Proactive wellness: Altus AFB establishes Operational Support Team Published Sept. 11, 2024 By Senior Airman Miyah Gray 97th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs ALTUS AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- In 2018, the Chief of Staff of the Air Force led an effort to establish a new healthcare model called Operational Support Teams to provide individual health and unit support. The “Mighty 97th” established an OST at Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma in May of 2024. The OST is a prevention-based program implemented by the Air Force Surgeon General in order to take a proactive approach in increasing the overall readiness and optimization of Airmen by addressing physical and mental health needs prior to an injury taking place. “OST is the Air Force’s way of tearing down the stigma associated with seeking healthcare by bringing a clinician’s skill set to different squadrons,” said Maj. Jayson Stewart, 97th Operational Medical Readiness Squadron social worker. “The objective is to improve unit readiness by addressing negatively impacting human factors and engaging with individual unit members to reduce physical and mental health issues, thus strengthening the unit as a whole.” This approach extends beyond immediate treatment to use preventative strategies to foster health and readiness. “Imagine a canyon,” said Stewart. “As a healthcare provider we can place an ambulance at the bottom of the canyon so if someone falls in, we can load them into the ambulance and take them to the hospital. Alternatively, we can build a railing system around the canyon to prevent people from falling into the chasm in the first place. The Air Force has done a great job building a fantastic ambulance at the bottom of the canyon. Only until recently has there been a push to build a railing around the canyon. As a mental healthcare provider, I want to teach Airmen to use the railing up top before they need the ambulance at the bottom.” Through the OST initiative, Altus AFB is building a culture which values both the physical and mental resilience of its Airmen, ensuring they are prepared for the challenges ahead. The team will be embedded into squadrons throughout the installation for a period of up to six months to provide specialized care. “My job is to focus on the musculoskeletal aspect of OST,” said Capt. Chase Leavy, 97th OST physical therapist. “As the subject matter expert and only physical therapist here at Altus AFB, I’m primarily focused on treatments when we first embed into the squadrons. As time passes, that focus shifts to addressing common injuries and working with our strength coach to educate and teach the squadron members about injury prevention and overall performance.” The introduction of the OST marks a significant shift in how healthcare is delivered to service members. “We do all this with the Great Power Competition in mind,” said Leavy. “The next peer to peer fight will require all hands on deck. Stopping and preventing injuries from happening is much more efficient and less taxing on our medics than constant treatment and rehabilitation.”