Wing has long heritage of serving others

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Kimberly Spencer
  • 59th Medical Wing Public Affairs
LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFNEWS) --  The 59th Medical Wing is the Air Force's premier medical unit, located here in San Antonio.  The 59th MDW operates Wilford Hall Medical Center.

The wing provides global medical readiness capability and comprehensive peacetime healthcare benefits through education, training and research.

There are more than 4,100 people assigned to the medical wing. The 59th MDW is organized into a wing headquarters and five medical groups responsible for "product lines," or parts of the mission.

"We are proud to provide comprehensive healthcare in a world-class academic environment while providing global medical readiness capability supporting air expeditionary forces," said Brig. Gen. (Dr.) David Young, 59th MDW commander. "Our personnel are the best; well-trained and deployable, and ready to go to the mission, wherever that may be."

Readiness. 

Most of the wing's military personnel are assigned to one of many readiness teams, which act as building blocks to form air transportable hospitals and a number of specialized units. The wing maintains nearly 3,300 mobility positions. Outreach teams are regularly dispatched all over the globe to respond to emergencies, to assist in Department of Defense contingency missions and to reinforce readiness training through civil assistance missions. The wing conducts a full program of training to ensure it is ready for any contingency.

Since September 2004, more than 2,800 Wilford Hall medics have deployed to staff the Air Force Theater Hospital at Balad Air Base, Iraq, providing the highest level of trauma healthcare ever seen in a war zone.

Air Force medics officially took over the reigns of Task Force Med and the Bagram, Afghanistan, hospital Jan. 23, 2007, in a transfer of authority ceremony with the U.S. Army's 14th Combat Support Hospital. The ceremony was preceded by an assumption of command ceremony, officially activating the 455th Expeditionary Medical Group.

Col. (Dr.) Bart Iddins, the 59th MDW vice commander, assumed command.

"It is always an honor and a privilege to command, but it is especially a privilege to command in combat," Colonel Iddins said.

Colonel Iddins will serve as commander for the 455th EMG for one year.

Healthcare.  

In San Antonio, Wilford Hall is a Level I trauma center working closely with Brooke Army Medical Center -- located about 15 miles away -- and provides a virtually complete spectrum of medical care. The center has 225 staffed beds, 19 operating rooms, 30 critical care beds and 152 dental treatment rooms.

A typical day at the 59th MDW includes 2,658 patient visits, 9,442 prescriptions dispersed, 40 patients admitted, 35 surgeries performed, six babies delivered, 9,285 lab procedures and 2,600 meals served.

The 59th MDW is a specialized center for bone marrow transplantation, HIV evaluation and other specialized treatment. The direct patient care mission is fully supported by a complete range of ancillary services such as laboratory, pharmacy and radiology. The wing also participates fully in Tricare and Tricare Prime to provide referrals to civilian providers as necessary.

Education. 

The wing's postgraduate medical education function is merged with that of Brooke Army Medical Center. The two facilities, in close cooperation with the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, provide a wide array of training programs ranging from general surgery to healthcare administration.

Training. 

The 59th MDW trains more than 550 Phase II enlisted trainees each year, providing them with hands-on experience after they have completed the classroom portion of their training at another base. Other training includes the TopSTAR program for sustainment training for people with medical specialties whose daily work is not with patients, and a number of other training courses for trauma refresher and specialized surgical and critical care teams.

Research. 

The primary focus of the wing's research program is on meeting the needs of the line as specified in the operational and clinical medicine requirements, and on conducting military unique research and medical readiness training. The program's 550 active research and training protocols result in several hundred publications in peer-reviewed journals and presentations at national meetings per year. Research initiatives include advances in the use of blood substitutes, neonatology, studies of drug effectiveness, and training support for international missions of the Defense Institute for Medical Operations.

Integration. 

Officials from the 59th MDW are working closely with their Army colleagues in the city to combine services offered by both Wilford Hall and Brooke Army medical centers as part of the mandated base realignment and closure process.

The joint services will be part of the San Antonio Military Medical Center merger. In time BAMC will become SAMMC North and WHMC will become SAMMC South.

"We are literally transforming military medicine daily,"  General Young said. "The integration will allow us to leverage our resources to continue to provide the best possible care to the local military community and those Soldiers, Airmen, Marines and Sailors injured overseas."

Additionally, the physicians in the fellowship programs for both services will have the benefit of a broader education experience.

The merger will bring together a tremendous amount of expertise and research experience at two campuses, providing a truly integrated healthcare delivery system within San Antonio.

The 59th MDW is committed to providing the highest quality healthcare possible to active duty service members, retirees and their families here in San Antonio, while supporting their mission around the world.

"We are proud to provide support in terms of training, humanitarian assistance, and homeland security. With hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005," General Young said,. "We had folks fully engaged, winning the battle to recover from the worst national disaster in the nation's history."

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