BARNES AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Massachusetts -- Senior Airman Daniela Rizzari, 104th Medical Group aerospace medical technician is among the Airmen in the 104th MDG playing a vital role in ensuring a ready force at the 104th Fighter Wing.
Rizzari was recently recognized at the 104th Fighter Wing 45th Annual Awards Banquet as the Technician of the Year for her dedication to the medical career field, ensuring mission readiness and helping to improve processes at the 104th MDG.
In 2018 she was able to increase the optometry standards compliance rate for pilots and firefighters by 75%.
“Once I was back from tech school and was assigned to that area of the clinic, I started looking into it,” said Rizzari. “We had a lot of things in place that needed to be updated. So I worked with Chief Master Sgt. Brown on what we needed to do.”
Rizzari reviewed 545 preventative health assessment questionnaires during the first iteration of “The PHAst Track”, a mass-processing event designed to be a more efficient way to ensure mission readiness.
Rizzari said she saw opportunities for improvement and believed it was part of her duties to get the job done.
“I think the biggest thing throughout the year was just having that willingness to take on what you can take on,” said Rizzari. “Not think about things like, ‘That’s not my job. That’s not my role.’”
Rizzari’s dedication to the medical career field applies to her academic studies as well. She is currently working towards a Health Associates degree at Springfield Technical Community College, and said the things she learns in school and at work support each other.
“I get a better understanding of what I’m doing here,” said Rizzari. “A lot of students haven’t had any hands on medical training, so I think it was really helpful when we would talk about things in class and I would think, ‘I’ve done this.’”
Rizzari said she does the Random Antiterrorism Measures for her building, and is the director for the Basic Life Support program here, in addition to her daily duties such as eye exams, tracking forms and immunizations.
“I like what I do here,” said Rizzari. “I think by nature I’m a helpful person. I like being that point of contact for people that maybe think they can’t accomplish something on time, and helping them get what they need.”