Change is inevitable. Everyone knows it. No one likes it.
Army Lt. Gen. Ronald Place, Director of the Defense Health Agency has a sign in his office: "I'm good with change. You go first."
Place was aboard the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center on May 13 to meet with Marine Corps leadership in the morning, and with the Naval Hospital Twentynine Palms Board of Governors in the afternoon. His goal was to hear firsthand how seminal change, such as the MHS GENESIS electronic health record and the consolidation of Army, Air Force and Navy medicine into the Defense Health Agency is affecting boots on the ground.
Place, an Army surgeon, views change from a scientist's perspective. "The thing that matters most is healthcare delivery," he said. The challenge is to take the best of Army medicine, the best of Navy medicine the best of Air Force Medicine and figure out what can be standardized across the services while recognizing the cultures and traditions we support."
The DHA Director noted that under the new DHA construct, it's the warfighter and the concept of readiness that is central to the mission. While some military medical treatment facilities with high population densities and a surplus of sub-specialty choices in their surrounding areas are realigning to focus on active-duty readiness, Naval Hospital Twentynine Palms will continue to support its retiree population, as well as the family members of the Marines and sailors aboard the base – due to its isolated location.