by CRDAMC Public Affairs
FORT HOOD (Now designated Fort Cavazos), Texas—Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center will realign its Soldier Centered Medical Home footprint to increase access to safe, high-quality healthcare for III Corps Soldiers.
Thomas Moore Health Clinic, Monroe Health Clinic, Bennett Health Clinic and Troop Medical Clinic-12 are part of the Army’s Soldier Centered Medical Home concept which uses a multidisciplinary healthcare team approach to improve and enhance individual and unit medical readiness. SCMHs provide Soldiers with a gamut of healthcare services such as primary care, behavioral health, pharmacy, radiology, laboratory and health prevention screening and education to meet their healthcare needs.
Based on proximity to their physical location, units are assigned to specific troop medical clinics. The intent is that by making comprehensive medical care available to them close to where they work, Soldiers will get the care they need and get back to their units quicker.
“Key to the success of SCMHs is the integration of the organic unit medical team with the hospital medical providers and staff. Soldiers are familiar with their providers and providers are going to know the Soldiers better,” said Lt. Col. Michael Moore, officer-in-charge of the reorganization. “It provides continuity for both the Soldiers and the staff, even during deployments and training exercises. Medical readiness is much more easily managed in an environment where line and medical personnel align.”
Moore said the realignment of units assigned to SCMHs is necessary to allow for predicted shortages across the Army of active-duty physician assistants and operational medical officers who serve as primary care managers at SCMHs.
“We need to optimize the ability to provide cross-coverage between III Corps, 1st Cavalry Division and medical treatment facility personnel so we can ensure total force readiness,” he added.
“The reorganization will be accomplished in scheduled, sequential phases. We are working closely with III Corps leadership to ensure a smooth, successful, and well-coordinated reorganization with minimal disruption to medical care. All services and operations will remain the same, the only change for affected units will be the physical location of their primary care team.”
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