European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 23, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wednesday april 23, 1986 the stars and stripes Page 9 at left Hawkes hears comments of sgt. Leonard Van Valkenberg. At right she talks with from left Maria Rivera Petra Martin Judith Owens and Karen Van champs official finds All s Well on Border by Judy Sarasohn medical writer bad Hersfeldt Germany the civilian health and medical program of the uniformed services went to the East German Border monday. Teresa Hawkes director of champs talked with military wives at bad Hersfeldt about their medical care and then met with soldiers of the 3rd so Lith army Cav regt on duty about 10 Miles away at observation pos Romeo on the Border. Bad Hersfeldt s army clinic with limited medical serv ices is 85 Miles away from the closest . Army Hospital at Frankfurt. Soldiers families often seek care from local German doctors and wives deliver their babies at nearby German hospitals. Champs pays the bulk of the Cost for military family members who seek outpatient medical care from private physicians and for private inpatient treatment when that care is unavailable from a military Hospital or the military facility is too far away. The family pays a portion of the Cost. Active duty members Are not eligible for champs although the program processes their claims which Are paid by the individual armed services. Although warned by medical officials that she would get complaints about champs Hawkes heard Little that was negative from soldiers and their wives. I think they wanted me to leave with the feeling that they Are not gripes. They re not negative Hawkes said. If they had serious complaints she said she relieved they would have spoken up. Hawkes said she was impressed with the Pride the sol Diers family members and medical personnel showed in their roles in Germany particularly in the Small relatively Remote town of bad Hersfeldt. I want to go Back and make sure we re doing some thing for them Hawkes said. Karen Loufek wife of capt. Jay Loufek told Hawkes that the medical care from the German physicians has been Good. She was concerned however that the doctors had performed tests on her child without telling her. Hawkes later asked German officials at the bad hers Feld county Hospital if they believed the americans were challenging them when they asked questions. It s the american Way she said to ask 5  the Hospital administrator said German doctors Are required to inform patients about what they re doing and to answer questions. Petra Martin wife of spec. 4 James Martin brought Bills from the Hospital and champs that she did understand. The German Hospital sends me this Hospital Bill saying i have to pay this. Then champs says this amount Martin said. Hawkes and some of the other women there explained that the German Bill was an initial estimate. If the final champs Bill is less then she will be reimbursed by the Hospital they said. At the Border Hawkes talked with some of the soldiers and saw the line they guarded. They serve at the Border for three weeks at a time. I m pleased with champs Overall sgt. Steven Golden told her. He was concerned however that . Medical officials did not visit his wife when she was in Agerman Hospital. Hawkes asked How life was in the Border Community. It s interesting said sgt. Leonard Van Valkenberg. How is it really he conceded that it s different than being in a big place like in the states. Here for something major you have to go to Fulda or  it. Col. George Crocker commander of the Community and 3rd so said he has difficulty explaining to Young soldiers the champs program in t free despite their belief that they were promised 100 percent medical car for their families. We Are off the beaten path. We tend to think justifiably so i think that we need a Little extra Loving care Crocker said. The German Hospital officials in bad Hersfeldt also did not complain to Hawkes. They praised the help of Alfred Schade the army clinic s health benefits adviser in keep ing relations smooth. He has been with the clinic for 35years. The Hospital receives its american payments within seven to eight weeks of Billing which the officials said was Good considering the complexity of the champs pro Gram. Medical unit gives non smokers a Home of their own by Joe Mapother Bremerhaven Bureau Berlin the sign on the medical company Barracks door depicting a lighted cigarette bisected by a red slash is meant for resident and visitor alike life in Stair Well c is devoid of cigarettes. Let s face it the army medical corps should be in the forefront of a policy change like this said capt. Terry Cox medical company commander at the Berlin military Hospital. Cox decided earlier this year to create the no smoking stairwell in response to a Call by it. Gen. Quinn Becker army sur Geon general for medical officers to explore the possibilities of segregating billeting for smokers and non smokers. Non smoking residents of the modern red Brick Barracks behind the main Hospital building targeted the potential danger of inhaling second hand cigarette smoke and the inconvenience of sharing a room with a smoker As reasons Why they supported the change. Several cigarette aficionados said they favored the change because As spec. 4, and smoker Julie Pickel put it non smokers have the right not to be inhibited by  Usa eur and 7th medical come spokesmen said they had no Way of knowing How Many units have non smoking residential areas. Cox asked company 1st sgt. Larry Ober Heim to locate smokers and non smokers in the Barracks. He discovered that moving a few soldiers would create a Complete Stair Well of non smokers. Cox said he planned to keep stairwell c permanently smoke free and juggle new arrivals among the 55 smokers and non smok ers living in company billeting. We re going to handle it by floors in the other two stairwells Cox said of the two month old Experiment. There was a Little fear among smokers that this was another Way to do away with their rights Cox said. However Cox said he has no plans to ban smoking in the pub Lic rooms of the Barracks. I. Won t do that because that space is for everybody Cox said. Non smokers will have to live with smoke in the poolroom and party rooms he said. If it really bothers them then i think they should ask the individual smoker for Relief and not the com Pany  nearly 1 million military servicemen Bers about 47 percent of the total smoke cigarettes according to recent Pentagon figures. The percentage of cigarette smok ers in the military is significantly higher than in civilian life according to . Government statistics. Some Pentagon and military health officials have charged that Low cigarette prices 5 percent above Cost in military commis Saries contribute to the higher smoking rate among service members. Until 1972, cigarettes were distributed free in Field ration packages. In March Secretary of defense Caspar Weinberger issued a health directive in response to Calls for a ban on military cigarette sales that among other Steps called for separating smokers and non smokers in living quarters wherever possible. Cox said he hoped that a medical company commander arriving in Berlin 10 years from now would find the situation in the Barracks reversed instead of one stairwell of non smokers a single stairwell of cigarette smokers. Sgt. America Guerrios arrived in Berlin two months ago and because she always had to leave the window open to Clear out smoke generated by her cigarette smoking Roommate she asked for a non smoking Roommate. Depending on the Success of programs like the one started by the Berlin medical company Guerrios May be Able to request a smoke free stairwell on her next duty assignment