Medical Affairs Branch - New TRICARE Service Point of Contact

Submitted by Mr. Russell J. Garisto, Chief, Medical Affairs Branch, OCCSS, PSC

The Medical Affairs Branch, Office of Commissioned Corps Support Services, Program Support Center, is pleased to welcome CAPT Michael C. Arnold as the new TRICARE Service Point of Contact. CAPT Arnold has assumed this position, which was previously held by CDR Deborah Lake, and will also continue in his role as Dental Consultant for the Active Duty Dental Program of the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service (Corps). CAPT Arnold has been a member of the Corps since 1988, having joined the Indian Health Service (IHS) immediately after graduating from the Oregon Health Sciences University School of Dentistry. He was first assigned to the Navajo Area IHS at Fort Defiance, AZ. He soon reopened a satellite clinic in Navajo, NM, splitting his clinical time between the Fort Defiance and Navajo clinics. In late 1990, CAPT Arnold took a position with the Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation (YKHC) Dental Clinic in Bethel, AK. He worked for YKHC until 1993. As a dentist for YKHC, CAPT Arnold spent 12 weeks a year providing dental care to various villages located throughout the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta region of southwest Alaska. These villages were reached via small aircraft or snowmobiles. In 1993, CAPT Arnold was selected as the staff dental officer for the Commissioned Officers Dental Clinic at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD. CAPT Arnold worked for the clinic, taking on higher billets until eventually being selected as clinic chief in 2004. When interviewing CAPT Arnold for the position, his strong customer service skills were immediately noticed, coupled with a sincere desire to contribute toward the mission of the Corps. His talents are a welcomed addition to the Medical Affairs Branch, and we are very confident that CAPT Arnold will do an amazing job in his new position. Note: A phone listing for staff members of the Medical Affairs Branch is available at http://dcp.psc.gov/MAB.ASP.

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