SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- PERSONNEL ISSUES
I don’t have a mentor, and I don’t think I will find one in the medical group. How do I find a mentor? I really need one.
Mentors play a critical role in developing and advising our Airmen, and I’m grateful you reached out for help. If you haven’t already met with your supervisor, you may consider starting there. However, you can also reach out to the senior ranking Airman in your career field within the Medical Group as well as your Group Superintendent, Chief Master Sgt. Adam McComb. They will be able to connect you with a mentor inside or outside the Medical Group. In addition, the “Scott All Bulletin” is emailed every Wednesday, and it highlights Speed Mentoring and Networking Sessions. Another great way to connect with a mentor is through MyVECTOR (https://afvec.langley.af.mil/myvector.) MyVECTOR provides a web-based mentoring network where Airmen are able select a mentor from the database based on preferences, chat with mentors online, and complete a mentoring plan. Importantly, if you’re not getting the information or answers you need, please contact me or Chief Mathias, and we’ll connect you with a mentor.
What are we doing as a base about sexual assault retaliation prevention? What should someone do if they are already retaliated against?
Thank you very much for your question. For awareness, reprisal happens when a management official takes (or threatens to take) an unfavorable personnel action against an individual, or withholds (or threatens to withhold) a favorable personnel action, because an individual made or was thought to have made, a protected communication or disclosure about a sexual assault or other sexual misconduct. It is DoD Policy to protect individuals from retaliation, reprisal, ostracism, or maltreatment related to a sexual assault.
Supervisors receive training to prevent retaliation; however, if individuals are retaliated against, they can seek assistance from their immediate commander, a commander outside the chain of command, the 375th AMW Inspector General, a Sexual Assault Response Coordinator, Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Victim Advocate, or the Special Victims’ Counsel.
Importantly, the SVC can provide confidential and privileged advice to victims of sexual assault who believe that they are victims of reprisal. The SVC can also answer questions, help draft complaints, and facilitate removal from that negative situation. The Staff Judge Advocate can also assist and connect victims with supporting agencies.
In addition, when SAPR personnel are working with survivors of sexual assault, they will ask individuals if they are experiencing any retaliation or reprisal. It is important to note that if a survivor discusses retaliation with SAPR personnel, but chooses not to make a retaliation report, this communication remains privileged. However, if the victim’s chain of command (mandatory reporters) is aware of an allegation of retaliation, reprisal, ostracism, or maltreatment, they are required to take appropriate measure to protect the survivor and report the allegations. In addition, if the survivor’s chain of command (mandatory reporters) becomes aware of a sexual assault they are required to report it.
INSTALLATION AND FACILITIES
When will the 375th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron get funding for the C-130 Fuselage Trainer concrete pad?
Projects such as the AES C-130 Fuselage Trainer concrete pad are competing with similar initiatives from across the installation for end of year funding. The good news is that the concrete pad is near the very top of our end of year funding list, and we hope to receive funding to complete the project in 2017!
Scott Lake looks pretty rough, and it’s almost unfishable every year. What can we do to help turn it around? Any plans to improve the water quality to allow better bass-slaying?
Thank you for helping us identify areas where we can improve the installation. We have been working hard to develop a sustainable solution to the algae growth on the lake. The underlying issues with Scott Lake are the shallow depth (8’ at the deepest point) combined with the inflow of fertilizer due to runoff from the nearby cornfields. We developed a long-term solution to address these issues; however, we think the earliest we can feasibly accomplish this project is late 2018 or early 2019. In the meantime, we partnered with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services to periodically apply herbicide and manually remove the algae buildup. We last treated the lake July 29, and we have come to an agreement with USFWS on a schedule for algae management services for the remainder of the growing season and into 2017.
When are we going to improve the fitness facilities at Scott? Renovating our current gym is not enough. How about an entirely new gym? A new fitness center is needed to facilitate the sheer number of personnel on this base. We need help!
A new fitness center has been near the top of our wing wish list for many years. We continue to advocate for a new facility; however, due to fiscal constraints across our Air Force, we are still many years away from a new Military Construction project. In the interim, we continue to focus on improving the appearance and functionality of our fitness facilities. At the Fitness Center, we recently upgraded the indoor track, lights, HVAC, plumbing, and locker rooms. We are also upgrading the flooring starting Aug. 18. At the James Gym, we replaced the bleachers, constructed a fitness pavilion, installed new scoreboards, and a fitness park. In addition, we are installing over 65 new pieces of fitness equipment in both facilities this fall. We’re also partnering with the local YMCA this fall to share fitness instructors and provide access to more classes. Finally, we wanted to remind Team Scott that our Fitness Center also offers 24 hours access—stop by the Fitness Center to get your CAC registered for access.
Can the male restroom in Bldg. 1575 get a renovation? 66 percent of the urinals and 50 percent of the stalls are unusable.
Thank you for bringing this issue to our attention. We dispatched a CE team to Bldg. 1575, and they completed the repairs. During the repairs, CE found a buildup of gum, coffee grounds, chewing tobacco, and other debris in the sewer lines. To help avoid this problem in the future, we ask everyone to throw trash away in the trash cans. Additionally, our CE team is dedicated to providing outstanding service response for all facility maintenance issues. In order to help us achieve this goal, we encourage everyone to contact their building Facility Managers and submit service requests to our customer service section. We don’t want anyone to have to wait for the next commander’s call to have their facility issues addressed. Thank you all for your help!
Why did the pharmacy change its process? It took me three weeks to get my prescription refilled. Why is this such a problem?
First, I sincerely apologize it took us three weeks to refill your prescription. Refills are normally available for pick-up within two duty days; however, based on your experience, we missed our goal. While it is difficult to determine the cause of the delay without knowing the specifics of your case, our pharmacy team typically works closely with other pharmacies and manufacturers to mitigate and minimize wait time.
To your question about what drove the changes to our pharmacy process, we changed the way we do business at the pharmacy because the patient volume at the satellite pharmacy exceeded the physical space available. As a result, our pharmacy operations have been streamlined. All refill prescriptions are filled at the satellite pharmacy while all new prescriptions, whether originating off-base or on-base, are filled at our main pharmacy within the Scott Medical Clinic. Patients using the main pharmacy benefit from increased handicap parking, improved seating inside the pharmacy waiting area, and better protection from the outside environment whenever the lines are long.
CHILD CARE
Why is the waiting list for the Child Development Center so long?
Currently, the demand for child care at our two CDCs is exceeding the capacity. We have 396 child care spaces available at the CDCs and approximately 180 children are on our waiting list. To help mitigate the CDC capacity issue and provide more options for Scott families, we also have a Family Child Care Program with 27 providers who are licensed to provide care in their homes. Of note, we are always looking for more FCC providers! For more information on the FCC Program, or if you are interested in becoming a FCC provider, please contact the FCC Office at 256-8047. Additionally, Active Duty families who are unable to access on-base child care are eligible for fee assistance at a local licensed, accredited child care program through the Child Care Aware “Military Child Care in Your Neighborhood” program.