Hope is on the horizon with vaccination news and the beginning of a new year. But COVID-19 cases and deaths in the U.S. are on the rise. This means we all must continue to take steps to stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus. This is true even after people eventually get vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Do you have acute or chronic low back pain? If the answer is yes, you aren’t alone. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, low back pain is the most common type of pain reported by patients. You can take preventive steps and manage low back pain safely and effectively. As of Jan. 1, 2021, if you need physical therapy for your low back pain, the Defense Health Agency established a demonstration. With the demonstration, TRICARE will waive cost-shares for qualified beneficiaries for up to three physical therapy sessions in 10 states.

Adults age 75 and older should now receive the COVID-19 vaccine, as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The Department of Defense (DoD) and the Military Health System are now making the vaccine available to the 1.13 million beneficiaries who are age 75 or older. These beneficiaries use the TRICARE For Life health plan.

Weight gain around the holiday season is common. However, this year’s ongoing social distancing restrictions due to COVID-19 could present new challenges for those trying to stay in shape.

Brooke Army Medical Center honored the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during a live virtual presentation on BAMC’s Facebook page Jan. 14. The Baptist minister and activist became the spokesperson and leader in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968. He is best known for advancing civil rights through nonviolence and civil disobedience, inspired by his Christian beliefs and the nonviolent activism of Mahatma Gandhi.

BAMC has launched its COVID-19 vaccine program. Find out more about the vaccine and the science

Thank you to SPC Diego Timoteo and all of our BAMC healthcare heroes. You have made us proud!

With the ongoing threat of the pandemic and to preserve resources and staffing, Brooke Army Medical Center will transfer new pediatric patients needing inpatient care to local children’s hospitals at this time. “We are taking this additional precautionary measure to ensure our healthcare professionals are poised to support an increased need for COVID-19 care for our service members and families,” said Air Force Col. Patrick Osborn, San Antonio Military Health System Surgeon-in-Chief and BAMC’s Deputy Commander for Surgical Services.