Skip to main content (Press Enter).
 News
    
        Photos

    Week in Photos

    Air Force TV

    Commentaries

    Features

    Art

    About Us
    
        Air Force Senior Leaders
    
        SECAF

    CSAF

    CMSAF

    Biographies

    Fact Sheets

    SECAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library
    
        CSAF Leadership Library 2022

    CSAF Leadership Library 2021

    CSAF Reading List Pre-2020 Archive
    
        2018 CSAF Reading List

    2017 CSAF Reading List

    2016 CSAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library 2023

    CMSAF Leadership Library

    50 Years of the CMSAF

    Adjunct Professors

    Air Force Strategic Documents

    Arctic Strategy

    Empowered Airmen

    State Licensure Portability

    Careers

    AF Federal Advisory Committees

    AF 75th Anniversary

    Policy Updates

    AF Content Management

    Contact Us

    AF Sites
    
        Site RegistrationU.S. Air Force LogoAir Force

        Policy UpdatesNewsroomReoptimizationBIOGRAPHIESAF Senior Leaders      New AF surgeon general program enhances support for EFMP families, Airmen, GuardiansPublished April 30, 2023
                    
                    
                    Air Force Surgeon General Public Affairs
            **FALLS CHURCH, Va. (AFNS)  --**April is the Month of the Military Child, a month highlighting the important role military children play in the military community. The Air Force surgeon general has made improving support for military children one of his priorities.

The health and well-being of military children is always a priority for military personnel. Their family’s care can greatly impact their mental health and readiness. This is especially true for Airmen and Guardians with children or adult dependents who have specialized care needs and are enrolled in the **Exceptional Family Member Program**, or EFMP.

Airmen from Hill Air Force Base play Simon Says with students at South Clearfield Elementary students, Clearfield, Utah, April 18, 2023.Airmen from Hill Air Force Base play Simon Says with students at South Clearfield Elementary students, Clearfield, Utah, April 18, 2023. The Airmen visited the school to celebrate the Month of the Military Child and educate students about military life. (U.S. Air Force photo by Cynthia Griggs)
            
            
            Photo Details /
                Download Hi-Res

    










**Air Force Medical Service** created Developmental and Behavioral Family Readiness Centers, or DBFRC. 

"DBFRC is something that we've been working on to improve families' access to the necessary developmental and behavioral support by optimizing existing medical resources," said Air Force Surgeon General **Lt. Gen. Robert Miller**. "This decreases the impact of specialized medical care as a limiting factor so that more of our service members can go where they are needed to support the mission."

DBFRC functions in a hub-and-spoke model where providers assigned to the hub will support multiple locations by leveraging a mix of virtual health care, teleconsultation and traveling to spoke bases. Each DBFRC hub can support up to 10 bases.

“DBFRC is designed to meet our Airmen and their families where they are,” said Col. Justin Rowberry, DBFRC director. “By nesting a DBFRC team at a larger centralized location, we are able to forward out to provide flexible, cost-effective, and timely care to families in locations where we have low resources.”

Each center will consist of a six-person medical team dedicated to the care of military children no matter where the mission takes them. Teams will be comprised of developmental-behavioral pediatricians and other specialists based on specific regional needs. These specialties may include child psychologists, social workers, child psychiatrists, PLAY autism therapists, speech-language therapists, mental health practitioners or nurse coordinators.

Currently, eight of the nine projected hub sites are operational: Eglin Air Force Base, Florida; Kadena Air Base, Japan; Langley AFB, Virginia; Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio; Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska; JB Lewis-McChord, Washington; JB San Antonio-Lackland, Texas; and Ramstein AB, Germany. The remaining hub planned for expansion in 2023 will be at Nellis AFB, Nevada.

Since its implementation, DBFRC has already demonstrated increased access with a reduction in appointment wait times, improved health outcomes and allowed more military families in the EFMP to transfer to locations that best support the mission, according to Rowberry.

"Our service members rely on us to take care of their families. The DBFRC program is not only the right thing to do to support Airmen, Guardians and their families but it also squarely supports our broader Air Force initiatives."Air Force Surgeon General Lt. Gen. Robert Miller Service members and families who need services the DBFRC program provides can contact their primary care manager for a referral to the DBFRC for assistance. Additional resources for family support and local organizations are available at **Military OneSource**.FS 



USAF 



AF 



Air Force 



Air Force Medical Service 



AFMS 



Month of the Military Child 



DBFRC 



Developmental and Behavioral Family Readiness Center 



EMFP 



Exceptional Family Member Program

Related Links
        Military OneSource
            
            Exceptional Family Member Program
            
            Five and Thrive Featured News
        Senior Leader Priorities
                DAF leaders talk budget, reoptimizing the force
                    
                    DAF leaders speak at National Character and Leadership Symposium
                    
                    DAF members recognized during BEYA STEM awards
                    
                    DAF senior enlisted advisors discuss Airmen, Guardians in the fight
                    
                    SecAF Kendall AFA Warfare Symposium Q&A: Reoptimizing for Great Power CompetitionInnovation
                AFWERX director discusses role of tech startups, quick innovation in Great Power Competition
                    
                    DAF delivers lethality at the speed of data during Project Convergence Capstone 4
                    
                    DAF welcomes industry partners to HQ development program
                    
                    DAF announces Spark Tank 2024 finalists
                    
                    Chief Digital, Artificial Intelligence Office to host hackathon in HawaiiMAJCOM News
                Safety enterprise announces new mission, vision, goals in 2024 strategic plan
                    
                    Air Combat Command welcomes new commander
                    
                    USAFE-AFAFRICA commander discusses Integrated Air, Missile Defense during Munich Security Conference
                    
                    Flosi to AFMC family: Embrace change, make every day count
                    
                    AMC rises to increasing global tension
 Quick Links
AccessibilityContact UsEqual OpportunityFOIA | Privacy | Section 508Information QualityInspector GeneralJAG Court-Martial DocketLink DisclaimerNo FEAR ActOpen GovernmentOSI Tip LinePlain LanguageQuestionsResilienceRSSSite MapVeterans Crisis LineCareers
Join the Air ForceAir Force BenefitsAir Force CareersAir Force ReserveAir National GuardCivilian ServiceConnect
            Get Social with Us
            
            Official United States Air Force Website
    Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil