Roovi
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Advocating for truth, transparency, and accountability for military families to get needed medical assistance, resources, or advocacy to care for their loved one in the military or after a death.
As Gold Star Families we have seen the challenges of obtaining transparency to the cause of death, receiving the personal belongings of our loved ones back to us, the ability to get needed resources and benefits for the death of someone in the military, and in many cases someone to advocate for medical malpractice and negligence in the hands of the military on our service members by lack of training, oversight, safety precautions and lack of medical procedures in place. Our military deserve better. Injuries, suicides, and homicides are the leading cause of death among our military serving our country. According to Congressional Research Service, from 2006-2021 32% of deaths were an accident, 18% were from illness or injury, and 76% were from Non-Overseas Contingency Operations-not war related.
Project Details:
JOEY LENZ
MILITARY MEDICAL ACCOUNTABILITY ACT
TRUTH, TRANSPARENCY & ACCOUNTABILITY
Military Medical Accountability and Transparency
Purpose:
To update medical protocols for Active Military before deployment and annually each year of service.
History:
Specialist Joey Lenz, Conroe, Texas (32) was serving in the United States Army at Fort Hood, Texas. He enlisted in the Army on September 18, 2017, completed Basic Combat Training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina on December 4, 2017, and Advanced Individual Training as a 91D Generator Mechanic at Fort Lee, Virginia on March 7, 2018. He was deployed to the Republic of Korea October 2019 through February 2021 where he served as a Tactical Power Generator Specialist. As a generator mechanic he received many accolades including the National Defense Service Medal, Korea Defense Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, and the Overseas Service Ribbon.
Joey died February 1, 2022, while sleeping in his barracks at Fort Hood TX. Several indicators contributed to his death including a toxic and hostile leadership, prescription drug interaction (serotonin syndrome), depression, and anxiety. His heart was extremely enlarged, and this was evident in a lab report from March 17, 2021, when he was in ICU at Darnell Army Medical Center. The Army medical staff failed to share this with Specialist Lenz and he died Feb 1, 2022, with a heart 3x the normal size. This was preventable and intervention could have saved his life.
Annual Physicals have been online (Personal Healthcare Assessments) since 2016 and are basically a self report sign off without any true exam unless the servicemember is a high ranking officer. Consistent counseling with preventive actions for drug interactions and lab work should be mandatory for prescriptions.
We have a commitment to keep our military safe and healthy so they can keep us safe as part of our national security. Our military deserve the same health protocols as we receive as civilians.
Proposed Bill:
Annual Physicals require blood screenings and a full exam. Cap on prescriptions without intermittent physical or lab work. Thorough chart of drug interactions as per the Surgeon General.
Counseling with service members or veterans of other interactions with alcohol, non-prescription meds, and other substances. Any suicidal ideations investigated and communicated to chain of command and closest military peers without retribution. This includes “off behavior” that could be detrimental to the service members’ overall health.
Mirror civilian licensing requirements
Gold Star Advocates is a non-profit based in the Greater Houston area of Texas, dedicated to supporting military families nationwide.
