VA Secretary McDonough visits BACH before opening of VA Clinic at Fort Campbell

Story by Justin Moeller

Blanchfield Army Community Hospital

Blanchfield Army Community Hospital Commander Col. Samuel Preston, along with other VA and Regional leaders, welcomed Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis R. McDonough Jan. 5 to the hospital facilities, and to host a roundtable discussion with Soldiers.

Congressional staff, leaders from Medical Readiness Command, East, and The Department of Veteran’s Affairs joined in the visit highlighting the future Fort Campbell VA Clinic opening soon at BACH.

The strong relationship between the VA Tennessee Valley Health System and BACH, via sharing agreements, continues to expand with the opening of the Fort Campbell, Kentucky, VA Clinic providing more opportunities for increased sharing of services to both active duty, retirees, and their families.

“It was an honor joining Defense Health Network East Commanding, General Brig. Gen. Lance Raney, Congressional staff, VA leaders, and our hospital team as we welcomed VA Secretary Denis McDonough to the VA Clinic space at BACH and to show the Secretary areas within the hospital where VA patients are already successfully supported. We also were able to share areas of our hospital where we hope to expand our relationship with VA patients, thus reducing the need for them to travel to Nashville when the services are available locally,” said Preston.

One of the most utilized areas VA patients currently use within the hospital, on a space available basis, is within the Women’s Health department. Serving women veterans assists the medical team with critical medical readiness capabilities to care for a diverse population at Fort Campbell and helps military personnel stay medically ready if they should deploy.

Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis R. McDonough expressed his approval in having a Veteran’s Affairs Clinic at BACH.

“We are soon going to be opening a new community-based outpatient clinic, for veterans, right here at the MTF. It’s a win-win, we provide a high-level of care to women veterans right here on base, doing so will allow us to ensure that all the active-duty providers are able to sharpen their skills while helping our veterans. Women veterans are our fastest growing cohort of veterans in the VA, and too frequently they don’t have access to the best care there is for OB or Gynecological access. This partnership, in this facility, is going to ensure they have that access,” said Secretary McDonough.

Lt. Col. Laurey Tyson, BACH chief of Women’s Health, sees future Soldiers and the care team benefitting greatly from seeing woman veterans.

“BACH Women’s Health Services provided gynecologic services to 194 women veterans and obstetric services to 49 veterans this past fiscal year. This partnership is critical in ensuring GYN surgical volume and case complexity for our gynecologists to meet American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology certification, surgical credentialing, and Individual Critical Task Lists training requirements,” said Tyson.

The Fort Campbell VA Clinic enables hospital personnel to continue to serve veterans when they leave active duty.

“It is an honor and privilege serving this population and we look forward to exploring opportunities to grow the existing partnership and to expand our services to veteran women to include minimally invasive gynecologic surgery,” said Tyson.

“It is logical that VA and DoD healthcare collaborate, working in tandem. We share a commitment in serving those who are willing to sacrifice it all in the defense of our nation. We take care of Soldiers and their families and at one point in their life those Soldiers are followed by the VA. So, to do right by those families and those Soldiers, the care should be continuous,” said Brig. Gen. Lance Raney, Defense Health Network East and Medical Readiness Command, East, Commanding General.

The Fort Campbell VA Clinic opening helps expand other opportunities for Veterans to receive medical services inside the hospital as part of those continuous services, such as the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit.

“BACH’s partnership with the Defense Health Agency’s Joint Tele-Critical Care Network enables our team expand our services for higher acuity patients,” said Lt. Col. Adam Campbell, BACH chief of Inpatient Services.

Campbell said that the DHA Joint Tele-Critical Care Network enables BACH’s ICU team to be a fully immersive audio/video consult with critical care teams across the United States.

“This is significant for veterans because it extends the critical care, typically provided in Nashville, further into rural communities; thereby, improving access to care.”

Before departing Fort Campbell VA Secretary McDonough sat down with Fort Campbell Soldiers who are in the last phase of their medical board process before entering the VA Healthcare system. Maj. Gen. Brett Sylvia, Commanding General, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) and Brigadier General Lance Rainy, Commanding General, Defense Health Network East and Medical Readiness Command East, sat on a roundtable discussion with Secretary McDonough supporting Soldiers questions about the transition to the VA after leaving the military.