86th MDG helping with SICK

by Senior Airman Damon Kasberg
86th Airlift Wing Public Affairs

Who has time and money to be sick in today’s Air Force? No one, but if you find yourself under the weather and don’t have either to spare, the 86th Medical Group is here to help.

The Self-Initiated Care Kit or SICK program is designed to help Airmen save time and money.

“We’re really excited about our program,” said Maj. Tonya Mial, 86th MDG health care integrator. “We really want to honor people’s time, especially in this environment where it’s difficult to get off work.”

Photo7aOne of the biggest highlights of the program is the ability for Airmen and their family members to receive over-the-counter medication from the 86th MDG pharmacy at no cost.

“The SICK Program has been extremely useful for me,” said Senior Airman Caleb Forman, 450th Intelligence Squadron. “Instead of running out to find the right medicines to treat my symptoms, I was able to get my SICK card in a matter of minutes. Now, whenever I get sick, I can go to the pharmacy and pick up meds for my specific illness, and best of all, it’s free.”

TriCare and MiCare online and familydoctor.org are other avenues the program has available which help Airmen save time. TriCare online allows patients to make appointments from a computer, while MiCare allows them to message their primary provider, and the website www.familydoctor.org can be used to self-check symptoms and remedies.

“My daughter started at the CDC last week and within the first six weeks every child must have a CDC health care questionnaire completed,” said Capt. Janelle Quinn, 86th MDG. “With my first child we had to bring her into the clinic. For this child, since I have MiCare, I was able to do everything online. It saved a lot of time, not having to make an appointment and take my daughter out of daycare to the clinic.”

Whether it’s scheduling an appointment, contacting your primary care providers or saving money on medication, the staff of the 86th MDG and SICK program are here to help.

For more information on the SICK program and how to enroll, call the 86th MDG appointment line at 479-2273 or 0671-46-2273 or e-mail 86MDG.sickprogram@us.af.mil.