Newswise — Bethesda, Md – Beginning now, military and civilian Federal employees of the Military Health System will begin phasing in training from the American Red Cross for life-support training programs.

The training, which includes Basic Life Support (BLS), Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), and Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) courses, will be administered by the Military Training Network based at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. The Military Training Network ensures compliance with curriculum and administrative standards for resuscitative and trauma medicine training programs for uniformed service members and Department of Defense affiliates worldwide. The MTN’s tri-service staff provides specific service expertise, central record keeping, worldwide coordination of programs, and ensures national resuscitative and trauma medicine organizations are aware of the military's unique requirements.

“This transition further highlights the ongoing successful relationship between the DoD and the American Red Cross, which dates back to 1881 following Red Cross founder Clara Barton’s experiences in the Civil War. Standardizing these courses across the entire Military Health System will ensure providers, nurses, and technicians are all working as an interdisciplinary team when responding to life-threatening situations inside our medical treatment facilities and in more austere deployed settings,” said Air Force Col (Dr.) John Wightman, chair of USU’s Department of Military and Emergency Medicine, which oversees the Military Training Network. 

“The American Red Cross has a long history of supporting service men and women and their families and we have thousands of volunteers who work in our military treatment facilities caring for them today,” said Jack McMaster, President of American Red Cross Training Services. “We are proud to broaden our relationship with the Military Training Network so that their members will continue to have the knowledge and skills to respond to emergencies and save lives.”

The American Red Cross will provide all BLS instruction and proof of BLS course completion for civilian and active-duty staffs beginning November 1, 2018.

The Military Training Network will transition to the American Red Cross for ACLS and PALS courses for instruction and certification on January 1, 2019. 

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The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU), founded by an act of Congress in 1972, is the academic heart of the Military Health System. USU students are primarily active-duty uniformed officers in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Public Health Service who receive specialized education in tropical and infectious diseases, TBI and PTSD, disaster response and humanitarian assistance, global health, and acute trauma care. A large percentage of the university’s more than 8,000 alumni are supporting operations around the world, offering their leadership and experience. The university’s research program covers a wide range of clinical and basic science important to both the military and public health.  For more information, visit www.usuhs.edu.