New providers increase women’s health access at Fort Johnson

Story by Jean Graves

Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital

FORT JOHNSON, La. —Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital has increased access to care in the women’s clinic for obstetric and gynecological health for Soldiers and Families at the Joint Readiness Training Center and Fort Johnson, Louisiana.

BJACH welcomes three new medical providers, specializing in gynecology and obstetrics to the women’s clinic on the fourth floor of the military medical treatment facility. Capt. Christina Bell, Capt. Victoria Conniff, and Capt. Briana Thurmond joined the team in September and have hit the ground running to improve access to care for beneficiaries.

Patient and staff feedback has been positive with interactive customer evaluations. One patient said she had an overwhelmingly positive experience throughout her pregnancy and delivery.

“The doctors and nurses during appointments were amazing,” she said. “Dr. Thurmond was very kind, caring, and informative during my delivery and postpartum care.”

A staff member welcomed the new doctors via ICE.

“Dr. Thurmond, Dr. Conniff, and Dr. Bell are approachable, team players,” she said. “We are seeing great things from these ladies, and I know we will continue to see more!”

Capt. Christina Bell is the officer in charge of the BJACH OB/GYN clinic. She earned her undergraduate degree from Howard University followed by the Medical College of Georgia.

Bell said delivering babies has always been her childhood dream.
“The female body can do amazing things,” she said.

Bell said the fully staffed clinic is great news for the community and for readiness.

“Not only are our female Soldiers incredibly important and deserving of great care but so are the wives, daughters, and Family members of our active-duty male Soldiers,” she said. “When they know their Family is well taken care of, Soldiers can better focus on the mission at hand.”

Capt. Victoria Conniff, attending physician in the BJACH OB/GYN clinic, joined the team from Kentucky where she earned her undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of Louisville.

Conniff said her mom, an intensive care nurse, inspired her to go into medicine at a young age.

“I became interested when I was in high school, and I started shadowing an OB/GYN, who is still a great mentor to me to this day,” she said. “I always thought pregnancy was fascinating. OB/GYN is a great field with a ton a variety. We see patients in clinic, perform major and minor procedures in the operating room, deliver babies, and much more. We’re never bored!”

Conniff said, in addition to providing obstetric care, the clinic offers gynecological health care maintenance including well women and contraceptive exams.

“As OB/GYNs, we offer such a wide variety of services,” she said. “It’s important to have a fully staffed team to accommodate labor and delivery, clinic, and GYN surgery simultaneously, without compromising patient safety.”

Capt. Briana Thurmond, attending physician in the BJACH women’s clinic earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Akron and attended the Marian University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana.

Thurmond echoed Conniff by saying the full staff ensures the safety of all patients.

“Gaining the trust of women and helping them through some of the most vulnerable times in their healthcare journey is the most rewarding part about my job,” she said.

Thurmond said she enjoys women’s health.

“Listening to concerns and educating patients on their heath and helping them work toward solutions is what motivated me become a doctor,” she said. “I specifically like the focus on women and how the OB/GYN specialty is so versatile with clinic, surgery, and obstetrics.”

BJACH offers a variety of gynecological, obstetrics, and pregnancy services by referral to all TRICARE Prime beneficiaries, as well as a walk-in contraceptive clinic from 8:30 a.m. to noon on the first and third Thursday of each month.

For more information on women’s healthcare services visit the BJACH website at bayne-jones.tricare.mil.