SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. - Satisfactory.
That is the score the 158th Medical Group got on their recent Health Services Inspection and Maj. Michael Romp was more than satisfied. The medical group, hamstrung by the constraints of the Operational Readiness Inspection, didn’t have the 24-month window suggested by inspectors to prepare.
“So often in our group it comes down to whether we support operational readiness, such as ORIs or do we work on our administration duties,” he said.
The inspection lasted but a few days as inspectors poured over hundreds of documents, picking away at details. Romp said National Guard units, in general, rarely get anything better than satisfactory grades on the inspections because there’s a lack of money, time and manpower to make sure paperwork is complete. Certain documents, such as two-week follow-up visits, are nearly impossible to do because that airman won’t be back for a month, maybe even more. Inevitably there are gaps in airmens' medical folders because there’s no treatment facility on base, and the medical group is at the mercy of people willing to give them the necessary documents.
Romp said if someone looked strictly at the administrative side of the medical group, the group wouldn’t fare well. He says that is because medical sacrifices many of its inspections for the overall of the base, such as during the ORI or making sure the airmen are in good health to deploy. But if that person looked at operational inspections of medical, such as during the ORI, he or she would see excellent across the board.
“The issues are manpower, resources, and time,” he said. “We have to prioritize. The bottom line for us is to make sure our airmen are healthy and ready to deploy at a moment’s notice.”