Air Force Writer

Dental Assistant Awards


Senior Airman John G. Bickett distinguished himself by meritorious service while serving as Dental Assistant Craftsman, 92d Aerospace Medicine Squadron, 92d Medical Group, 92d Air Refueling Wing, Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington. During this period, Airman Bickett provided care to 689 patients and performed 95 thousand dollars worth of procedures. His productivity contributed to the 92d Medical Group's selection as both Best Clinic of the Year and Air Mobility Command's Team Aerospace Award for 2007. In addition, as Air Force Dental Readiness Assurance Program monitor, he sustained an average 99.7 percent participation rate spanning eight months in 2009, exceeding the established Air Force goal by seven percent. Moreover, he coordinated 1,200 annual exams with 23 Unit Health Monitors and enforced patient compliance, resulting in an element score of "Outstanding" and the flight's 2009 Health Services Inspection rating of "Outstanding". The distinctive accomplishments of Senior Airman Bickett reflect credit upon himself, the 92d Aerospace Medicine Squadron and the United States Air Force.




Senior Airman Alex C. Ramirez distinguished himself by outstanding achievement as a Dental Laboratory Journeyman, 59th Dental Support Squadron, 59th Dental Group, 59th Medical Wing, Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. During this period, Airman Ramirez's hard work and diligence enabled him to attain the highest productivity level among his peers, averaging 30,000 dollars annually in dental appliances and contributing to the laboratory flight's 1.5 million dollars in services. In addition, Airman Ramirez provided laboratory training to 20 dental assistants on 5-level core tasks enabling skill level upgrade ahead of schedule. Furthermore, he adopted a military working dog for 30 days and provided social skills training, saving 900 dollars in boarding expenses for the 59th Security Forces Group. Finally, as the 59th Dental Support Squadron's Combined Federal Campaign representative, he achieved 100 percent contact helping the Dental Group raise 27,500 dollars. The distinctive accomplishments of Senior Airman Ramirez reflect credit upon himself, the 59th Dental Support Squadron and the United States Air Force.




Staff Sergeant Jill J. Caston distinguished herself by meritorious service while serving as Dental Technician, 6th Dental Squadron, 6th Medical Group, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. During this period, Sergeant Caston served in the Oral Maxillofacial Surgery Department and assisted in more than 3,700 procedures and 1.1 million dollars worth of specialty care resulting in a 97 percent deployment readiness rate for MacDill personnel, a facility best in six years. Additionally, she delivered on-call surgical triage for 40,000 beneficiaries and saved the Air Force 75,000 dollars in emergency department expenses. Furthermore, she established an external resource sharing agreement with a local hospital and coordinated 240 hours of off-site operatory room cases, saving 450,000 dollars in outsource costs. Finally, she developed and implemented MacDill Air Force Base's first ever mass physical evaluation program that saved 220 annual man hours and decreased appointment wait time by 90 percent. The distinctive accomplishments of Staff Sergeant Caston reflect credit upon herself, the 6th Dental Squadron, and the United States Air Force.




Senior Airman Francisca B. Stepp distinguished herself by meritorious service while serving as Dental Assistant, 60th Dental Squadron, 60th Medical Group, 60th Air Mobility Wing, Travis Air Force Base, California. During this period, the outstanding professional skill, dedication, and ceaseless efforts of Airman Stepp resulted in major contributions to the effectiveness and success of the 60th Dental Squadron. While assigned to the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery flight, she assisted 14 residents during their four year program, delivering over seven million dollars in treatment to more than one thousand beneficiaries. Additionally, Airman Stepp was crucial in training 11 technicians on 76 oral surgery tasks, increasing flight manning by 60 percent and ensuring efficient and timely upgrade training progression. Furthermore, as the systems liaison and radiology monitor, she maintained an expansive equipment inventory, and coordinated the repair of over one hundred system and mechanical failures, enabling 20,000 patient visits. Finally, during the annual record audit, Airman Stepp reviewed and corrected 130 patient records, helping to increase the Wing dental readiness rate to 76% and directly contributed to the 60th Dental Squadron being awarded the Air Mobility Command Large Dental Clinic of the Year Award. The distinctive accomplishments of Senior Airman Stepp reflect credit upon herself, the 60th Dental Squadron and the United States Air Force.




Technical Sergeant Natasha N. Bricklen distinguished herself by meritorious service while serving as Clinical Flight Chief, 31st Dental Squadron, 31st Medical Group, Aviano Air Base, Italy. During this period, Sergeant Bricklen provided critical technical support to the organization by timely management of essential equipment and supplies valued in excess of seven hundred thousand dollars. In addition, her innovative management was instrumental in the creation of Aviano's first ever Red Cross Volunteer Program, resulting in a ten percent increase in Squadron manning and a corresponding increase in patient satisfaction. Additionally, she orchestrated dental provider and technician patient schedules for 8,900 beneficiaries, enabling the production of over 980,000 dollars in dental care and smashing the Air Force goal by 10 percent. Further, her management of the Air Force Dental Readiness Assurance Program contributed to a 97.5 percent dental readiness rate, exceeding the Air Force standard of 95 percent. The distinctive accomplishments of Technical Sergeant Bricklen reflect credit upon herself, the 31st Dental Squadron and the United States Air Force.




Senior Airman Anthony P. Hironaka distinguished himself by meritorious service while serving as Dental Assistant Journeyman, 375th Dental Squadron, 375th Medical Group, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. During this period, Senior Airman Hironaka assisted with over 4,000 clinic procedures and produced over 25,000 dollars in patient care with a ninety nine percent customer satisfaction rate. His keen eye for detail aided in identifying and correcting 65 administrative errors in the sensitive duties program which supported 2,200 sorties being flown. He also receritfied 40 members on their annual radiology checklist and reviewed 900 MiPacs conversion accounts. Moreover, Senior Airman Hironaka served as the squadrons CRIB note facilitator which pushed critical information on a weekly basis to 73 staff members leading to an outstanding JCAHO inspection. Finally, his superb customer service skills and dedication to patient care led to the squadron being awarded AMC Large Dental Clinic of the Year 2016. The distinctive accomplishments of Senior Airman Hironaka reflect credit upon himself, the 375th Dental Squadron and the United States Air Force.




Staff Sergeant David M. Walker distinguished himself by meritorious service while serving as Assistant NCOIC, Dental Laboratory, 39th Medical Operations Squadron, 39th Medical Group, Incirlik Air Base, Turkey. During this period, Sergeant Walker's technical skill led to an impressive 99 percent of all orthodontic appliances he fabricated being rated "Outstanding" by five providers with an impressive one percent remake rate, surpassing the Air Force standard of four percent. Additionally, as dental laboratory equipment custodian, he accounted for and secured 135 thousand dollars worth of equipment with zero discrepancies during the annular audit. Further, his oversight of seven hundred and fifty grams of gold worth ten thousand dollars directly contributed to the dental flight's "Outstanding" rating during the 2010 Health Services Inspection. Finally, Sergeant Walker fabrication of 55 thousand dollars worth of composite dental products was instrumental in 99.2 percent of Incirlik's 4,500 warriors being rated dental ready. The distinctive accomplishments of Staff Sergeant Walker reflect credit upon himself, the 39th Medical Operations Squadron and the United States Air Force.




Master Sergeant Harold A. Maynard distinguished himself in the performance of outstanding service to the United States as Noncommissioned Officer in Charge, Dental Support Flight, 86th Dental Squadron, 86th Medical Group, 86th Airlift Wing, Ramstein Air Base, Germany. During this period, Sergeant Maynard advised the United States Air Forces in Europe Command Dental Surgeon, 123 dental officers, and 300 enlisted personnel on dental policies, programs, and procedures. His efforts improved dental clinic efficiency, resulting in a 98 percent class one and two base readiness rate, exceeding the Air Force goal by three percent and producing a four percent overall increase in productivity command wide. Additionally, as a key Medical Control Center member, he skillfully directed 74 medics and safeguarded 30 million dollars in medical assets vital to the 435th Air Base Wing's "Excellent" Operational Readiness Inspection rating. Furthermore, his effective management and tireless efforts were instrumental in the efficient operation of the dental clinic, leading to the 86th Dental Squadron winning the United States Air Forces in Europe Large Dental Clinic of the Year award and earning an "Outstanding" rating on the Health Services Inspection. Finally, Sergeant Maynard's dedication to duty resulted in his selection as the 435th Dental Squadron's Senior Noncommissioned Officer of the quarter. The singularly distinctive accomplishments of Master Sergeant Maynard culminate a distinguished career in the service of his country and reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.



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