Holiday Safety Standdown
The Pax River Holiday Safety Standdown will be Nov. 17-19 at the Base Theater. There will be two sessions each day — 7:30-11 a.m. and noon-3:30 p.m. — and will feature presentations on fire safety, holiday stress and depression, cyber use safety, seasonal influenza, winter driving, and texting while driving. There will be interpreters for the hearing impaired at the Nov. 19 7:30-11 a.m. session only.

Seasonal flu vaccine eventscheduled by Health Clinic
A new shipment of the injectable seasonal influenza vaccine has arrived at the Pax River Naval Health Clinic. As a result, there will be a special seasonal influenza vaccine event on Veterans Day, Nov. 11 at both the Immunizations Clinic and Preventative Medicine from 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m. (closed from 12:30-1 p.m. for lunch).

Other than this shipment, supplies have been minimal. Outside of the Veterans Day event, call the clinic at 301-342-4972 to check on vaccine availability before going to the clinic for either FluMist or injectable vaccines.

Walk-in hours for the FluMist nasal seasonal influenza vaccine (for ages 18-49) available in the Preventive Medicine Department are every Tuesday and Thursday, 8-11:30 a.m. and 12:30-3 p.m. while supplies last.

Pediatric injectable seasonal vaccine (ages 6-35 months) and injectable seasonal vaccine for pregnant women is also available on a walk-in basis from 1-3 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday afternoons. FluMist is being given in the immunizations department to those aged 2-17 as well as during the walk-in hours while supplies last.

The H1N1 vaccine has been ordered and is projected for mid-November delivery. Enough doses have been ordered to provide vaccine for active duty, family members, retirees, government civilians and contractors.

Couples Retreat
The Pax River Chaplains Office and the Fleet and Family Support Center are sponsoring a day-long Couples Retreat Saturday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Pax River Beach House. The retreat is designed to help partners say what they need to say and increase their communication with each other. Breakfast lunch and child care will be provided. Space is limited and registration is required. Registration deadline is Oct. 28. For more information, call 301-342-4911 or 301-342-3811.

Scouting for Food
Historic Cub Scout Pack 413 based at NAS Pax River will participate in the annual nationwide food drive organized by the Boy Scouts of America called Scouting for Food. Scouts will distribute bags for food collection at all housing areas on base Saturday, and will collecting those bags next Saturday, Nov. 14. There will also be a box at the commissary during this time for food donations. Scouting for Food is the main food drive for the Lexington Park area and all food collected will be distributed locally through the food pantry at Immaculate Heart of Mary Roman Catholic Church.

Health Care ConsumerCouncil meeting
The next Health Care Consumer Council meeting will be held Nov. 17, 10-11 a.m. at the Pax River Naval Health Clinic Command Conference Room. It is open to all TRICARE beneficiaries. To view the meeting agenda, visit www.med.navy.mil⁄sites⁄paxriver⁄Pages⁄hccc.htm. For more information, contact Jane Hambel at 301-995-4980 or jane.hambel@med.navy.mil.

Marine CorpsBirthday Ball Run
The Pax River Marine Aviation Detachment will hold the Marine Corps Birthday Ball Run Tuesday beginning at 7:45 a.m. at the Soccer Field adjacent to the library (Bldg. 407). It will go through the main streets of Pax River to celebrate the Marine Corps’ 234th Birthday, finishing just after 9 a.m.. The event is not limited to Marines, however; both Sailors and civilians can join in the run.

Clinic enrollmentfor retirees changed
Effective immediately, the Pax River Naval Health Clinic is no longer accepting enrollment waiver requests from adult retirees and their adult family members. Requests for retiree family members age 17 and under will still be accepted for enrollment to the clinic’s pediatric department.

This policy is temporary and will be reevaluated in approximately three months. For more information, visit the enrollment office located in the TRICARE Service Center at the clinic.