Medical teams rally to support patients after storms strike MacDill

Story by Elaine Sanchez

Defense Health Network Central

The 6th Medical Group continues to offer a full spectrum of health care services to beneficiaries in the Tampa Bay region after two back-to-back monster storms recently struck the west coast of Florida.

With support from medical teams across the enterprise, the group from MacDill Air Force Base was able to quickly spring back into action after each hurricane, ensuring over 145,000 eligible beneficiaries – 30,000 of whom are empaneled to their clinics – sustained access to health care.

“MacDill AFB took hits from two hurricanes within two weeks, with significant damage to over 50% of buildings on base, including the clinic,” said Air Force Col. Elizabeth Somsel, 6th Medical Group commander and facility director. “Despite this, our team was up and running less than a week after the second storm. The hard work and resilience of this team is immeasurable and inspiring.”

This year’s Atlantic hurricane season, which ends later this month, has been active and devastating for Florida, with two massive storms wreaking havoc on the Tampa Bay area within just weeks of each other.

BRACING FOR HELENE
The first of the two, Hurricane Helene, a Category 4 hurricane, made landfall Sept. 26 in Florida’s Big Bend region, about 120 miles north of Tampa. With wind speeds reaching up to 140 mph, it became one of the most powerful storms to strike the US in recent history, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

While it didn’t directly strike Tampa, Hurricane Helene’s slow-moving path along the western coast of Florida triggered a 7-foot storm surge, flooding thousands of roads, homes and cars in its aftermath.

“We are fortunate that our clinics sit high enough on the peninsula that the storm surge didn’t directly affect our facilities,” explained Air Force 1st Lt. Zachary Wagner, 6th Medical Group’s TRICARE Operations and Patient Administration Flight commander. “But it did impact our staff, with some losing their homes, cars and property to the storm.”

With MacDill AFB closed to all but mission-essential personnel, the medical group filled in the health care gap by offering telehealth to their patients and limited in-person care to active-duty service members needing to complete critical pre-deployment requirements. Additionally, the MacDill pharmacy team received authorization to process prescription fills early to ensure their patients had medications on hand in the wake of the storm.

To aid in this effort, the 6 MDG Drive-Thru Pharmacy opened Sept. 30 to process prescriptions and prevent a further delay in care to patients once the base re-opened. The team processed over 1.5K prescriptions in six hours, said Air Force Maj. Brittney Williams, the group’s director of pharmacy operations.

“Our pharmacy was the only medical entity operating on this day,” she said. “It was an incredible team effort in support of patient care.”

The MacDill clinic reopened Oct. 1, less than a week after the devastating storm.

“Even with these setbacks, we found a way to open back up and get our patients the care they deserve,” Wagner said.

MILTON STRIKES TAMPA
With the base still reeling from Hurricane Helene, the medical group then braced for its second massive hurricane in less than two weeks. Hurricane Milton, which had escalated from a tropical depression to a Category 5 hurricane in just over 48 hours, was aimed straight at Tampa Bay and carried the threat of a 15-foot storm surge.

“It was kind of terrifying to turn on the news where they were reporting this to be one of the strongest-ever storms to develop in the Tropics,” Wagner said, “especially when they showed the estimated path, with the eye making landfall directly on MacDill.”

Hurricane Milton took an unexpected, last-minute turn and made landfall Oct. 9 in Siesta Key, about 40 miles south of MacDill AFB as a still-powerful Category 3 storm. While Tampa dodged the 15-foot storm surge, it didn’t avoid the torrential downpour. Hurricane Milton proceeded to soak the local area with 1.5 feet of rain in 24 hours.

“Combine that with wind gusts of over 100 mph and we were in trouble,” Wagner said. “Even after buttoning up the clinic on base by locking all doors and placing sandbags around all the entrances, our front sliding door popped open, and the rain came in. Some places had rainwater standing in the hallways an inch or two deep.”

The clinic sustained some of the worst damage on MacDill AFB and remained closed for about a week for initial assessments and repairs. With patient care in mind, the medical group put out a call to the Military Health System for support. Several medical teams across the enterprise answered that call, offering everything from virtual health to pharmacy support.

UNITY OF EFFORT
The Defense Health Agency’s Virtual Medical Center, or VMC, which had been aiding Georgia-based Moody Air Force Base and Dwight D. Eisenhower Army Medical Center in the wake of Hurricane Helene, swiftly shifted focus to MacDill AFB. The VMC stood up in 2018 on Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, to expand health care delivery options to beneficiaries and operational support to deployers, no matter how isolated or remote their location.

The day before Hurricane Milton made landfall, the VMC Credentialing Team privileged radiologists from Langley Air Force Base, Va., which enabled them to offer virtual health support to MacDill. Additionally, the VMC provided acute telehealth appointments for active-duty service members through their Virtually Integrated Patient Readiness and Remote Care, or VIPRR, Clinic, explained VMC Director Army Lt. Col. Dr. Gary Legault.

The VMC’s Virtual Appointment Management Office, or VAMO, also fielded dozens of calls from patients seeking clarification on their scheduled appointments, test results, or guidance on where to seek higher levels of care, noted Sarah Cuapio, VIPRR program manager.

“Our team provided patients with another avenue for questions and information,” she said. “This collaboration with MacDill’s leadership team made for a productive and successful venture during a stressful time.”

The success of this support underscores the importance of virtual health capabilities, Legault noted.

“Our VIPRR providers and VAMO operators were honored to support patients and the team at MacDill Air Force Base in a time of need,” he said. “Virtual health care is an indispensable tool, especially in times of crisis, and it’s our privilege to provide timely and effective medical support to our service members and their families regardless of location.”

Additionally, DHN Continental’s pharmacy teams at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, and Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., stepped up to provide prescription support for Tampa beneficiaries displaced by the storm. After standing up a pharmacy hotline, the teams helped transfer prescriptions to retail pharmacies closer to evacuated patients, whether in the local area or another state, a process that can take up to 45 minutes per transfer. Overall, the teams transferred over 50 prescriptions and fielded over 35 inquiries for patients, explained Air Force Lt. Col. Brandy Renner, Defense Health Network Central pharmacy consultant.

“We sincerely appreciate their awesome support for our patients during such challenging times, as well as the relief extended to their pharmacy colleagues,” Renner said. “This assistance significantly eased the burden of prescription needs, alleviating stress for all involved.”

READY AND RESILIENT
Closer to home, the 6 MDG Drive-thru Pharmacy opened Oct. 15 and, with water damage at the main clinic and nearby Sabal Park Clinic, served as the sole source for prescription pick-up until Oct. 18, Williams noted. Pharmacy staff with telework capabilities responded to medication activation requests sent via the MHS Genesis Patient Portal, freeing up their teammates to focus on timely prescription fills and preventing delays in care for patients, she added.

In the meantime, and within days after Hurricane Milton, the 6th Medical Group welcomed home over 80 deployers and completed readiness requirements for another 100-plus service members, the group commander noted.

MacDill’s community-based Sabal Park Clinic reopened Oct. 17, and the on-base clinic reopened Oct. 21. Repair efforts are ongoing and will be conducted in a phased approach to minimize disruption to patient care, said Somsel, noting the extensive team effort that took place.

“In addition to the support from other medical facilities and our installation partners, our team worked around the clock to ensure we could provide the best possible care to our military community,” she said. “Even more amazing is that our folks were caring for others while they were dealing with similar scenes of devastation at home, which speaks volumes about the dedication to our patients.”

With just a few weeks left in the hurricane season, the Military Health System stands ready to support health care teams, patients and communities impacted by hurricanes and any other disasters, noted Air Force Maj. Gen. Thomas Harrell, director, DHN Central, and commander, Medical Readiness Command – Alpha.

“The unwavering dedication of our teammates in Florida and from across the enterprise was instrumental in sustaining health care for our patients and support to our teammates during a very difficult time,” Harrell said. “Their efforts are a testament to our ability and agility to be ready for any circumstance. I’m incredibly proud of this unity of effort and shared commitment to ensuring Ready Reliable Care — anytime, anywhere.”