The Aerospace Medicine Working Group focuses on updating and improving the Fit for Flying program originally developed under CAP’s Drug Demand Reduction initiative and now incorporated into the Health Services Program.

This training supports both Health Services Officers and CAP aircrew members. Future responsibilities for HSOs will include providing aeromedical briefings and wellness education to CAP flight crews.

This working group supports cadets interested in careers within health services and medical fields by developing educational programs, opportunities, and experiences for wings nationwide.

One successful example is Virginia Wing’s FAST (First Aid Support Team) program, which prepares cadets to assist Health Services Officers during encampments and large activities.

Wings are encouraged to develop additional local opportunities that support cadet career exploration and health services engagement.

Health services support at CAP encampments varies significantly across the country, ranging from comprehensive first aid operations involving cadet medical teams to limited or informal support structures.

This working group gathers information about existing encampment health programs and develops recommendations to assist wings in creating safe, effective, and standardized health services support at encampments.

First Aid training is required for several CAP Emergency Services qualifications. This working group serves as a subject matter expert resource and encourages the use of nationally recognized training standards and certification programs.

CAP supports programs such as Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC), American Red Cross, American Heart Association, ECSI, ASHI, and other nationally recognized providers.

The group also works to identify and share cost-saving training opportunities and best practices across the organization.

This working group develops a growing library of Health & Wellness briefings for CAP members and units.

Each briefing package includes a PowerPoint presentation, member handouts, and expanded briefing notes for presenters.

Health Services Officers interested in helping create wellness content are encouraged to participate in this working group.

This working group supports the development of the Health Services specialty track curriculum and prepares Health Services training for integration into the Absorb learning management system.

Historically, CAP Health Services training lacked standardization and consistent progression pathways. This group is developing structured training, mentoring, and orientation resources to improve the experience and readiness of new Health Services Officers.

The goal is to better prepare HSOs to provide valuable operational and wellness support throughout Civil Air Patrol.

The Mission Health Service Officer (MHSO) Development Working Group is creating the knowledge base, qualifications, and task requirements for the emerging Mission Health Service Officer specialty position.

The MHSO position is designed to function within Incident Management Teams alongside Mission Safety Officers, Mission Chaplains, and Public Information Officers.

These personnel will provide expert health and wellness advisory support to Incident Commanders and mission staff during operations.

This working group focuses on public health preparedness, infectious disease response, force protection planning, and disaster mitigation for Civil Air Patrol operations.

Members possess expertise in public health, epidemiology, emergency management, and disaster response and often engage with organizations such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Defense Health Agency.

The group develops contingency planning for future epidemics, pandemics, natural disasters, hazardous materials incidents, and chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) environments.

Their work emphasizes proactive planning, operational resiliency, and force protection measures that may support CAP missions during future emergencies.