• Andrew Hall, Jack Leech, Lauren Schmeider, Michael Swayze, Jennifer Saenz, and Glenn Currier.
• USCENTCOM Office of the Command Surgeon, MacDill AFB, FL 33621, USA.
• Mil Med. 2024 Aug 19; 189 (Suppl 3): 182018-20.

BackgroundMental health diagnosis requiring further treatment is one of the top reasons for medical evacuation in the U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) area of responsibility (AOR) as of 2022. This study establishes a baseline in which the effectiveness of medical interventions can be measured to determine if they have an impact on the rate of evacuation out of USCENTCOM.Materials And MethodsThe study period was January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2021. Individual evacuation data including date of initial movement and necessary specialty care requirements originating from the USCENTCOM AOR were acquired via U.S. Transportation Command's Regulating and Command & Control Evacuation System. The base evacuation rate was calculated for each month, and evacuation rates were analyzed for variations.ResultsFor the entire study period, the mean monthly evacuation rate was 0.44 evacuations per 1,000 people in the AOR (95% CI, 0.41-0.47). There was no statistically significant difference between any monthly evacuation rate (P = .505). There is a statistically significant difference in the mean evacuation rates for calendar years (P = .003). The highest evacuation rate occurred in 2021.ConclusionsThe study establishes a benchmark mental health evacuation rate. This rate will be useful for assessing mental health evacuation reduction initiatives in the USCENTCOM AOR.Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Association of Military Surgeons of the United States 2024. This work is written by (a) US Government employee(s) and is in the public domain in the US.

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