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Falls Church, Va.– The Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, Va., and Naval Medical Center San Diego are pilot sites for a new e-mail-based communication service for military families that have a member with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

TRICARE encourages beneficiaries in the pilot program areas who have children with autism spectrum disorders to subscribe to this email service for Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, or for Naval Medical Center San Diego.

The service begins when a patient is diagnosed with ASD. For the first eight weeks after the diagnosis, the patient’s family receives customized weekly e-mails, followed by bi-weekly e-mails sent throughout the first year after diagnosis. The e-mails focus on coping, family life, research, resources, and others’ experiences with ASD—all to support the family and let them know they are not alone.

Hospital-specific and Department of Defense “need-to-know” information is included in the e-mails along with local and national resources. The program allows the military treatment facilities to provide authoritative information for patients’ families all by e-mail.

“Knowing what a difficult and overwhelming time this is for parents, enrolling patients into this service is truly an act of caring for these families,” said Navy Capt. Gretchen A. Meyer, a neuro-developmental pediatrician at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth. “It contains the key information providers want their patients’ families to know, as well as hospital-specific, local and national resources.”

For information about TRICARE programs for beneficiaries with autism spectrum disorders, go to Tricare and select the link for TRICARE’s Autism Services Demonstration.

About TRICARE Management Activity and the Military Health System
TRICARE Management Activity, the Defense Department activity that administers the health care plan for the uniformed services, retirees and their families, serves more than 9.4 million eligible beneficiaries worldwide in the Military Health System (MHS). The mission of the MHS is to enhance Department of Defense and national security by providing health support for the full range of military operations. The MHS provides quality medical care through a network of providers, military treatment facilities, medical clinics and dental clinics worldwide.  For more information visit the MHS website.

The original article can be found at the Tricare Pressroom.

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