Medical Readiness Command, West, SEL visits Munson Army Health Center

Story by Maria Christina Yager

Munson Army Health Center Public Affairs

FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kansas – The senior enlisted leader from U.S. Army Medical Readiness Command, West, met with Soldiers at Munson Army Health Center, Feb. 14.

Command Sgt. Maj. Jennifer A. Francis was on post to provide a brief on the U.S. Army Medical Command to officers at the Command and General Staff College Pre-Command Course.

She included a stop at Munson, one of 11 military treatment facilities in the region, to talk with Soldiers who deliver day-to-day care to service members, retirees, and their families.

“MRC, West, is responsible to provide regionally ready, globally responsive medical forces, health service support and force health protection to conserve the fighting strength, so it is important for me to visit our units and talk directly with our Soldiers and their leaders to ensure from the top down that we are all working toward the nested priorities established by the [U.S. Army] Surgeon General,” said Francis.

These priorities, identified by Lt. Gen. Mary K. Izaguirre, U.S. Army Surgeon General and Commanding General, U.S. Army Medical Command, include combat ready medical forces, the ability to sustain health, a culture of continuous transformation, and strengthening the profession.

At Munson, the command team and the medical company work to give its Soldiers training opportunities in and outside the facility that contribute to technical and tactical proficiency.

“We take a proactive approach and try to give our Soldiers plenty of opportunities to work on training and readiness,” said Sgt. Maj. Jason Trevino, Munson’s senior enlisted leader.

In January, Soldiers from Munson’s pharmacy headed to Irwin Army Community Hospital, Fort Riley, Kansas, the nearest MTF with inpatient capabilities.

“We went to Fort Riley to work on some of our inpatient pharmacy skills, mixing IVs, nebulizer inhalers, and other medications. It really did help getting back to that familiarization,” said Munson pharmacy specialist, Sgt. William Dobbin, adding that he’ll soon head to Fort Sam Houston for the Pharmacy Operations Course.

“You learn how to handle a pharmacy in a deployed setting, where you are probably the only pharmacy tech,” added Dobbins.

Other Munson Soldiers recently completed a 90-day rotation at Brooke Army Medical Center, San Antonio, Texas, where they were able integrate into the surgical ward and perform tasks critical to their MOS.

Later this year, Munson Soldiers will attend Delayed Evacuation Casualty Management training at Fort Riley’s Medical Simulation Training Center. This course provides training on Tactical Combat Casualty Care, interventions, and prolonged field care to prepare medics to sustain health during large scale operations.

“It is our duty to train our Soldiers, so we look for any and every opportunity to get after it,” Trevino said.

At the end of her visit, Francis shared that she enjoyed engaging with Munson’s Soldiers and credited the team for its focus on both readiness and health care delivery.

Munson Army Health Center serves more than 13,000 Military Health System beneficiaries on Fort Leavenworth and in the greater Kansas City area. Core services include primary care, pharmacy, laboratory, radiology services, and public health.

Visit https://Munson.TRICARE.mil to learn more about medical services at Munson.