Last Friday, your San Antonio Chamber of Commerce leadership visited with the new Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) Commander, Brigadier General Shan Bagby and Command Sergeant Major Thurman Reynolds. The visit was an opportunity to receive updates to the important work being accomplished at BAMC, as well as to meet the new command team leading the vital military medical mission for Joint Base San Antonio.
Steve Cochran, USAA’s Assistant Vice President for Affinity Development and Operations and Chamber’s Military Affairs Council Chair, attended the visit along with Chamber President and CEO Richard Perez, Executive Vice President Dave Petersen, Vice President of Military Affairs and Leadership Development Lori Stinson, and Vice President for Economic Development Belinda Garza-Hartwig. The first portion of the visit focused on the organization and structure of the healthcare system in San Antonio and BAMC’s medical provision of care for our military personnel as well as the invaluable training it provides for military medical professionals. BAMC at Fort Sam Houston is proud to provide safe, quality care to our military service members, their families, veterans, and civilian emergency patients as the most robust and productive healthcare organization within the Military Health System (MHS). Both inpatient and outpatient services are provided by approximately 8,500 staff members, including active duty military personnel from each of our uniformed services, public health personnel, federal civilians, contract employees, and volunteers.
BAMC providers also care for more than 4,000 patients each day during visits to its six separate outpatient clinics including: Westover Medical Home, CPT Jennifer M. Moreno Primary Care Clinic, McWethy Troop Medical Clinic, Taylor Burk Clinic at Camp Bullis, the Schertz Medical Home, and the Corpus Christi Occupational Health Clinic. Prominent on the hospital campus, and surrounded by four Fisher Houses, the four-story Center for the Intrepid (CFI) stands as a pre-eminent extremity injury rehabilitation center. Forty of the hospital’s beds are designated for the US Army Institute for Surgical Research (USAISR) Burn Center. The verified Burn Center serves alongside the Level I Trauma Center to provide emergency services for residents from 22 separate counties in South Texas. Scholarship in Action is witnessed daily throughout the medical campus as fellows, residents, and trainees at all levels of medical education and training receive mentorship from an integrated clinical faculty. Graduate medical education is implemented through the San Antonio Uniformed Services Health Education Consortium (SAUSHEC), responsible for overseeing more than 30 ACGME-approved programs.
BAMC facilities provide comprehensive care for more than 240,000 military beneficiaries living throughout the area.
The group was joined by Colonel Michael Wirt, Deputy Commanding Officer for BAMC, as well as Colonel Patrick Osborn, Deputy Commander for Surgical Services, where discussion focused on changes to medical care through the COVID crisis. Topics covered included adjustments to virtual care appointments and the talented focus on the BAMC professionals in research and programs centered around the treatment and care of COVID patients as well as cutting edge technology in prosthetics and more. The collaborative spirit of the military medical community and the civilian healthcare providers is integral to the successful care of trauma patients and the other civilian and military patients that enter the hospital for treatment.
The visit concluded with a visit through the Emergency Room Department and a city view from the rooftop helipad, where quick access to the medical center continues to save lives by trimming vital time for critically injured patients. The helipad was the first of its kind for the Department of Defense in May of 2012, and serves to ensure quality and quick care for patients in our region.
For more information on Brooke Army Medical Center visit https://www.bamc.health.mil/articles/2020/ or contact Daniel Calderón, Community Relations Specialist at (210) 916-5160 or email daniel.j.calderon.civ@mail.mil.
