS, TX, US