Military and civilian federal employees of the Department of Defense’s Military Health System will begin phasing in training from the American Red Cross for life-support training programs.

The training includes Basic Life Support, Advanced Cardiac Life Support and Pediatric Advanced Life Support courses and will be administered by the Military Training Network.

The Military Training Network ensures compliance for resuscitative and trauma medicine training programs for service members and Department of Defense affiliates worldwide.

“This transition further highlights the ongoing successful relationship between the DoD and the American Red Cross, which dates back to 1881 following Red Cross founder Clara Barton’s experiences in the Civil War,” said Air Force Col (Dr.) John Wightman, chair of USU’s Department of Military and Emergency Medicine, which oversees the Military Training Network. “Standardizing these courses across the entire Military Health System will ensure providers, nurses and technicians are all working as an interdisciplinary team when responding to life-threatening situations inside our medical treatment facilities and in more austere deployed settings.”

“The American Red Cross has a long history of supporting service men and women and their families and we have thousands of volunteers who work in our military treatment facilities caring for them today,” said Jack McMaster, president of American Red Cross Training Services. “We are proud to broaden our relationship with the Military Training Network so that their members will continue to have the knowledge and skills to respond to emergencies and save lives.”

The Red Cross will provide all Basic Life Support instruction and proof of Basic Life Support course completion for civilian and active-duty staffs beginning Nov. 1. The Military Training Network will transition to the Red Cross for the Advanced Life Support and Pediatric Advanced Life Support courses for instruction and certification on Jan. 1, 2019.