PRP Changes: "With great power comes great responsibility" Published Sept. 17, 2014 By Airman Malcolm Mayfield 90th Missile Wing Public Affairs F.E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. -- The Medical Treatment Facility recently implemented a Force Improvement Program initiative by changing how their Personnel Reliability Program is run. PRP Airmen have been given more flexibility when it comes to medical treatment with the elimination of the "orange sheet," the system has become less bureaucratic, and PRP monitors are empowering the individuals to take responsibility. Up until recently, patients were required to receive an orange sheet from their PRP monitor if they had an off-base appointment and could not get back "up" on PRP until after the Competent Medical Authority reviewed the orange sheet and talked to the Airmen to determine if they able to return to duty. "Now the process has changed. They still have to notify their PRP monitors about any medical appointments, but the PRP monitors and the commanding officers have the flexibility to ask appropriate questions and get a good feel of the member's reliability for themselves," said Maj. Oscar Sanders, 90th Medical Operations Squadron. The trust factor is an aspect of the program that PRP Airmen appreciate, Sanders said. One of the real benefits of these changes is there are fewer burdens on the patients, which will increase their satisfaction, said Capt. David Kornack, 90th MDOS PRP element chief. "What it has done for us in the medical clinic is it's given us more time, so we can address problems when they come up, for people who really need to be seen," said Robert Washburn, 90th MDOS alternate lead competent medical authority. It has given us a better handle on those folks and more time to be able to spend with everybody, instead of brief visits designed to determine the Airman's reliability, Washburn said. The previous method was in place so the medics, certifying official's and PRP monitors could protect the assets to the highest level. "We are still protecting the system, but the impudence has been put on the certifying officials and the individual- the contract between those two to make sure nothing is impacting their ability to perform their duties," Washburn said. This new initiative has given the program back in the hands of the PRP Airmen, which has been beneficial not only to the individual but also to the mission, Sanders said. "With great power, comes great responsibility." Washburn said. "They have that responsibility to monitor their own healthcare, to report any issues that may come up to their CO or their PRP monitors so that they can be addressed appropriately." With that responsibility, PRP Airmen have to take it seriously, Washburn said. "One of the other things that we did that wasn't done before is we initiated an auto return policy," Kornack said. Now PRP Airmen are able to get back to the mission faster because of the new return policy. "What we used to do was something called a hard return policy; for instance a provider would say to you," I'm going to suspend you for X amount of days because you're on this narcotic. When you complete that narcotic or when you no longer need it, you need to come to me in the allotted amount of days for a return to duty evaluation," Kornack said. With the auto return policy, PRP Airmen are able to return to work after 24 hours after their last dosage, assuming there are no impairing symptoms. PRP Airmen should let their monitors know if something isn't working out for them. "If it's something that's in our power that we can make changes to give our members better service, we'll definitely look at that," Washburn said. The Clinic will still remain as vigilant as it has ever been, Kornack said. "Once everything settles down and we're able to evaluate the new system, we'll see that we have a better product," Washburn said. "We will all be better for it; we'll be able to serve the patients better, serve the wing better and serve the mission better."