COLUMBUS AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- Medical readiness allows the Air Force to mobilize Airmen to meet the Air Force mission, anytime, anywhere. The 14th Operational Medical Readiness Squadron 14 OMRS is vital to maximizing the medical readiness of all Airmen assigned to Columbus Air Force Base. The squadron consists of seven flights that work together to ensure the installation has appropriate preventive health services and provides support to the flying training mission and deployment readiness for personnel.
You will find Airmen from 14 OMRS operating across domains of healthcare to provide preventive services and clinical care. For example, our Public Health and Bioenvironmental Engineering technicians support several areas across the wing that enhance quality of life efforts. Most recently, the Public Health Flight coordinated with the Army & Air Force Exchange Service team at Columbus Air Force Base to conduct pre-operations inspections and training to safely bring online a new food option for the installation. You can find our Bioenvironmental Engineering team responding to quality-of-life issues and making recommendations to ensure processes are in place to protect the health of team Columbus.
As we move into the clinical care domain of healthcare, you will often find our team flexing and optimizing our processes and services to deliver safe, quality medical care while supporting efforts to maximize pilot production. Our team coordinates with the Operations Group to complete short-notice medical appointments in support of the small group try-out initiative and provides dedicated, daily time to allow flyers to walk-in to the Operational Medicine Clinic to be seen for return to fly appointments. The Physical Therapy Clinic coordinates with the Base’s Operational Support Team to offer walk-in appointments to Airmen from units across the Wing helping to reduce profiles and return time and manpower back to the units. In addition to providing quality medical care, the Mental Health, Dental, Operational Medicine, and Optometry Flights synchronize to medically clear any Airmen assigned to the installation that is tasked with a deployment. The OMRS team plays a key role in the flying training mission by providing timely, quality medical care, while guaranteeing our deployable personnel are medically able to operate in any area of responsibility at any given time.
The Operational Medical Readiness Squadron also supports the development of multi-capable Airmen. Several of the unit’s Airmen serve as instructors for the wing’s Tactical Combat Casualty Care Course ensuring those assigned to the base can provide life-saving trauma care, both in combat, and on the home front. Not only do they provide this key function to the installation, the Airmen assigned to this unit also ensure they themselves are ready to provide life-saving care in a deployed setting where resources and manpower are limited. On any given training day, you will find the team training on scenarios that support the Air Force Surgeon General’s MEDIC-X initiative highlighting our laser focus on preparation and development for the future fight!
The Operational Medical Readiness Squadron provides key support to the installation by preventing disease and injuries, providing clinical care and ensuring the 14 FTW is fit to fight. At any given time, you will find the medics from this team leading the way, as the 14 FTW gets Better Every Day!