Courtesy Photo | Lt. Col. (Dr.) Nghia Nguyen, 436th Medical Group pediatrician, conducts a virtual...... read more read more
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Delaware, MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Alabama, and JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, New Jersey, Sep. 3, 2025 – The 436th Medical Group at Dover AFB, Delaware, recently led a groundbreaking virtual health initiative to support two other Defense Health Network Central military treatment facilities.
The collaboration introduced virtual pediatric healthcare services to address anticipated staffing challenges and improve access to care for military families. The initiative extended virtual health assistance to the 42nd Medical Group at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, and the 87th Medical Group at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey.
How It Began
The idea for collaborative virtual pediatric care emerged during a briefing in which DHN Central leaders identified Dover’s excess pediatric capacity as a potential resource for the McGuire MTF. Leveraging existing virtual visit models, Dover tailored a solution to meet the needs of McGuire and later Maxwell beneficiaries.
The successful implementation of this innovative approach not only addressed the immediate needs of the McGuire and Maxwell communities but also set a precedent for future virtual healthcare initiatives across the network.
“Patients who used the virtual care services reported high levels of satisfaction with convenience and timeliness of care they received,” said Lt. Col. Deandra Price-Newby, Maxwell’s Healthcare Operations Squadron commander.
Implementation
The Dover team first tailored a solution appropriate to the types of pediatric appointments suitable for virtual care.
Coordination included granting staff permissions in the Military Health System’s electronic health record, MHS GENESIS, establishing dedicated messaging pools to streamline communication and ensure consistency, and refining protocols to ensure seamless implementation.
“One key challenge was managing adolescent behavioral health appointments,” said Maj. Jessie Sheldon, Dover’s group practice manager. “We addressed this by restricting initial behavioral health consultations and new prescriptions to in-person visits at the patient’s primary MTF. Open communication between group practice managers and providers proved essential in overcoming logistical hurdles and ensuring the program’s success.”
Maxwell’s Perspective
“Our pediatrics team encountered notable challenges before the partnership,” said Maj. Jennifer Shoemake, Maxwell MTF’s Maternal-Child Flight commander. “With one provider supporting beneficiaries at the time, our resources were stretched thin. This resulted in longer wait times for appointments, especially for acute and nonroutine care needs.”
“Our staff worked tirelessly to mitigate the impact, but it was clear that a supplementary solution was needed to maintain the high standard of care our patients deserved,” said Col. Clayton Rabens, Maxwell MTF director.
“The virtual care collaboration with Dover helped mitigate extended wait times and provided families with timely access to care,” Shoemake said.
Maxwell’s focus was on ensuring patients were familiar and comfortable using telehealth platforms. To address this, the team provided detailed pre-visit instructions and emphasized the availability of in-person appointments for those who preferred traditional care.
“We are incredibly grateful to Dover Pediatrics for their willingness to support Maxwell Pediatrics during this challenging time,” said Emily Hightower, Maxwell’s group practice manager. "This collaborative effort demonstrates the commitment of the Military Health System to providing high-quality care to our beneficiaries.”
The benefit to patients was notable.
“Patients experienced faster access to appointments, timely medication refills, and reduced wait times for screenings and acute issues,” Lt. Col. Ashley Adams, Dover’s medical services flight commander, said.
The team believes that telehealth has the potential to play an increasingly important role in ensuring access to care for military families and is committed to exploring further opportunities for collaboration and innovation in this area.
“We are actively working to improve patient education and support resources to ensure greater adoption and utilization of telehealth services in the future, thereby reducing wait times for both acute and routine appointments,” Hightower said.
McGuire’s Perspective
While the virtual health assist was welcome in light of reduced provider availability, most JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst beneficiaries opted to remain with their current provider.
“Patient satisfaction with our provider is high and our patients either went to urgent care off-base or were willing to wait for an appointment,” McManis said.
The medical group will continue to leverage virtual health collaborations to provide timely access to high-quality care. “We are thankful for the assistance that Dover offered through the virtual health platform. They are a true partner in this effort,” she said.
Outcomes and Future Opportunities
Overall, the initiative demonstrated measurable improvements, including reduced wait times, positive patient feedback, and increased staff morale.
“This effort underscores the importance of inter-MTF collaboration and the potential of telehealth to address resource constraints while maintaining high-quality care,” Elder said. “The lessons learned, and best practices established through this initiative serve as a model for other MTFs facing similar challenges.”
| Date Taken: | 09.03.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 09.03.2025 14:35 |
| Story ID: | 547156 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 267 |
| Downloads: | 3 |
This work, Innovative collaboration enhances pediatric care across MTFs, by Michelle Stewart, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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