DHA, Army Medicine, BACH leaders team to optimize readiness

Photo By Laura Boyd | From right, Col. Vincent B. Myers, Blanchfield Army Community Hospital, commander, hosted Mr. Robert Goodman, Defense Health Agency, deputy assistant director for Financial Operations, and Mr. Joseph Rheney, U.S. Army Medical Command, deputy chief of staff for Resources, Infrastructure and Strategy, June 7, 2022. As the primary military treatment facility in DHA's Southwest Kentucky market, BACH supports the medical readiness of Soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), 5th Special Forces Group, the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment and other units on Fort Campbell, and is responsible for healthcare delivery to approximately 73,000 Military Health System beneficiaries enrolled to the hospital.  

FORT CAMPBELL, KY, UNITED STATES

06.21.2022

Story by Maria Christina Yager 

Blanchfield Army Community Hospital

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. – Leaders from the Defense Health Agency and Army Medicine visited Blanchfield Army Community Hospital recently, observing the interagency integration, with an eye on readiness, since the hospital’s administrative functions transferred from the Army to DHA last year.

“This is the first in what we hope to be a series of visits to Army medical treatment facilities to discuss with commanders, leaders and staff on the ground with regards to the Military Health System transition. Part of this is to build relationships and understand what challenges [MTFs] are having on the ground, and from my perspective, to make sure we’re resourcing readiness in the right way and are also supporting, all the way down to the MTFs, what their needs are for support,” said Mr. Joseph Rheney, U.S. Army Medical Command, deputy chief of staff for Resources, Infrastructure and Strategy.”

BACH Commander, Col. Vincent B. Myers invited Rheney and Mr. Robert Goodman, Defense Health Agency deputy assistant director for Financial Operations, to visit the hospital and outlying clinics, to hear from staff, gather data and review resources used to support BACH’s mission.

“It was critically important for our top two financial leaders with DHA and MEDCOM to view the complexity and mission of our organization first-hand. The operations at Blanchfield Army Community Hospital and the readiness support for the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) and Fort Campbell partners was on full display,” said Myers.

As the primary military treatment facility in DHA's Southwest Kentucky market, BACH supports the medical readiness of service members from the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), 5th Special Forces Group, the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment and other units on Fort Campbell and is responsible for healthcare delivery to approximately 73,000 Military Health System beneficiaries enrolled to the hospital.

Military clinics and hospitals, like BACH, are also an important aspect in maintaining a ready medical Force. They serve as a platform for Army, Navy and Air Force physicians, nurses, medics and other service members with health care specialties to use their medical skills for deployment in clinical settings when they aren’t deployed.

“Blanchfield supports Army readiness by ensuring Soldiers are medically ready to deploy. In addition Blanchfield serves as a great opportunity for Army medical personnel assigned to operational units to come and practice their skills to make sure they are ready to do their mission during wartime,” said Rheney.

One example is Maj. Amanda Haney, an OB-GYN assigned to the 101st whose day-to-day duties are at BACH Women’s Health Clinic.

“I’m personally what you call a ‘mapped’ provider to a unit. If that unit deploys, they take me as their battalion surgeon. Even as OBGYN’s we are military doctors and we also maintain training on things that are not associated with OBGYN,” said Haney, who if deployed will support a Role 1 facility, like a Battalion Aid Station, providing primary and emergency care. She could also deploy in support of forward surgical teams because her OBGYN training includes surgical skills. At BACH, in addition to her other duties, she performed more than 50 surgical procedures in the past nine months, enabling her to remain proficient on skills the Army may need her to perform down range.

“It is a partnership that goes both ways with the hospital ensuring that at any time, the Soldiers are ready to go, and for the medical operational forces to hone their skills and make sure they are ready to go,” said Rheney.

Goodman agreed.

“Ready medical Forces is our most important mission. It doesn’t matter if it is Army, Navy, Air Force or Navy in support of Marines,” said Goodman. DHA is a critical enabler, working with the services to advance the health and readiness of service members and to manage the medical readiness platforms that keep the medical force ready to support operations worldwide.

“So we’re here to support and not change any of that. The DHA is here looking to make sure we have the right information for what the resourcing is going to be and what those expectations are for how those resources are used,” Goodman said, who has already conducted 11 similar MTF visits with his Air Force counterpart Brig. Gen. Alfred K. Flowers, director, Manpower, Personnel, and Resources, and Chief of the Medical Service Corps, Office of the Air Force Surgeon General.

The group also met with operational commanders from units on post to gather their input.

“The reason for our visit is to work with the Defense Health Agency and that we never lose sight of the overall mission. Resources have changed with the MHS transition, but what we need to keep coming back to is the service members and the families and the retirees that we care for and ensuring that we have a Force that is ready to go to war at any time.” Rheney said.

Myers considers the visit a success as he continues to build upon the resources he is responsible to use effectively and expand on partnerships to support increased readiness capabilities for the 101st and the Fort Campbell population BACH serves.

“The visit with Mr. Rheney and Mr. Goodman enabled BACH leaders to share our vision for the future and the opportunities to support the warfighter and our entire population. BACH has a bright future!” said Myers.

• Date Taken: 06.21.2022
• Date Posted: 06.21.2022 14:24
• Story ID: 423449
• Location: FORT CAMPBELL, KY, US