Air Force medical units merge in San Antonio

  • Published
  • By Linda Frost
  • 59th Medical Wing Public Affairs
LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFNS) --  All Air Force medical treatment facilities in San Antonio merged under the 59th Medical Wing here Feb. 1.

The 12th Medical Group at Randolph Air Force Base became the 359th Medical Group, and the 37th Medical Group at Lackland AFB became the 559th Medical Group.

The realignment unites the medical units and their subordinate squadrons from Randolph and Lackland Air Force bases under the 59th MDW. With the addition of approximately 700 members from these two groups, the wing grows to more than 6,000 active duty members, civilians and contractors.

The 59th MDW headquarters is located at Wilford Hall Medical Center and led by Maj. Gen. (Dr.) Thomas W. Travis.

The consolidation will be transparent to beneficiaries with no change in services at the Randolph AFB, Lackland AFB, Brooks or Kelly clinics all in San Antonio. Military and civilian members will see little impact, with the exception of minor adjustments to the chain of command.

The transition of Air Force medical facilities here is a direct result of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Recommendation 146, under which installation support functions consolidated at 12 locations across the Department of Defense.

In San Antonio, the newly formed 502nd Air Base Wing, under the Joint Basing Plan, will be responsible for the mission support groups at each installation, while the 59th MDW staff assume responsibility for the Air Force medical groups. The realignment streamlines medical contingency operations planning and installation and clinical support by creating a single interface point for all installations in the area.

"The installations' missions drive the support, not vice versa," General Travis said. "Under Joint Base San Antonio, the 59th MDW now has a responsibility to directly support the missions and commanders at each of the installations through the newly-activated medical groups.

59th MDW members operate the Air Force's largest medical facility. Its mission is to provide deployed and in-garrison health care, graduate medical education and clinical research, all designed to enhance Air Force readiness.

The medical realignment coincides with the joint base standup of the 502nd ABW's subordinate units Feb. 2.

The medical units involved included:
-- 12th Medical Group inactivated; 359th Medical Group activated.
-- 12th Aerospace Medicine Squadron inactivated; 359th Aerospace Medicine Squadron activated.
--12th Dental Squadron inactivated; 359th Dental Squadron activated.
--12th Medical Operations Squadron inactivated; 359th Medical Operations Squadron activated.
--12th Medical Support Squadron inactivated; 359th Medical Support Squadron activated.
--37th Medical Group inactivated; 559th Medical Group activated.
--37th Aerospace Medicine Squadron inactivated; 559th Aerospace Medicine Squadron activated.
--37th Medical Operations Squadron inactivated; 559th Medical Operations Squadron activated.