Florida Veteran Health Heroes

Captain Páula M. Clark recent- ly retired after serving honor- ably for 21 years in the United States Air Force. Her most re- cent command leadership was as the Compliance, Quality and Risk Management Execu- tive Officer for the 92nd Med- ical Group, Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Work- er with service in the Biomedical Sciences Corps since 2006. Most recently, she served as an advisor to the 92nd Medical Group Executive Team, supporting a staff of approximately 280 medical professionals who pro- vided care for 38,000 beneficiaries. Captain Clark’s first exposure to military service came through her father, a career member of the United States Marine Corps. She enlisted in the United States Air Force in April 1994, beginning her career as a law enforcement officer. In 2006, she received her commission as an of- ficer and entered the medical field as a Clinical Social Worker. In addition to her primary responsibility of delivering patient care, Captain Clark served in multiple leadership roles within the Mental Health Flight to include Mental Health Element Chief, Family Advocacy Program Man- ager and Chief, Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention and Treatment Program Manager, and Chief of Exceptional Family Member Program. She has deployed multiple times in support of Operations Desert Storm, Southern Watch, Noble Eagle, Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Free- dom. Most recently, Captain Clark served as the Chief of Mental Health Services for the 5th Fleet, US Naval Forces Central Command Detachment where she was the sole mental health provider for 1,900 Joint Warfight- ers to include an Army Air Defense Artillery and Marine Aircraft Group. She earned both her Bachelor (Cum Laude) and Mas- ter of Social Work degrees from Florida State University (FSU) in Tallahassee, Florida, while also serving with the Florida Air National Guard and working with the Leon County Sheriff’s Office and a local hospice. Captain Clark obtained licensure as a social worker in Florida through the Department of Health’s Veterans Application for Licensure Online Response system, or VALOR. She continues to practice as a licensed clinical social worker with a focus on making the FSU campus more veteran friendly. In addition, she directs a cancer support group she co-founded called “Choosing Hope in Cancer” (CHICks). 5 Florida Veteran Health Heroes Paula Clark, MSW, LCSW, USAF (Retired) ’